Writer/director Rian Johnson has hit the big time with Looper, a really polished and original clever sci-fi thriller that succeeds by focusing more on its characters and slick action than tying the narrative in loops to explain the intricacies of time travel. In fact the film makes it clear that the time travel discussion is off the table, Willis makes this point abundantly clear to his younger self when the pair discuss their past/future in another great American diner scene. It simply isn't allowed to distract from the film. The action is stylish and the film carries a genuine sense of almost low budget indie cool throughout. Armed with his awesome blunderbuss, Gordon-Levitt copes with playing a lead action man well and is ably supported by Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. Blunt, in particular, gives a strong performance as a single mother resolutely protecting her son.

I have seen some comments to the contrary, but I found the film's ending to be excellent and thought provoking.… Expand

Excellent movie. The cast is fantastic, Joseph Gordon-Levitt especially and the story is a real mind twister. I liked how the future is shown almost similar to the present with only details showing us that not everything is the same. However it takes some time to tie all threads into one, but once you get the point than the story fully mesmerizes you. I was also surprised with the force little Pierce Gagnon played his very demanding part.
Finally, this movie should not be watched if you are not fully concentrated on it, as the details can slip quite easily.
Highly recommendable.… Expand

If you're looking for something thrilling yet thought provoking, go no further, Looper has arrived. Rian Johnson's Looper is a bold, wholly original genre film that delves into the fabric of time travel like you hardly get see these days. The high concept story line of a man's future-self on the loose after failing to 'get rid of him' is only the tip of the iceberg. Whats left is a dizzying tale of crime, time alteration and most interestingly, parenthood, that twists and turns the audience like an intelligent thriller should. The deceptive direction may not satisfy all, but it kept the intrigue on high.The principal cast was very good, and it's also good to see Bruce Willis on form this year. Filmed with much style and edited with clockwork precision; I highly recommend this to movie-goers.… Expand

A rarity for me, a very fun sci-fi movie that I enjoyed immensely. Why? Because this is a character and story driven science fiction film. We really grow to care about these characters in one sense or another, and the story keeps us guessing and intrigued right up to the emotional ending. Most of the problems that I have read about this movie revolve around the time travel dynamics or how the story slows in it's second half. I disagree on both counts. First I want to say that Johnson does have some obvious rules for time travel that he is following throughout this film, but I admire how he knows that if you think about time travel long enough you will find holes in any story involving something that both doesn't exist and is implausible in the real world. I love the scene where Johnson gives a wink to this idea by having Willis's character tell Levitt's, " I don't want to talk about time travel because we would be here all day." I also disagree that the film slows in the second half. I feel that the scenes at the farm are among the best in the movie, also Willis's character goes to some bad places which gets us to the more than satisfying ending. I have two issues with this movie and they probably keep this from being an all time classic science fiction movie for me. One is Levitt's performance. This is an actor that I normally like so I am going to believe that his poor performance is due to the prosthetic that were used to transform his face. Most will probably disagree with me about his performance, but I feel he is outmatched in almost every scene he shares with the other players in this movie. My second issue are the action sequences. If there is one reason for me not enjoying most action films anymore it is the implausibility of the gun fight, and Looper is no exception. I am infinitely tired of trained killers who can kill with professional precision suddenly becoming incapable of firing straight when they are shooting at a movies protagonist. This is probably nitpicking but I would rather not see the action at all than be taken out of the movie in this way. Overall this is a highly enjoyable, unique science fiction film.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie could have done with a 10, although it was great it did not live up to my expectations, there were may plot and logic holes/flaws. Like with almost all time travel movies it stumbles in handling its core element (time travel logic). There was nudity which was forced. The ending was great but the addition of the TK Kid was SO STUPID. Other than these flaws the movie was great, loved the whole young BWills thing decent action the story was also commendable putting aside the time travel logic issues.… Expand

