LOOPER (4K REVIEW)
Dir. Rian Johnson
Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield
Firstly, you may be wondering why we at BloodGuts are reviewing the Sci-Fi Action Film of the decade? Well, LOOPER shares more in common with the horror genre than you may think is as much a horror film as a Zombie film is an action film.
Set in the future, Loopers are hitman that kill people sent from the further future in a time when Time Travel has both been invented and banished with use only by the criminal underworld. Sound complicated, we’re not even at the central plotline yet. When the Loopers start killing their future selves, they realise the future isn’t right and to change the future, they need to change the present.
Jo (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets a surprise when his future self (Bruce Willis) manages to escape his execution and like cat and mouse entangle in a quest to destroy/save the child who will ultimately ruin the future. Getting mixed up between self desires and the mob he works for it’s a constant race against time for Jo to save the future while preserving the world surrounding him.
When the ‘Rainmaker’ Sid (Pierce Cagnon) is seen as a small innocent child, the scenes to follow become sheer terror with his telekinesis ability (highlighted as the T-Virus) that literally explodes with anger. Some of the action is distressing especially in one scene when Sid falls down some stairs leading to his ability transforming the house to a scene from POLTERGEIST and Jo’s adversary Jesse being blown up and one of the most original torture scenes when a future version of Jo’s friend Seth is scene to lose limbs as his present self is torn apart. LOOPER is some parts terrifying to most parts adrenaline filled action. And with Willis’ going round killing ten year olds, this will not be the usual yippee-kay-yay adventure that we were expecting.
While Rian Johnson's name may have been painted black after his attempt at revitalising the STAR WARS saga to mixed response, there is no denying why he got the job of handling one of the biggest sci-fi series of all time. Written and directed with finesse, this really is his golden jewel on his resume, and that resume include KNIVES OUT and the greatest episode of TV ever made.
Time has been well for Johnsons masterpiece. Upscaling to 4K only showcases the spectacle further. With some of the coolest action sequences on film and the original concept mixing MINORITY REPORT with INCEPTION via CARRIE this film has plenty of surprise twist turns that make the action non-stop and in hindsight this has jumped out of nowhere. No broad skylines with neon lights but downtrodden backstreets and cars with the occasional hover bike for future reference, everything about the world of LOOPER is understated to a degree it's believable and in 4K the crisp blend of future and present blend even smoother.
It's hard to believe in 2021 that Bruce Willis was the big selling point for this and Blunt held on the side-lines. This could well have been Willis' last good film and the question remains, what happened to Gordon-Levitt? LOOPER was a springboard on an already impressive height but his career hasn't quite kept the duration. Giving a performance that shows he is Hollywood royalty and blending in with already kings of the scene Jeff Bridges and Bruce Willis adding to that Cagnon giving Damien a run for his money in the crazy kid department, LOOPER remains a solid gold classic. Did we also mention the mouth watering artwork to match?
LOOPER is available in 4K from 12th July.
