Looper

Looper

Directed by Rian Johnson

Though it may not make much sense, and the casting is a bit strange, Looper manages to impress with fantastic action sequences, strong performances, and genuine originality.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a fantastic actor, but was he the right choice for this role? I believe not. Had they selected a more appropriate actor to portray the older version of himself, the end result would have been much less strange, but he still managed to make due, giving his best possible Bruce Willis impression under heavy makeup. I still found it hard to believe at times that these were meant to be the same character at different ages, but their lack of physical similarities is only a minor distraction from the film, which itself contains many more obtrusive, confusing, and incomprehensible elements than it probably should have.

Any film exploring time-travel is bound to come across problems. One of the few I feel got it right was 12 Monkeys, a previous Bruce Willis feature from 1995. The idea that the future can be effected by the present's interference by the future makes about as much sense to me as Keanu Reeves' rise to stardom. Assuming there are multiple timelines, this theory makes slightly more sense, but doesn't that negate the entire notion of reality? If additional realities can be created every time a person travels back and forth through time, what can be perceived as the real reality? Attempting to understand it all makes my head hurt, and though I try my best not to nitpick it to death, this is not the kind of movie that makes much sense at all when you think about it.

However, despite its many flaws (which include several others I am in no mood to go into, due to their relation to crucial plot details), I think this is a really good movie. It may not make a lot of sense, but it still forces you to think, which is not something most sci-fi/action movies are capable of doing. The action scenes are well-choreographed, the story (though confusing, irrational, and slightly convoluted) is intriguing, the performances from the entire cast are strong, and most importantly, it is an original idea, that is well-executed.

To be completely entertained while simultaneously being forced to think about a movie as you're watching it is a rarity. That, paired with the burning question, "how will this all turn out?" helps Looper to rise above its potential mediocrity, and into the ranks of superior science fiction. This is a very entertaining, intriguing movie, and one of my favorites of the year so far.