Looper is my favorite movie of the year. I got the blu ray the day it was released and watched it immediately. I find the self inclosed story (with no need for sequels or prequels) to be very refreshing in a genre populated by franchises. While I avoided the movie in theaters for some time, after hearing about how good it actually was I went to see it and was blow away. Part of this is most likely because my expectations were not great. The idea of the mob using time travel didn't seem plausible. I think a bigger organization than the mob would be required to harness and use a power as awesome as time travel. How about a government conspiracy with CIA agents instead of criminals? Regardless of that fatal flaw the world created by writer director Rian Johnson is flawless. He brought a skeptical viewer (myself) to an adoring viewer in less than 10 minutes.… Expand

A well constructed story-driven scifi film that doesn't hit you over the head with explanations about causality but just works with the already well established (mainly by Back to the Future I guess) hollywood time-travel ruleset. Levitt plays a younger Bruce Willis and does so very well but his 'altered' appearance does take some getting used too. One of the better films of 2012 and certainly a recommended watch!… Expand

The summer brought us many blockbusters, The Avengers, Men in Black 3, Prometheus, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the Dark Knight Rises. It was a successful summer overall, but the fall season is where the Oscar contenders come out, and with that, I have Looper, which is the first fall movie of the year that looks like it can contend with the heavy weights. The story takes place in the year 2044,

I've shied away from movies of late. There was a time when I would have got excited by the next big science fiction movie, but I didn't really care Looper, and didn't rush out to see it, (even if it did feature the beautiful Emily Blunt). Especially since advertisements had compared it to that Wachowski Brothers film, which, although visually inventive at the time, had laughable dialogue. I eventually rented Rian Johnson's movie one bored Saturday evening. At first I couldn't get into it, so slept on it and watched it the next morning when I was more awake. Firstly, I must say how refreshing it is to see a movie that actually works. The visual aesthetic is convincing, and never at one point could I not suspend disbelief in this reality. Although it does not suffer with bad dialogue like many high concept movies where the focus is too much on the topography and plot of the movie, the dialogue is still probably the weakest element here. The film is competently acted by its cast leading me to check afterwards that Emily Blunt was indeed English. Props to her there for the accent. The film kept me engrossed throughout it's two hour duration. Admittedly it never really set my pulse racing, nor did it provoke me, or set the synapses firing, but neither was I bored. The plot is not overly taxing, but there are enough temporal shifts to keep it interesting. There were some nice stylistic flourishes which were probably unnecessary, but you come to expect style over content in this genre. The film does feel a little horizontal and flat at times, but maybe that is the mille plateaux. I would have to agree that I never really felt for the characters, although there was some humanity from Blunt's character. Although dystopian, to say that there is no hope whatsoever is untrue. There is some optimism to its denouement. I'm still waiting on a science fiction film that does not rely on weaponry for its thrills, and I'm growing tired of hearing profanities. I think it makes for lazy dialogue. However, I must concur this is one of the better things I have seem for quite some time. They called it a golden age at the Baftas, and I must admit sensing something of a renaissance in film at the moment.… Expand

First of all, let me take a moment to praise outstanding work done by the director and writer of this movie, Rian Johnson. I have watched a lot of science-fiction films that incorporate the elements of time travel and in the beginning, this movie seems like any other typical science-fiction film but it has a lot of surprises, the amount of creativity that has been put in the making of this film. Looper is a remarkable and beautiful film, with astounding performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Young Joe Simmons), Bruce Willis (Old Joe Simmons), Emily Blunt (Sara Rollins) and Pierce Gagnon (Sara… Expand

Looper seems to suffer from over-expectation, going by some reviews. Heavily pushed as the "new matrix", I struggled to find the similarity to the Keanu Action-blockbuster. Sure, Looper is a high-concept movie but its much smaller in scale and focus - and all the better for it. There's action but its quite spaced out and rarely the showstopper that a film like the Matrix would require. Instead we get a very good turn from JGL playing his character like a young Bruce Willis. When it works, its fantastic although sometimes the eyebrows seemed a bit too much. Willis himself is great as the reluctant assassin and the two play off each other well in their scene together. The rest of the cast work well, although I would have liked a bit more of Jeff Daniels. But sometimes its better to be left wanting more. Overall though, Looper is a nice bit of sci-fi but not the picture some will be expecting. The script can feel a little clunky but its got enough nuance to carry through to the ending which, while some hated it, I quite enjoyed.… Expand

Looper is a really good movie! Great special effects and a great story. The best thing about Looper is that it perfectly mixes story and action making it a must see! I'd highly recommend it to anyone so long as they don't have an extreme hate of the Sci-fi genre!

