Looper ☆☆☆☆

Looper's are assassins in the past who take care of 'problems' sent back 30 years through a time travel device owned by the future mob. When their loop is closed its because they have, as per an agreement upon sign up, killed their own future self. This is where it gets tricky for our protagonist Joe whose future self decides this isn't what he wants and goes on the run.

That is all I'm going to say plot-wise because its all you need to know. I'll add a couple of spoiler notes at the end for those who have seen the film but I'm going to attempt a review that doesn't spoil the film!

The concept for the movie is interesting and well produced. It is the first truly original sci-fi film I've seen in a while, well, except for one element that is not exactly unique to my mind. Otherwise the idea of assassins from the past working for the mob in the future I certainly have never seen before. It also involves an extra sci-fi element of telekinesis that some of the population have, but it isn't some amazing gift but more of a cheap trick. That was a nice touch for the story, not making it a huge thing that being a 'TK' had radically changed the world.

I mostly enjoyed the storyline, it does get a bit disturbing for my taste at points though. It is really quite violent, much more so than I had anticipated. Now I am okay with violence so long as it isn't Saw-style I want to make the audience sick - this wasn't trying to make me sick. I think the parts that affected me most were ones where hands got shut in doors or broken, or the violence you didn't witness but had to let your imagination fill in the gap.

As for the acting, I thought it was superb from everyone involved. It takes a bit of time to get used to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new nose and eyebrows but apart from that his and Bruce Willis's time travelling selves are a convincing pairing. Emily Blunt is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses and she plays her role very well with a decent American accent. I was pleasantly surprised to see Paul Dano in this movie who has failed to quite get the recognition he deserves, at least thats how I see it. He is an extraordinary actor who has been in the more indie side of Hollywood for a while but hopefully from this and his upcoming comedy Ruby Sparks he will start getting more centre-stage roles. Dano was part of one of the more disturbing elements of this film but he was, for me, one of the stand-outs of the whole movie.

The writer/director Rian Johnson previously made another of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's movies you must watch, Brick. He does not let the film slip out of his grasp and carefully blends the sci-fi with the human interest. I felt the balance was right between the two but I know that my friend felt there was too much focus on JGL and Blunt and not enough on Willis. Johnson has made a film that contributes something new to the sci-fi shelf, but it was the latter half of the film and the ending that has left me a little disappointed, much in the same way Duncan Jones' Source Code was so almost a five star film for me but the end left me annoyed enough to not want to see it again.

The scenery and the special effects however were fantastic. The future looks entirely bleak in parts but also there is colour and life, leaving you thinking this is probably how the world will end up if time travel, telekinesis and the mob start changing all the rules.

Undoubtedly original, exceptionally well acted, an interesting concept. It just didn't blow me away like I thought it would and disappointed me greatly in parts, which meant I cannot give it five stars, but it definitely deserved four.

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Now, for MAJOR SPOILER time (I cannot stress enough to NOT read this before seeing the film):

So first on a positive note, though disturbing I thought the special effects of how the past shows up on the future selves was extraordinary, especially what happened to poor Seth whose decision to run and put his trust in Joe left him mutilated. It actually still makes me feel a little sick seeing his face collapse and his inability to speak meaning he must not have a tongue. Just horrific, but clever, and likely to appeal to many.

Like I said above I loved Blunt, when she runs scared from her own son to hide in a safe you realise quite how demonic that little boy is. Which leads me on to what disappointed me in this film.

Cid, the boy who is to become the rain-maker with his exceptional telekinesis, was too much of a Damien character. This was the part that was not unique, there have been many incarnations of the small child with too much power who gets hurt or wants to protect those around him and loses control. The kid who plays Cid was super cute and I had seen him in One Tree Hill previously, and he does very well frowning at the bad man come to kill him. It was just too disturbing that Joe's future self would go so far to kill children to stop the rain-maker from becoming a reality and allowing him to continue living with his wife. It was too selfish a motive.

And of course that is what young Joe realises and so stops Cid from losing his mother by killing himself, his young self. NO! Not what I wanted and not fair. Too sad, and far too confusing. As my friend put it the whole time travel, space-timey wimey ball makes no sense and leaves you with more questions than answers which just wasn't satisfying.

This film had put me through a lot and I wanted a happier ending than the one I was presented with. Maybe that is me just being a romantic but I can't help it, I never want to see JGL die. I wanted him to change the fate of himself and the world by killing Bruce Willis, moving in with Blunt, and raising Cid to be a decent human being who would put his TK skills to good use.

I'll end on a positive though. The part of the film that completely stood out for me was the life of Joe after he kills his future self, closing out his loop as was meant to be. The life he lives being such a waste for so many years, taking drugs and killing people. The transformation too from JGL to Willis was also great, the moments at the beginning where JGL looks in a mirror and notices his hairline is receding, Willis with his wig. Then Joe finally beginning to live life, falling in love and getting married. You can see why he feels so strongly about saving her and his life with her. I wanted more of that romance, but I guess what I was given was a man fighting to save it, which is romantic too even if the methods are not to my taste.