Tag Archives: Looper

Movies About Time Travel

fFuHbI do love time travel. It can be matched up to any theme; romance, action, a light-hearted chick-flick, drama, thriller, comedy… It’s so versatile, yet remains so interesting. It is a theme that explores freedom, risk and responsibility.

But be careful! There are many of us who will be happy to point out the inconsistent, nitty-gritty details when making a story based around time travel.

These are just a few movies that are worth a look if you’re into time travel:

back-to-the-futureBack to the Future I
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III
My favourite trilogy of all time. Creative, exciting, relatable and fun. It explores many aspects of time travel – to the future, to the past – and how fragile it can be.

tumblr_lqoc6rYjKK1qaenv0The Time Traveller’s Wife
A romantic film, yet with the time travelling theme. Very well intertwined! I feel like time travelling and not being able to take your clothes would be an unfortunate likelihood. So in that respect, someone’s put a bit of thought into the logistics.
Also, Rachel McAdams… She’s incredible.

article-2413054-1BA2DD38000005DC-899_634x306About Time
A light hearted and cheeky take on the hereditary time travelling gift. It has a brilliant cast including Rachel McAdams (again) and Bill Nighy. I like how it’s about ordinary people with time travel ability.

 

the_butterfly_effect17The Butterfly Effect
A haunting tale of all the things that could go wrong when time travelling. An ultimate thriller, although very creepy indeed. It has a cringe-worthy feel that reminds me of Requiem for a Dream. Probably not a ‘fun’ film, but certainly an incredibly well-made film.

Looper-2Looper
Although the storyline was a little disappointing, the creativity of the time travel theme was refreshing. We were seeing a gangster and under-handed use of time travel. It has an action twist to the sci-fi subject.

 

hp3pa_155RadcliffeWatson

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
My second favourite Harry Potter movie. Purely for the time travelling, I have to admit. But it’s a great story.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
This is my favourite Harry Potter film. They ‘aparated’ (a magical method of transportation) all over the country. Although, I guess that’s not technically time travel.

 

Midnight in Paris (2011)Midnight In Paris
No watch, no Tardis. Yet, at midnight every night a 1920s vehicle would  pick Gil up and take him back in time. This was a beautiful film, harnessing everybody’s fantasies and bringing them to life.

 

Hmm. Maybe one day we’ll have time travel!

Jodie.
PS. Where are the female time travellers at?

Looper

Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson
Released: September 2012
Starring: Joseph Gordan-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Paul Dano and Emily Blunt
—

Updated: March 2018

I love time travelling films! I was in love with this film the moment it began as it explained the world of looping, the jargon used and the dangers of it. It was so awesome!

The first time I watch Looper, I was disappointed because I had a different storyline in mind. But I keep coming back to this movie and appreciating it more for what it is.

Looper is set in the year 2044, where 30 years into the future (2074), time-travel has been invented. Badass rich people send back the people that need ‘taking care of’, meaning the body will never be discovered in the year 2074.

This is the loopers’ job. They kill the people of 2074 in return for silver – giving them the life of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a business where Loopers ‘take out the trash’ for the criminals of the future.

So that’s a pretty inventive setting, and the first 40 minutes or so where they explain the loopers’ occupation and what happens if they fail to do their job is very cool indeed.

When a looper is no longer needed, the criminals of the future send the looper’s future self back to the looper of 2044 to be unknowingly killed. This is called ‘closing the loop’.

However, looper Joe (Joseph Gordan-Levitt) hesitates when he recognises the target is his future self (Bruce Willis), accidentally allowing him to escape. Joe attempts to kill Old Joe and fulfil his contract, but he is too late. Old Joe is on a mission to get his life in 2074 back, and Young Joe is on a mission to kill his future self to ensure the next 30 years of his life is a comfortable one.

Old Joe is on the hunt for a child who grows up to be the baddie of the future, who is ‘closing all the loops’. He hopes that if he kills this kid, then his loop would not be closed in the future and he can stay in his happy 2074 life. Somehow.

This links into that age-old question, ‘if you could, would you kill Baby Hitler to ensure the Holocaust never happens?’. A true Stephen King thriller right there.

Hopefully this makes sense – time travel stories are always flawed and complicated. Just how I like ’em!

Just like in Total Recall, they threw in a hovering vehicle to remind the audience that they are in the future. Thanks, Hollywood.

There are some parts where you think they’ve gone a bit too far, making it a tad comical. Including Joseph Gordan-Levitt’s ‘young Bruce Willis’ face, and a kid whose tantrums cause what appear to be nuclear explosions.

Nevertheless, worth a look-see if you love time travel, gun fights or a simplified, PG version of Inception. But it is a very random kind of film.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

PS: Paul Dano from Little Miss Sunshine is in Looper! He plays Seth… His storyline is so intense!!