Looper

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Filmmaker Rian Johnson, (Brick), (The Brothers Bloom) presents his newest spin on a familiar genre with Looper.

Plot: A present-day killer (Gordon-Levitt) works for a mob in the future and kills people who are sent from the future. He recognizes one victim (Willis) as himself and hesitates, resulting in the escape of his older self


CAST:


Joseph Gordon-Levitt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Gordon-Levitt) as Joe
Bruce Willis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Willis) as Older Joe
Emily Blunt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Blunt) as Sara
Paul Dano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dano) as Seth
Qing Xu (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Qing_Xu&action=edit&redlink=1)
Noah Segan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Segan) as Kid Blue
Jeff Daniels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Daniels)
Piper Perabo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Perabo) as Suzie
Garret Dillahun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garret_Dillahunt)t as Jesse
With a promising cast, and a very intriguing plot... I cannot wait for this movie. September 28th is the release date.

[theruiner]

I first heard about this over a year ago when Johnson was on the Slash Filmcast and was talking about it. It seems like it's taken forever, but I'm glad it's finally almost out. I can't wait to see a trailer.

[thevoid99]

Aw... I thought this was about a trailer or something. I've been hearing about this film for years. I love Brick and I really thought The Brothers Bloom was very underrated.

[eversonpoe]

Rian Johnson is definitely one of my favourite directors. i'm so very excited for this. i'm assuming that his cousin, nathan, will be doing the score (as he did for brick & brothers bloom), so it should be fantastic, as well.

[onthewall2983]

Sneak peek (http://io9.com/5894172/get-a-first-glimpse-at-the-twisty-action+packed-time-travel-noir-looper).

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Thank you sooooo much for posting this ^^^^

I think I just wet my pants...

[onthewall2983]

http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/ZZ62E5C7AE.jpg

[eversonpoe]

:: boner ::

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

O..........M............G. Creammmmmmmmm!

[thevoid99]

That looks so fuckin' awesome!!!!

[fillow]

Bruce Willis, assassins and time travel? This instantly reminded me of 12 Monkeys, which was great. Hopefully this one's too.

[onthewall2983]

Teaser trailer premieres in 3 days (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/looper)

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Fuck yes! Cannot wait to this some of this movie in action.

[october_midnight]

Looks great. The one thing I noticed from the poster is how much the person on top doesn't look like JGL. Yes I'm fully aware that every poster ever is photoshopped to shit, but it's almost as if they tweaked his face to make him look like someone else (maybe Bruce). Look closely at it, the eyes, the mouth...it's weird. Or maybe it's just me.

[Deadpool]

Looks great. The one thing I noticed from the poster is how much the person on top doesn't look like JGL. Yes I'm fully aware that every poster ever is photoshopped to shit, but it's almost as if they tweaked his face to make him look like someone else (maybe Bruce). Look closely at it, the eyes, the mouth...it's weird. Or maybe it's just me.

You're not alone, and I completely agree that almost every poster or piece of promo art is photoshopped to oblivion these days. However, my first thought upon seeing that Looper poster was "Wow, I guess they're really pushing the 'Gordon-Levitt as Bruce' angle." His faces appears to be deliberately altered to look like a young Bruce Willis, at least to me. Does anybody know if facial prosthetics were involved during filming? I guess we'll see when the trailer premieres.

Oh, and this movie will surely be awesome. I need to give Brothers Bloom another shot, too.

[eversonpoe]

...I need to give Brothers Bloom another shot, too.

you definitely should. i almost like it more than brick...almost. it's certainly more fun and lighthearted.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Yes. Brothers Bloom was fantastic. I will never like it more than Brick, or like any movie more than Brick. I just love everything about that film and how it was made. Plus, I love Rian Johnson.

[kdrcraig]

Does sound pretty cool, Brick is streaming on Netflix so I'm gonna check that out.

[thelastdisciple]

You're not alone, and I completely agree that almost every poster or piece of promo art is photoshopped to oblivion these days. However, my first thought upon seeing that Looper poster was "Wow, I guess they're really pushing the 'Gordon-Levitt as Bruce' angle." His faces appears to be deliberately altered to look like a young Bruce Willis, at least to me. Does anybody know if facial prosthetics were involved during filming? I guess we'll see when the trailer premieres.

Oh, and this movie will surely be awesome. I need to give Brothers Bloom another shot, too.
JGL did post this nugget of info before the poster debut a few days ago. I gather if he's got prosthetic makeup that's probably the idea to make him look a bit more like Willis.

"
Here you can really get a good sense of the work done by Kazuhiro Tsuji, the genius alchemist who designed the prosthetic makeup I wear in this movie. What I love about acting is transforming into somebody else, and of course, physically having a different face helps. Much credit also due to Jamie Kelman who applied the makeup every morning for three hours."

