Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film | Technology | Science | Culture)

This year has been full of some incredible sci-fiction film work, culminating in what we feel is so far the best of any in the genre for the year with director Rian Johnson’s Looper. Set in the year of 2044 in a world where economic turmoil has created a large gap between the rich and the poor, organized crime is at an all time high in human history and time travel has been banned in society. Organized crime has their hold on this technology and uses it to their advantage to get rid of anyone in the world they need to. Also, a significant portion of society has the ability of telekinetic powers in this futuristic state and this proves to be a deciding factor in the plot layout and design of the characters roles in the film. Starring leading actors Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt, the film takes on a magnificent view into a possible future where humans are sent back into the future to be erased and terminated from history by individuals called Loopers. The only draw is that these loops must be closed, meaning the very people killing these humans sent back into time will eventually one day have to kill themselves and wait 30 years for their death in that same fate. It’s a complex story and one of the best plots I have seen in a long time with a Hollywood level film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the young Joe while Bruce Willis plays the older Joe and their interaction together really makes the movie pleasing to watch as the plot transforms and carries through the movie. Bruce Willis is taking on some age and this means little in his ability to take on physically demanding roles. Looper is a very demanding role in that respect, especially for actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt as his character takes on a form of life that is not the most pleasing to society. The Looper work is so illegal that it is seen as one of the most illegal crimes possible, so the work is shrouded in a lot of mystery. The music was handled by long time collaborator of director Rian Johnson’s, Nathan Johnson. Nathan Johnson is multi-talented, working in many industries of the creative entertainment world. His scoring abilities are in top form, giving the films he works on an added punch of emotional weight. The music was always an element to Looper that intrigued me and kept me on alert. The placement of the scores was perfect in my opinion and was a deciding factor to why I love this film so much.

Young Seth played by the very young actor Paul Dano was a thrilling addition for the film as his character role is short lived but of the most importance. His ability to play the role he did was done so in a superb manner and I can see this young kid getting a lot of acting roles after this film. Emily Blunt played Sara, who is another character tied to the ending portion of the film that also proves to be just as important to the plot as anything else. With cinematography handled by Steve Yedlin, the style this film was captured in is the ultimate factor to why this movie was as stellar one first watch. The close ups, the heavy cuts, it all played into the atmosphere of the plot. I really felt this film while sitting and watching it, something that can be hit and miss during a film that runs two hours.

Looper is the type of film that is a perfect continuation of the sci-fi genre. I can’t help but think of how impressed I was when first watching Blade Runner when I watch Looper. The narration from Joseph Gordon-Levitt adds in a perfect touch to the film, showing the depth this actor has in his already expansive resume of work he has done in the past. Director Rian Johnson did a phenomenal job with the help of an even more phenomenal cast. It’s a film that pushes things forward, not backwards into the over saturated state of remakes and so called original films that don’t hit the mark the world has come to expect. I have added this film to my list of ground breaking paths of new stories and possibilities in the movie world.

-Erik Otis

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*Photo from Gage Skidmore: Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaking at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, California on March 17, 2012.