I went in to this movie with high expectations because of the reviews, than i watch the movie and i was bored by it, this movie is clearly made for fans of time travel and science fiction and no one else, the plot is vary complicated and requires a lot of thinking and concentration, i got bored by this movie because i'm not a big fan of time travel movies, if you are not a fan of time travel,science fiction or vary complicated movies, i would say avoid this movie because you will probably not like it

5/10… Expand

One of the masterpieces of the science fiction, where we appreciate good theories abiut the future and the mafias of the future.
The Performance of Gordon-Levitt and Willis is awesome, and we appreciate some similarities between the two actors
This movie shows us again that the science fiction is a genre able to make excellent movies.

Reading some of the reviews on imdb.com I was excited to see this, I dont think the movie's story is all that great, I guess I was expecting a better movie, 7/10 is the best I can give this.

Looper was a disappointing film that, having promised so much in its trailer, did not satisfy in both its uncompelling storyline, cliched acting and futuristic (borderline annoying) cinematography.

A good sci-fi story done with finesse. Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt closely. He may not "look" like a younger Bruce Willis, but he has his familiar mannerisms and speech down: especially in a sit-down with a crime boss. For the most part, the story takes some unexpected turns but doesn't hold up in the ending, which is telegraphed in advance. Too bad, because this had the makings of a classic. Still, the acting and direction elevate this to a must-see of Fall films.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mildly entertaining premise that wasn't executed well. The movie's ending was terrible.

The main character just happens to end up on the very farm as the kid he is looking for after running from the diner? He didn't even know what that information on the note was until the farm owner explained it to him.

The story seemed to grow more and more inconsistent after the farm culminating with this hardened killer sacrificing himself for some kid he barely knew.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nel 2044 i ricchi sono ricchi e i poveri si arrangiano servendoli. I primi vivono nei grattacieli di una città che ricorda vagamente ‘Blade runner’ (ma senza le pubblicità), i secondi abitano in caseggiati popolari davanti ai quali parcheggiano le loro macchine rappezzate. Il risultato una società violenta e infiltrata dalla malavita: in più, rispetto ai giorni nostri, ci sono i loopers, assassini prezzolati che uccidono le vittime della mafia che vengono loro spedite da trent’anni nel futuro. Un lavoro pulito, pagato con i lingotti recapitati sulla schiena del malcapitato, che però può incepparsi quando a tornare il te stesso invecchiato. Dopo tanti altri, capita anche a Joe (per la seconda volta in pochi mesi ecco un killer di nome Joe): il problema che il passare degli anni lo ha fatto diventare Bruce Willis che, in cerca di vendetta, non ha nessuna voglia di farsi ammazzare. A partire da questo momento, ‘Looper’ si trasforma da buon thriller fantascientifico con qualche eccesso di violenza e manierismo ad opera di valore assoluto grazie a una seconda ora che, giocando tra i contrastanti sentimenti umani e i paradossi del viaggio nel tempo, affascina senza possibilità di scampo fino all’efficacissimo finale. E’ vero che, forse, sarebbe stato di ancor maggior effetto ribaltare la conclusione, ma questo un film, non un romanzo di Dick e allo spettatore fa piacere alleggerire un po’ l’animo dopo tanta cupezza e tensione: il giovane Joe decide di spezzare il cerchio (il loop che sarebbe stato meglio tradurre con circolo o anello) ed un bel cambiamento da parte di un tossico capace di sacrificare il suo miglior amico chi non elimina il proprio loop non ha scampo per salvare i lingotti accuratamente risparmiati sognando una fuga in Francia. Alla trasformazione, contribuisce non poco vedere come diventato il vecchio Joe: Willis interpreta senza battere ciglio, ormai se lo può permettere, un assassino di bambini incluso quello di una sua vecchia fiamma guidato solo dall’amore perduto e da un odio che lo illude di poter cambiare il futuro in cui il misterioso Sciamano (in originale Rainmaker, da cui gli svariati riferimenti a nuvole e pioggia) sta cercando di eliminare tutti i looper. Al confronto dell’attempato leone, al quale l’esperienza ha insegnato a dare qualche sfumatura alla granitica presenza, Gordon-Levitt dimostra di dover ancora percorrere parecchia strada, malgrado l’assidua presenza sugli schermi negli ultimi tempi: la sua interpretazione cresce però con il passare dei minuti, forse perché non ha proprio la faccia da killer e funziona meglio quando, in fuga, abbandona la città per rifugiarsi nella fattoria presidiata, il caso di dirlo, da una combattiva Emily Blunt. Proprio tra campi di frumento e strade sterrate si arriva alla conclusione, dopo che Willis ha fatto fuori un numero imprecisato, ma certamente alto, di mafiosi (compreso il plenipotenziario venuto dal futuro ben interpretato da Jeff Daniels) armato di due mitragliette, una per mano uniche armi non vintage, essendo le altre intonate ai gusti ‘passatisti’ del giovane Joe. E’ il culmine di sessanta minuti di grande cinema, capace di far pensare ed emozionare allo stesso tempo grazie a una qualità che, se la prima parte fosse allo stesso livello, porterebbe il film dallo status di ottima pellicola con un futuro di culto a quello di molto vicino al capolavoro, seppur di genere.… Expand