[theruiner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUlYi5DR_mA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv-_t0Irp54&feature=player_embedded

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Wow. Seems like they really did an awesome job making Joe look similar to Bruce. Looks like they did just enough to make them look alike. This is going to own.

[theruiner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCNKahG1ksg

[eversonpoe]

i have all the boners... oh my goodness. this movie is going to be amazing.

[thevoid99]

That looks so fuckin' badass!!!! My ass will be on the seat to see this!

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Ohhhh man!! Completely awesome. And that was just the teaser trailer ;)

[harrismonkey]

Wow. Seems like they really did an awesome job making Joe look similar to Bruce. Looks like they did just enough to make them look alike. This is going to own.

I'll have to watch the trailer again now that I know what's going on.

My first reaction was just JGL looks really weird, wtf?!


Overall I'm intrigued. Not 100% sold yet, but absolutely intrigued.

(I suppose I should mention that while I've been meaning to see Brick (especially) and Brothers Bloom for years I haven't yet- so most of you here know a little bit more about WHY you should be excited than I do). Maybe this will be what gets me to finally make seeing Brick a priority.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I'll have to watch the trailer again now that I know what's going on.

My first reaction was just JGL looks really weird, wtf?!


Overall I'm intrigued. Not 100% sold yet, but absolutely intrigued.

(I suppose I should mention that while I've been meaning to see Brick (especially) and Brothers Bloom for years I haven't yet- so most of you here know a little bit more about WHY you should be excited than I do). Maybe this will be what gets me to finally make seeing Brick a priority.

Yea it seems like the face altering will be a little getting used to. But it seems like something that will sink in once you are sitting and watching the movie for a little bit. I love the way his eyes look with that glowing blue. Very cool.

When you get a chance or some free time, watch Brick. The dialogue can be tricky at times, but it is nothing to get scared away about like some people I know. It really is a great movie. And The Brothers Bloom is right behind it :)

I just cannot wait to see Joe and Bruce trying to hunt each other down.

[aggroculture]

Looks like a cool premise. Count me in.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

New Trailer if no one saw it yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQuhsmtfHw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQuhsmtfHw)

[Wretchedest]

You know, I like JGL and all... i mean hes alright, but Ive never understood all the gushing over him.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

^^^ Do you mean him as an actor or the fan people that gush all over him?

Personally, I think he is a fantastic actor. The emotion he brings to the screen really hits you and when you are watching his movies, you feel it is actually happening instead of just acting. I dunno, to each their own I guess.

[Fixer808]

I just saw a trailer for this, and it looks pretty cool!

[AgentofChaos]

Believe it or not, this film is actually opening the Toronto International Film Festival this year on Sept 6th. Such an interesting selection, seeing as how in the past they never go sci-fi, and almost always go Canadian or foreign films that are a lot less mainstream in nature. I'll be there, so I'll be sure to post some spoiler free details afterwards. I'm definitely excited, as the general buzz thus far in the industry is that this film absolutely knocks it out of the park.

[aggroculture]

I feel, as is often the case, that the full trailer for this is a spoiler. Pretty much have seen the whole movie (which doesn't look so great now, tbh - though I will go see it anyway), all I lack is the resolution. Bah trailers.

[theruiner]

^^Rian Johnson tweeted after the first teaser (the one that didn't show very much) to avoid all trailers from that point on if you don't want the movie to basically be spoiled. He said the rest of the trailers from that point on were going to give away way too much.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

SPOILER ALERT (For whom it may concern ;))




I cannot really see what they are giving away until you see the movie. We don't really know anything besides the fact of what the job is all about, the plot, if the eye drops do anything interesting, and they can use light telekinesis. I'm counting down the days until the rest of my questions are answered.

[aggroculture]

^^Rian Johnson tweeted after the first teaser (the one that didn't show very much) to avoid all trailers from that point on if you don't want the movie to basically be spoiled. He said the rest of the trailers from that point on were going to give away way too much.

I was trying to avoid it but it came on in a movie theater - before Savages - and...I didn't shut my eyes, oh well.

[PQHooligan]

See the first clip from Looper:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=94224

[Reaps]

Read 2 reviews for this and both got 5 stars, apparently this shit is goood!

[Hazekiah]

I cannot really see what they are giving away until you see the movie. We don't really know anything besides the fact BLAH-BLAH-BLAH-WTF-AM-I-SAYING-THIS-SHIT-FOR-FFS???

Come on, man.

I was JUST thinking to myself, "Oh, awesome, the Looper thread got bumped, wonder what's up. Oh, good, I still don't know anything about this movie but the two stars and now I know to avoid information from the trailers at all costs! Thank fuck!"

Aaaand then you shit all over that by pointlessly detailing what's in the trailer WITHOUT spoiler tags or anything!

