Looper review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt IS Bruce Willis in this sci-fi thriller

Bruce Willis AND Joseph Gordon-Levitt as looper, Joe

In the year 2074, time travel WILL be invented but the government will immediately outlaw it. However, that doesn’t mean it’s gone. Taken over by the Mob, it becomes the most effective way of disposing of someone in the future. Loopers are essentially assassins, waiting for their targets to be zapped right in front of them, so they can simply shoot. However, the only way to keep the truth from coming out eventually, every looper must kill their future self, therefore eliminating the only tie-in with the murders. But a known time limit of life isn’t so appealing for all loopers, despite the consequences being far worse.

The story focuses on young looper, Joe, who doesn’t have anything in life apart from his job and dreams of travelling the world with his saved-up wage. When presented with his self, 30 years on, Old Joe escapes and the two men enter into an exciting game of cat and mouse whilst carrying out their own personal vendettas.

Time travel is so hard to get right, and even when it’s passable; it is even more rare to be done well. This is something Looper doesn’t need to worry about. Rian Johnson’s slick interpretation of the genre is almost faultless, with barely an audience member walking out confused. It seems like every avenue has truly been considered and executed with scrutiny, something you don’t see often in a science fiction movie. With it’s nods to superpowers such as telekinesis this film, does have a strong science-fiction vibe, there’s something almost X-Men reminiscent of it, which gives it another dimensional edge. Johnson’s vision of the world in 30 years is stylistic, but not far-fetched which adds realism to the otherwise, hard-to-grasp constructs. The world still looks relatively the same, but with added gadgets, weapons and hovercraft motorbikes!

Joseph Gordon Levitt deserves the most acting praise for this film, his transformation into a young Bruce Willis goes beyond just a prosthetic nose and top lip. Everything about him oozes Willis. However, make no mistake, Levitt has still managed to create a completely original character in Young Joe, rather than the role slipping into a cheesy Bruce Willis imitation, which it so easily could have done.

Blunt brings life to southern lass, Sarah

The movie actually proves to be very different to what the trailer suggested. The action isn’t high octane, and the travelling through time is not the main point of the story, but this is a bonus rather than a negative. It feels more intelligent than most actions, like the fight sequences are actually included for a purpose rather than to just pump testosterone round the cinema. It’s a refreshing style not often seen in the genre and it makes Looper stand head-and-shoulders above the rest.