Not the New Star Wars or Matrix. More the New Logans Run. Very good smart sci-fi, it did get perilously close to being slow towards the end but saved itself. Also for a sci-fi timetravel film the narrative held together quite nicely without masses of plot holes.

It doesn't meet my expectations. But, nonetheless, Looper is a smart, unique, and well written film that ranks high above other movies in the same genre.

I found it to be an overall good movie, best of its genre i have seen in a long time. It developed the story very well and increased its intensity as it went. 9/10-9.5/10 is exactly what it deserves.

Best movies I've seen in this year is Looper and batman the dark knight rises ,my all time favorite movie's are The Godfather (1972) .Taxi Driver (1976). Carrie (1976). Scarface (1983). GoodFellas (1990) . Raging Bull (1980) .Casino (1995) there masterpiece movies, what i don't like are the silly remakes why a new carrie movie ? this is the 4th movie carrie the made it's just stupid ,Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie are absolutely perfect ,they both got Oscar nominations out of it, for God sake!… Expand

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis are gripping in the movie Looper.

Looper takes an tremendously silly concept and tries to ask some big questions with it, which unfortunately does not work at all. However, it manages to set up a compelling conflict that avoids standard "good guy, bad guy" fare for something much more complex, resulting in a very good thriller where you can easily forget about all the philosophy and just watch the players make their moves. It provided me with the rare experience of watching a Hollywood film and truly wondering what's going to happen next, because there wasn't any obvious happy end in sight. Add some great acting (with the exception of Bruce Willis, who, as always, plays Bruce Willis and matches Kristen Steward in his range of facial expressions), and the fact that it doesn't rely on CGI and explosions to keep you excited, and you end up with a surprisingly solid experience.… Expand

Good point but have neglected entertainment.
The two actors do not look like each other.
Should have included some persecution for some more excitement to the movie.

Well... What to say... I think they really tried to make an intelligent movie but they kind of fail. That's too bad because the idea wasn't bad but too many things are out of place. The actors, they're not bad but not really good either, none of them is really engaging.
I'd say go see this movie if you don't think too much and you are a bit bored because still the action scenes are not that bad.

Rian Johnson takes you from this world and pulls into the world of Looper. Johnson's films are unlike those of other filmmakers, because they are so surreal.