As a contribution to a discussion ABOUT SPOILERS IN THE GODDAMNED TRAILERS!!!

Seriously, man.

WTF.

-_-

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

^^^ Geeeez, it really is not that big a deal. Sorry if I ruined anything for you, even though what I said is really not much information at all. Really just didn't think about it, my badd.

[Hazekiah]

Haha, probably no biggie! Heat of the moment and all that. I was just REALLY excited to go into a movie almost COMPLETELY cold for a change -- particularly considering the crew's own concerns about spoilers -- and then BAM! right there in the very next post; OHAI SPOILERS THERE FOR NO GODDAMNED REASON.

I mean, it's still irksome...but I'll be the first to admit I may have overstated it, lol.

;)

I honestly have no idea if any of that pertains to the stuff the crew guy was worried about people knowing, but after the warning IN THE POST IMMEDIATELY BEFOREHAND it just felt like I'd time-traveled back to 1982 and you were all, "Gee, I don't know why everyone's so mad that people might find out Luke's father is Vader! WTF?"

Edit in spoiler tags for any late-comers to the thread, maybe?

Seems like a good idea just in case.

[bobbie solo]

wow, you're still the worst.

[Hazekiah]

^ Me? How so?

Nevermind, don't bother answering, I don't give a fuck wtf you think.

The point was that right in the middle of a discussion about spoilers in the trailers someone launched into a description of the content of the trailers...openly and with no spoiler tags.

I've readily admitted that my tone was inappropriate and immediately took it down several notches as I understand the potentially-spoilerific comments were intended innocently enough and therefore offered a gentle suggestion that spoiler tags be added for the betterment of the film we're all here to discuss and the experience of its audience.

If that's truly "the worst" for you then I envy your life of comfort and perfection.

[Hazekiah]

Totally not reading a word of it myself, but I noticed there's an article about Looper in the new issue of "Rolling Stone" that just came in the mail and thought some of you might be interested.

Link to scan: Po (http://imageshack.us/a/img189/313/looperrs.jpg)ssibly spoilerific. (http://imageshack.us/a/img189/313/looperrs.jpg)

[october_midnight]

Trying to picture how hard it was to scan a page for strangers with your eyes shut, feeling around with your hands for the buttons.

[Hazekiah]

The page I scanned is obviously much larger than the article itself, for starters...I just made a point of not actually focusing on it anymore than I had to as I laid it on the scanner.

And cropping it took place in a window too small to read the text anyway.

So there you go.

[october_midnight]

Either way, time well spent.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Already 23 fresh reviews on RT! This movie is gonna be epic.

[GoodSoldier333]

This is the best sci-fi film since Dredd from last week.

Or if you exclude Dredd, this is the best sci-fi film since Source Code from last year.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Seeing this tonight. Cannot.... fucking... WAIT!

[R-Dot-Yung]

Just got home from the movies.

While I did think it dragged just a little in the middle (or maybe I just wanted to know what happens so bad that it felt slow so it's my own excitements fault)...This movie is epic, I loved it. I'm still processing it but that's a good thing I really enjoyed it.

For those who saw it...does anyone else think that this movie is being marketed totally wrong. I feel like the advertisements are for a totally different movie.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Just got home from the movies.

While I did think it dragged just a little in the middle (or maybe I just wanted to know what happens so bad that it felt slow so it's my own excitements fault)...This movie is epic, I loved it. I'm still processing it but that's a good thing I really enjoyed it.

For those who saw it...does anyone else think that this movie is being marketed totally wrong. I feel like the advertisements are for a totally different movie.


SPOILERS


Just got back myself and HOLYYY SHIT! What an original and thought provoking movie. Rian Johnson just kills it again in the writing and directing department. Funny you said that it dragged a little in the middle because I thought the same thing, but at the same time you really find out a lot of key things about the story and the characters; wasn't a total waste you know? My excitement level was so high so I was a bit ansy to see what happened as well. I agree the marketing is a bit off, but I can understand it since they make you think that the movie is all about them hunting each other down (which I wish there was more of) meanwhile, there is a whole other part of the story that comes into play.

It seemed like there was so much more going on in the world that Rian Johnson created and god, I wish I was able to see more of it. The atmosphere of the city and all felt very real and for once, believable. There are so many movies that go into the near future and it is just so over the top. In this movie, everything seems to be in shambles, but you can get a sense of where technology might go. It is from someone else's perspective, but I loved all of it. I also liked how they showed the two different point of views when they show Joe killing Old Joe, and Old Joe traveling into the future on his on will. Plus, kind of ironic that both Joe's realized that the Loop would really never end on both their parts. I felt bad for Old Joe because he just wanted to be with his wife and was trying so hard to get Joe to level with him. The kid was just another bonus and surprise in the film.

