In today's entertainment industry, time travel has become a concept often used in the mainstream - what with geek culture getting a larger spotlight thanks to the immense success of the likes of superhero movies, science-fiction shows and nostalgic properties – with the trope being used in a range of films of genres, going from something simple like Mr Peabody and Sherman and Hot Tub Time Machine to something a little more complex such as Interstellar and X-Men: Days of Future Past. And fitting into that latter category sits Rian Johnson's Looper, whose entire plot relies on the time travel aspect to a degree where things don't entirely make sense if you know little or quite a bit about the time travel concept. But now that he's progressed from his indie routes and brief jump into the mainstream to headlining the eighth instalment in the Star Wars franchise, let us revisit his big foray into the science-fiction genre with the awards-hungry Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the hit-needing Bruce Willis.
In the future, Joe (Levitt) is a Looper – an assassin of sorts, hired by the mob of the further future to dispose of those who've done them wrong after they send the wronged back in time via an illegal time machine. Paid handsomely with silver blocks and with a retirement in France in his sights, he and his fellow Loopers begin to notice a trend of increasing closed loops; in which a Looper kills his future self, gets given a gold payment and left to their own devices for 30 years before the mob send them back. Fail to close that loop, and the gang of the present use their younger self to grab him (as shown via a somewhat gruesome sequence with Paul Dano's older incarnation Frank Brennan). But when Joe's older self (Willis) turns up and swiftly escapes on his quest to kill the child Rain Maker, young Joe must hide away from his employers and kill his older self before it's too late. His plan? Hide out in one of the locations he's looking for – where Emily Blunt's Sara looks after her son Cid (Pierce Gagnon) - and hope that his older self finds him before his boss does.
With Looper, it's best to ignore some of the basic time travel rules that you've learnt from the past decade or so of movies and television. While its entire focus is that time is in flux, it doesn't follow time being rewritten in the sense that you'd think in Doctor Who episodes or Back to the Future, nor does it go by fate a la Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sure, it borrows some elements – especially as it nears its end – but paradoxically it does begin to break down...and I know that logic should really be thrown out the window when it comes to movies, but when focusing on a theory which has been a part of the medium for at least a century, it does deserve some scrutiny. That said, with a storyline which is both simplistic and enticing, you do have a good sell, and thankfully the entertaining aspects such as the well-choreographed action sequences and visual effects.
Which brings me on to my next compliment: Rian Johnson is a great choice for a Star Wars director, as evident by his work here. Combined with his efforts with the film's cinematographer, you have not only a good looking film (with the somewhat slumdog dystopia being well-dressed and the film never looking particularly fake) but a well-made one too, with all the elements combining together to make something that's both smart and predominantly a popcorn flick. So yeah, with that in mind Star Wars is in safe hands.
With Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role, the elephant in the room should be discussed first – the make up job on him to make him resemble Bruce Willis. Sadly, it's far too noticeable and eye-catching, so it can at times detract from what's going on just to see JGL with weird eyebrows. But bad make-up job aside, he does make for a strong if not incredibly likable lead. Willis on the other hand has very little to him. Sure, we see what makes him turn from Levitt to the revenge-seeking killer we see him as throughout, and those moments where he goes after kids are played straight, but other than that he's there just for plot reasons (obviously) you aren't entirely invested in him. Meanwhile, lead female character Emily Blunt has a good enough accent and adds some much needed gender diversity to the mix (seeing as the only other noteworthy female is Piper Perabo's single mother/stripper and has little screentime), but is a likable character in her own right thanks to her motherly approach towards son Cid. Speaking of which, I ask you this: how often is it that the child actor is the best thing here? Gagnon (Tomorrowland: A World Beyond) is a tour de force here, breaking the usual conventions for actors his age and actually acting. Perhaps helped by the fact that he's involved in the film's most iconic scene, but he's just stellar here.
As for the side characters, there's litte to comment on. As aforementioned, Perabo barely has anything to do, but neither does Jeff Daniels in what could have been a particularly meaty role. Noah Segan is more annoying than anything as Kid Blue; Paul Dano is sadly disposed of quickly so we don't get enough time to see his character, and seeing as Xu Qing is only involved in flashbacks we can only comment on the fleeting glimpses we have of her.
Looper is a film that succeeds where other films fail, but falters where they usually do well. It looks great, is well-paced and superbly edited, and acting-wise there isn't a bad performance in sight. But the characters are barely interesting and the logical side of things that science-fiction films strive on needed some further rectifying before the film entered principal photography. That being said, Looper is a fun film with actual substance. Its missteps only help it succeed all the more, and while not great deserves at least a bit more recognition. 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment