Looper Review

When I saw the trailer I was intrigued. When I saw the reviews I was interested. When I saw the movie I was sold. Looper is a fun and creative time travel tale. The world that exists is one with a unique take on how people would abuse time travelling. The premise of the movie is explained early. The mafia controls time travel in the future and sends kills back to the past so trained assassins, called loopers, can kill the target and dispose of the body in the past. All loopers will be sent back as a target to themselves and this is why they are called loopers, and what is called closing the loop. Their future selves are sent back with a large sum of money, and the loopers can live the next 30 years without any reservation, but they know the time limit on their lives. Uniquely creative is the universe that Rian Johnson created.

The same writing that makes Rian Johnson’s prior Joseph Gordon Levitt movie, Brick, excellent is present in Looper. Johnson understands the complications and difficulties of making a movie involving time travel and makes light of how people try to understand how time travel works. During a conversation between Levitt and Willis (past and future selves) Willis comments about the ridiculousness of trying to comprehend moving through time. This conversation is Johnson’s way of telling the audience not to worry about fathoming whether or not the travelling makes sense, but to just enjoy the film for what it is and so I have.

         

The acting is excellent, the sets create the mood, but the makeup truly shines. When I saw the trailer I knew who the actors were, but during the first scene of the film I debated with myself whether or not that was Joseph Gordon Levitt. The makeup is uncanny as the artists turn Levitt into a younger Willis. During one scene specifically, Levitt looks and acts like Willis to a T. From the mannerisms to the makeup, no one needs convincing that Levitt is Willis in the past.

       

Having a few choices in the theaters this season, I firmly believe Looper is probably the strongest movie out right now. Whether you are a Levitt fan, a Willis fan, or have never seen a movie before, Looper has something in it for everyone. Fun and interesting from start to finish I look forward to seeing what Johnson creates next.

Watch It.