That scene when he slowly kills (Jesse I think?) was so random and fucking bad ass. Everyone in the theater was like "WTFFF!!". It was great. It has to sink in more but I am definitely seeing this again.

Oh yea, and Piper Perabo's ass is fucking picture perfect...fuck I would see the movie again just for that scene.

[xmd 5a]

I went in completely blind. Didn't see any of the trailers or really hear much about the movie until I saw the rave reviews pouring in and decided it was something I had to see.

VAGUE SPOILERS

Great movie. Covered much of the same ground as 12 Monkeys but with a fluid time mechanic and optimistic ending.

LOVED the TK kill scene!

[R-Dot-Yung]

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ________________________


Did anyone else think that maybe the Rain Maker was doing good in the future regardless of how the movie ended in the present? Because Sid says to Joe, "i want to stop bad things from happening". So maybe he took over all the syndicates and started killing anyone who knew about them (loopers etc). An extreme way of doing "good" but just a thought that popped into my head during the movie.

[xmd 5a]

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ________________________


Did anyone else think that maybe the Rain Maker was doing good in the future regardless of how the movie ended in the present? Because Sid says to Joe, "i want to stop bad things from happening". So maybe he took over all the syndicates and started killing anyone who knew about them (loopers etc). An extreme way of doing "good" but just a thought that popped into my head during the movie.

Yeah, it was definitely left open. And I guess if you want to get into it there's no guarantee that tragedy doesn't strike Cid between the end of the film and his adulthood. Maybe the future is always screwed, 12 Monkeys style.

[orestes]

Holy shit, this was awesome!

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Yeah, it was definitely left open. And I guess if you want to get into it there's no guarantee that tragedy doesn't strike Cid between the end of the film and his adulthood. Maybe the future is always screwed, 12 Monkeys style.


SPOILERS


Yea, I love in the end how they show what would happen when he gets away, and how the movie just ends with no sound or music. It was perfect.

And I loved how they killed Joe's buddy and his future self. That shit was rough.

[Exploding Plastic]

Saw it tonight. Completely blew my mind. I'm a sucker for time travel and I just couldn't help but feel giddy about all the cleverness going on here.

However, one thing really bugged me and I'm not totally sure if they gave a reason for this but...


Why is it insisted that a looper be the one to kill his older self when it's time to close a loop? Couldn't they just assign an old looper to random young one instead? Seems to me this would solve the problem of the possibility of hesitation at the shock of possibly seeing an older version of yourself. I get that if they didn't do that then we wouldn't have a movie but still...

Brilliant movie though.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

^^^ I believe somewhere in the movie when Joe is explaining how "Closing your loop" works, there is a contract that they sign. I really don't remember until I see it again, but I think that it includes you having to kill your older self. I could be wrong though.

[Exploding Plastic]

Hmmmm, yeah even if that was a specific contract clause, there really wouldn't be any reason for it. They should be smart enough to recognize the complete shit storm that would be caused if a looper hesitates killing his older self. Again, I recognize the plot wouldn't exist at all if it wasn't the way it is but it's something I just couldn't help but think of during a lot of the movie. Like if Seth killed Joe's older self and vice versa and if they went with this model instead of having the young kill their old selves there would be a ton of problems that would be avoided. Just nit picking really. It's not like the film leaves you demanding to know why it's like that. Still loved it, just a minor "huh".

SPOILERS

Another cool thing I was pondering was where in 2044 was the young version of Jeff Daniels' character. I was totally waiting for Kid Blue to be revealed as Abe's younger self and the scene where Abe breaks his hand and doesn't kill him just BEGGED for that reveal. Oh well.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

SPOILERS



Hmmmm, yeah even if that was a specific contract clause, there really wouldn't be any reason for it. They should be smart enough to recognize the complete shit storm that would be caused if a looper hesitates killing his older self. Again, I recognize the plot wouldn't exist at all if it wasn't the way it is but it's something I just couldn't help but think of during a lot of the movie. Like if Seth killed Joe's older self and vice versa and if they went with this model instead of having the young kill their old selves there would be a ton of problems that would be avoided. Just nit picking really. It's not like the film leaves you demanding to know why it's like that. Still loved it, just a minor "huh".

SPOILERS

Another cool thing I was pondering was where in 2044 was the young version of Jeff Daniels' character. I was totally waiting for Kid Blue to be revealed as Abe's younger self and the scene where Abe breaks his hand and doesn't kill him just BEGGED for that reveal. Oh well.


That is funny about the Kid Blue speculation because I thought that it was either his son, or himself. There was definitely a familiar vibe between the both of them, but seems like he was just a loyal bumbling hitman.

