Looper is a Time-Travel Film That Doesn’t Want to Talk About Time-Travel (Short Review)

‘Looper’, the sci-fi action thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Leviit and Bruce Willis, is an entertaining film that fails to deliver on its fantastic time-travel premise.

There is a moment in the film when one characters says he does not want to talk about time travel– but isn’t that the whole point of a time-travel movie, to talk about time-travel?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young Bruce Willis in ‘Looper’.

The film may be a disappointment for those secret science fiction nerds looking for a time-travel epic, but the unfortunate truth is that director Rian Johnson has managed to make a time-travel film that is not about time-travel. That does not mean ‘Looper’ is a bad film or not worth your time. It simply means that ‘Looper’ uses time-travel as a reason to put its characters in a certain situation, and does not necessary care about ‘why’ they are there.

Bruce Willis and Joseph Gorden-Levitt play two different versions of the same character– one from the present and one from the future– a hired mob assassin called a ‘looper’.  Both actors do a great job playing that character, but it is Gordon-Levitt that truly shines in role. Emily Blunt is also excellent as a lonely famer who gets caught up in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s quest to kill his future self.

‘Looper’ is good, but should have been excellent. It feels like Johnson missed an opportunity to create a truly unique and fantastic film.

Rating: 5 (An average movie)

Rating system:

1: One of the worst films ever made (Don’t ever watch) 2: A worthless film (unwatchable) 3: A bad film (but watchable) 4: Wait for the DVD 5: An average movie 6: Above average (you don’t have to watch it opening weekend) 7: A must see (watch it opening weekend) 8: An excellent film (you may have to see it again) 9: Midnight showing worthy (a near perfect film) 10: One of the greatest films ever made.