But to what you were saying about the closing the loop topic.. I think I remember now. I thought I remembered them saying something about the reason why they would send themselves is because in the future, they didn't want anyone to find out about time travel and looping, so they would "Close the loops" so it couldn't be found out. And it does matter about the contract clause, because it includes having to kill yourself so you get your final payout that is in the contract; hence the gold bricks instead of the silver. My head hurts :p

And a little easter egg that me and my girlfriend saw in the movie was on Sid's wall in his bedroom. It was a drawing of the men in the future with the hats that are sent to hunt down the future loopers. Thought it was a cool little thing to find.

[Deadpool]

I really enjoyed this. I got emotional during a few scenes, and could feel the tears swell a bit. My 2 favorite parts had to be the flash-forward (loved how there was almost no dialogue for any of it), and the Joe-on-Joe diner conversation (which apparently they shot more of than the entirety of Brick): Bruce knocked that scene out of the park. So badass. It made me wish he was in more of the movie. I liked the way JGL altered his voice to sound more like Willis at times, I only wish it were more consistent throughout.

I thought it was cool how they only showed the act of time travel once (and I really liked the machine itself). Watching it, I felt they probably could have gotten away with not showing it or the machine at all, which would have been kind of cool.

The occasional action beats were impressive, and the comparison to Drive feels appropriate.

Overall, it wasn't as innovative with the time-travel scenario as I imagined it would be, but that's not a bad thing. It's execution totally met my expectations - again, the emotional/character moments were pitch perfect.

[botley]

I really enjoyed this and would gladly watch it again, but there was a lot of unnecessary (as Bruce "cut the check, phone it in" Willis might say) chuffa. Lots of nice ideas and emotional beats, but no real mind-fucks like you'd get in a Chris Nolan picture, and lots of loose ends of which I can't figure out the meaning. My feeling is that it probably could have easily been cut down by twenty minutes and thus been turned into a fucking killer sci-fi flick for the ages.

[Reaps]

How do they get a kid that age to act like that? that fucking stare of his freaked me out man..

[fillow]

Watched it yesterday and had very strong Terminator feeling (plus there was that whassisname guy who played Cromartie in Sarah Connor Chronicles)
During the last hour I've been waiting for some revelation about Joe's wife but alas!
Still awesome movie though.

[aggroculture]

Damn I need to see this.

[GoodSoldier333]

Loved it. Very indie in nature with what they decided to include and what they didn't show.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I'm seeing this again this weekend sometime; it is just that good.

[Santos L Halper]

I'm seeing this again this weekend sometime; it is just that good.

Rian Johnston just released a commentary that is meant to be listened to in the theater. Sounds like a fun to try out. Its of note that this commentary will be different that the bluray/dvd release.

http://www.hitfix.com/news/download-looper-director-rian-johnsons-in-theater-commentary

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Interesting...

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/19/entertainment/la-et-mn-joseph-gordon-levitts-looper-will-be-released-differently-in-china-20120619 (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/19/entertainment/la-et-mn-joseph-gordon-levitts-looper-will-be-released-differently-in-china-20120619)

[jmtd]

Emily Blunt's horny scene was really erotic.

[aggroculture]

Finally got to see this. Awesome movie, loved it a lot. Good mix of ideas from Terminator and Akira.
The only thing I didn't like was the dystopian city they lived in: too cliched. And Paul Dano is such a bundle of nerves, watching him makes me nervous.

SPOILERS:

One thing I didn't get was this: when he falls off the fire escape and blacks out, we see a scene in which he kills Bruce Willis and then this kickstarts his 30 years. How and when does this alternate version occur? How does it occur alongside the previous version in which Willis gets away? I think they could have resolved this differently: had Willis leave him the gold, and have the bosses find out another way that Willis was not dead. Otherwise I am failing to understand something, feel free to fill me in.

[eversonpoe]

Finally got to see this. Awesome movie, loved it a lot. Good mix of ideas from Terminator and Akira.
The only thing I didn't like was the dystopian city they lived in: too cliched. And Paul Dano is such a bundle of nerves, watching him makes me nervous.

SPOILERS:

One thing I didn't get was this: when he falls off the fire escape and blacks out, we see a scene in which he kills Bruce Willis and then this kickstarts his 30 years. How and when does this alternate version occur? How does it occur alongside the previous version in which Willis gets away? I think they could have resolved this differently: had Willis leave him the gold, and have the bosses find out another way that Willis was not dead. Otherwise I am failing to understand something, feel free to fill me in.

old joe explains to young joe that his future is only one possible future. old joe (when he was young joe) killed a different version of old joe. that's how he got to have his 30 years. but at the end of his 30 years, he goes back to a different young joe's timeline to be killed, and escapes. closing a loop is something that has to happen over and over and over, and can happen differently each and every time. when young joe blacks out, we're not seeing a vision of his future, we're seeing a vision of old joe's past.

also, totally agree with you on the dystopian city thing...but i did love the way all the cars were wired up with alternative fuel sources (solar panels, etc.)

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

It is actually pretty easy to think out:

Young Joe is a Looper

Young Joe kills old Joe, and discovers he has closed his loop after the deed is done.

Young Joe lives nearly three decades more, his cash dwindling thanks to his addictions, doing worse and worse things to keep going. He becomes old.. Old Joe.

Old Joe meets a woman who fixes him up. They fall in love and are happy. When it's time for Old Joe to be taken away and shit back in time to when he closed his loop years before, however, his wife is killed by the Rainmaker's goons. He doesn't want this to happen. He takes advantage of the time travel to set things right for himself.

Old Joe goes back in time to when his loop should have been closed. This time it's different. He is not bound and hooded, so he can react when Young Joe goes to kill him. Young Joe hesitates and the Old Joe gets away.

Jeez that was hard to think about.. just toked :p

[eversonpoe]

It is actually pretty easy to think out:

Young Joe is a Looper

Young Joe kills old Joe, and discovers he has closed his loop after the deed is done.

Young Joe lives nearly three decades more, his cash dwindling thanks to his addictions, doing worse and worse things to keep going. He becomes old.. Old Joe.

Old Joe meets a woman who fixes him up. They fall in love and are happy. When it's time for Old Joe to be taken away and shit back in time to when he closed his loop years before, however, his wife is killed by the Rainmaker's goons. He doesn't want this to happen. He takes advantage of the time travel to set things right for himself.

Old Joe goes back in time to when his loop should have been closed. This time it's different. He is not bound and hooded, so he can react when Young Joe goes to kill him. Young Joe hesitates and the Old Joe gets away.

Jeez that was hard to think about.. just toked :p

isn't that what i said, basically?

[aggroculture]

OK. But they should have showed what happens first then. This way it's just confusing.

Also, as I think Young Joe tries to explain to Old Joe, Old Joe is on a fool's quest: does he think that by killing those kids he would re-appear at the exact moment the Rainmaker's men came for him? That would entail Young Joe doing the exact same things he did, despite his story - from the appearance of Old Joe onwards - being different. He tells him to "run" knowing that Young Joe's life will not be the same as his, because he didn't kill Old Joe and all the resulting consequences. So Old Joe is killing those kids for nothing.

But I did like the fact that in the end, Young Joe is more moral and less confused than his older self.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I think the way they did it was perfect. I can see how someone could miss it the first time, but once they showed Willis' part going back in time to change what happened I got it.

I agree with Old Joe killing those kids though. It was quite sad to see because all he wanted to was get back to his wife. Plus, he didn't really seem like he thought the whole thing through.. with time traveling, losing your wife, and seeing your younger self trying to kill you; There would definitely be some blindness to my plan. I think he was just hoping to kill the Rainmaker in general and figure it out from there because at least the Rainmaker would definitely be dead.

I loved how the movie ended with an opening for that kid to cause havoc in the future. I would have loved to see more of him and him in the future.

And nice little easter egg when they are in the Rainmakers room and you can see the men with the hats that come to kill Willis' in the future in the kid drawing. Plus, there is a reference to "Brick" when Willis' is hiding out in the tunnel. Keep your eyes peeled!



isn't that what i said, basically?

Basically.. just thought it would be a little easier to understand for future reference.

[Alexandros]

Ok, just saw it, very entertaining and all, but can someone explain to me how time travel worked in this particular movie? I mean, I'm not clear how the two different timelines (Joe killing Old Joe and Joe not killing him) reconcile. It's like, Joe has to kill his older self in order to continue and live his life as we see in the 30 year montage, but then Old Joe goes back and is not killed so that the rest of the movie happens. It's like we have a linear and a parallel timeline at the same uuuh...time which is quite a mindfuck, if not impossible (not that anything about time travel is not a mindfuck, but still)...Is it one of those cases where we just have to go "fuck it" and accept what's happening, or am I missing something?

EDIT: Just read some of the last posts where an explanation is offered, but I'm still not sold. The problem is that the movie works on single and multiple timeline logic at the same time. I think that you can have one or the other, but not both at the same time. I found an article that explains my objections better than I do: http://screenrant.com/looper-ending-explanation-time-travel-spoilers/

[Zipfinator]

Read the last few posts before yours. Specifically "old joe explains to young joe that his future is only one possible future." Different things happen each time based on their actions. Old Joe explains it a bit when they're at the diner.

[botley]

Ok, just saw it, very entertaining and all, but can someone explain to me how time travel worked in this particular movie? I mean, I'm not clear how the two different timelines (Joe killing Old Joe and Joe not killing him) reconcile. It's like, Joe has to kill his older self in order to continue and live his life as we see in the 30 year montage, but then Old Joe goes back and is not killed so that the rest of the movie happens. It's like we have a linear and a parallel timeline at the same uuuh...time which is quite a mindfuck, if not impossible (not that anything about time travel is not a mindfuck, but still)...Is it one of those cases where we just have to go "fuck it" and accept what's happening, or am I missing something?
It mostly works with parallel universe theory, EXCEPT for the body modification stuff. Theoretically, tattooing yourself wouldn't also add the same tattoo to a version of yourself that came from a parallel future. That was the biggest plot-hole I could think of, but since the movie doesn't explicitly explain the mechanics it sorta gets a pass.

[Alexandros]

Read the last few posts before yours. Specifically "old joe explains to young joe that his future is only one possible future." Different things happen each time based on their actions. Old Joe explains it a bit when they're at the diner.

I was just editing my previous post after reading them. Summary: It's still shaky, in my opinion. It's no biggie, I liked the movie, but just for discussion's sake.

[Wolfkiller]

It mostly works with parallel universe theory, EXCEPT for the body modification stuff. Theoretically, tattooing yourself wouldn't also add the same tattoo to a version of yourself that came from a parallel future. That was the biggest plot-hole I could think of, but since the movie doesn't explicitly explain the mechanics it sorta gets a pass.

The only way to really do time travel without huge plot holes is with parallel timelines. Which I don't think this movie was aiming for. There is only one universe, hence why young Joe's actions change old Joe's body and memory. Things can happen differently now thanks to time travel but everything still takes place in the same universe. Cid ends up being the Rainmaker regardless of young Joe's actions. We know this because he never met Cid or his mother the first time around when he closed his loop and grew old to meet his wife. Dunno if that is a plot hole the writer didn't think about or if they meant it to be like that.

[aggroculture]

These explanations are fine, but we are still left hanging with the unresolved storyline of Old Joe who gets killed by Young Joe (let's call him Old Joe 1). We know nothing about him, and why he gets sent back all bundled up, but Old Joe 2 sends himself back unbundled. As a viewer I'd like know why these two Old Joes have different outcomes when it comes to being sent back. Maybe they just had different lifestories, but still I'd like a little more recognition of what happens to Old Joe 1 and why Old Joe 2's end is different from Old Joe 1.
If it's "Old Joe 2 had a wife, and something to fight for - Old Joe 1 did not" then a minute or two of footage could have cleared that up. Perhaps as a flashback during the diner scene.
So my objection is that the movie inserts this loose thread (Old Joe 1), which is not really resolved. Everything else - to my understanding - is resolved. Except for this part of the storyline.
I'd rather they had resolved this loose thread a little better.
Basically I would have preferred it as I said before: first they show the loop being closed as normal. Then they show Old Joe (2) going back and trying to change things, with some kind of a better explanation about Old Joe 1 (and/or the infinitely possible Old Joes). This would have meant more of a shift to Old Joe's perspective earlier in the movie, which I think we could have done with.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

^^^ I just sent a PM to Rian Johnson himself since he is very hands on with fans on his board. We will see what he says about this :) aggro.

[Corvus T. Cosmonaut]

The story of the Old Joe that dies on that blanket is irrelevant. What happened in his life is entirely unnecessary to our understanding of the story, except that his popping up to get killed by his younger self is the catalyst for the events in the film, and the film could not exist without his brief return to the past. This is a problem inherent to time-travel plots, and one of the many reasons they frustrate the hell out of a lot of people.

[sa_nick]

Hmmm, mixed feelings on this one. Like Inception it makes a great blockbuster for the masses but is still nothing mind blowing for some people. The kid was the stand out thing in the film, his performance was great, huge props to Rian for getting that out of him. It was shot well too. Mostly conventional with a few cool tricks here and there, nothing overly gimmicky... I like that.

JGL's makeup didn't sit right with me at all though. I felt it in the trailer but thought once I actually saw the film and got into it my brain would come to accept it, but nope, it just bugged the crap outta me and took me right out of the film.

Still, pretty enjoyable. Will have to rewatch with the directors commentary sometime :D

[Corvus T. Cosmonaut]

For some people nothing is ever mind-blowing.

We pity those people.

[aggroculture]

The story of the Old Joe that dies on that blanket is irrelevant. What happened in his life is entirely unnecessary to our understanding of the story, except that his popping up to get killed by his younger self is the catalyst for the events in the film, and the film could not exist without his brief return to the past. This is a problem inherent to time-travel plots, and one of the many reasons they frustrate the hell out of a lot of people.

Basically you are saying "this is a time-travel film: holes like this are par for the course, take it or leave it." Well I disagree. I can't remember a loose end that irked me like this in Back to the Future or Terminator (though I was a younger, and maybe less discerning viewer; feel free to bring them out - time travel geeks). There was a little one like this at the end of Source Code, I recall - I also enjoyed the shit out of that film. I'd certainly see Looper again.


^^^ I just sent a PM to Rian Johnson himself since he is very hands on with fans on his board. We will see what he says about this :) aggro.

Cool, keep us posted.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

No word yet but the site admin said that he will be on the boards sometime this weekend :(


However, this is hilarious:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qncm0hTPriE

[thevoid99]

Well, it's official. Rian Johnson has officially made it.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=389710944450146

[eversonpoe]

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6853540/looper-has-sex-with-himself

definitely NSFW (no nudity, just language and...sound)

by the way, i found this via the official Looper tumblr (http://loopermovie.tumblr.com)...

[thevoid99]

Oh, that was funny. This is good for Rian Johnson. Think of all the money he's going to make now.

[wizfan]

I disliked it. The first half was great, but when the Emily Blunt storyline kicked off, it became surprisingly weak and by-the-numbers. It had huge potential and it blew it off at the end.

[Fixer808]

Top notch, I massively enjoyed it!

[ambergris]

I disliked it. The first half was great, but when the Emily Blunt storyline kicked off, it became surprisingly weak and by-the-numbers. It had huge potential and it blew it off at the end.

I somewhat agree, because from a time-travel sci-fi movie you expect something different, not some kind of family drama in the corn fields. But I did like it for what it was. However, I thought that the inclusion of telekinesis was rather random.

[aggroculture]

Actually I really liked that it slowed the pace, and took it to a rural setting and didn't end up yet another techno-scifi a la Matrix. At first I was like "what's all this countryside stuff?" then when I realized that was where the movie was going I went with it. I think it was posing interest contrasts between city/country, and the different kinds of time they embody: frantic and speeded up in the city, more closer to the natural flow and ebb in the country: more about the bigger picture (time in terms of seasons) than the present-obsessed city.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Anyone pick up the blu-ray yet? Any cool bonuses?

[Hazekiah]

^ Finally got to see Looper AND Brick last week and I officially can't wait to see anything and everything else Rian Johnson's ever done and/or will do. Super talented guy and his brother's scores are pretty damned cool, too.

Had a mini JG-L fest also with The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush and Hesher last week as well. So fucking cool that they've teamed-up twice now, I really hope they continue collaborating for the rest of their careers. Good stuff.

Gained an enhanced appreciation for your avatar too, btw! Always wondered wtf that was from.

:)

[eversonpoe]

^ Finally got to see Looper AND Brick last week and I officially can't wait to see anything and everything else Rian Johnson's ever done and/or will do. Super talented guy and his brother's scores are pretty damned cool, too.

Had a mini JG-L fest also with The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush and Hesher last week as well. So fucking cool that they've teamed-up twice now, I really hope they continue collaborating for the rest of their careers. Good stuff.

Gained an enhanced appreciation for your avatar too, btw! Always wondered wtf that was from.

:)

have you seen The Brothers Bloom yet? it's a bit different from the other two, not as dark/bleak, but just as fantastic!

[Wretchedest]

I thought this was alright. Its very hyped but it was entertaining. Its LOADED with plot holes, most time travel related and i felt like it never properly took advantage of its own gimmicks. But it successfully kept me guessing, and was entertaining over all.

Vrick is a much better, more thorough film, and I hope to see more stuff along that quality from Johnson in the future.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

^ Finally got to see Looper AND Brick last week and I officially can't wait to see anything and everything else Rian Johnson's ever done and/or will do. Super talented guy and his brother's scores are pretty damned cool, too.

Had a mini JG-L fest also with The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush and Hesher last week as well. So fucking cool that they've teamed-up twice now, I really hope they continue collaborating for the rest of their careers. Good stuff.

Gained an enhanced appreciation for your avatar too, btw! Always wondered wtf that was from.

:)

Haha! Nice. Yea it is hard to find a proper Brick avatar that looks pretty good, but that is actually a very intense scene too btw :)

How did you like Hesher? I thought it was absolutely great for what it was and JGL of course was fantastic. There will definitely be more films with these two working together since Rian Johnson said that a lot of the characters he creates, he visions Joe playing the perfect role for them so we will see.

Johnsons brothers score for Brick is genius in my opinion. Shit, I can talk Brick all day.

[onthewall2983]

I liked it. A lot darker than I was expecting (which was my reaction to The Brothers Bloom). All the stuff on the farm I did not expect at all, but it was a pleasant (albeit at times frightening. That kid was pretty damn scary) surprise. It's sci-fi back to front in most aspects, but it also is a bit of a Western too. Bits and pieces of the plot lended itself to that.

[Beef of the Sea]

Only watched this the other day: the implied horror of Seth/older Seth scene chilled my blood.