Great sci-fi cinema doesn’t necessarily have to cost 200 million dollars: “Star Wars 8” creator Rian Johnson tells a gripping story in “Looper” in impressive pictures – which you can see tonight from 8:15 p.m. on Kabel1.
Science fiction films come in all imaginable forms – explosive or philosophical, minimalist or spectacular, thought-provoking or just plain awe-inspiring. Just how versatile the genre can be, take a quick look at our list of the best sci-fi movies of all time, where you’ll find everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Total Recall. Among other things: “Looper” from 2012.
A quick look at the FILMSTARTS reviews of his films shows that “Star Wars 8” creator Rian Johnson has a lot going for him both as a screenwriter and as a director – because three out of five only just score 4.5 out of 5 possible stars past the highest rating. And one of them can be seen on free TV tonight (by the way, the other two are “Brick” and “Knives Out”):
Kabel1 is showing “Looper” on May 17, 2022 from 8:15 p.m. We have a very clear recommendation for the time travel thriller, but only for the unabridged version – at prime time, however, the FSK 16 film is only shown in the defused version, in which more than three minutes are missing. Instead, we advise using other alternatives such as Amazon Prime Video, where the film is currently included in the streaming subscription:
›› “Looper” on Amazon Prime Video*
That’s what “Looper” is about
The year 2040: Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works as a so-called looper – and kills people sent back through time travel for money. In the future, however, time travel is forbidden and only practiced by crime organizations to wipe out their victims’ existence forever.
Joe is very meticulous about his job and over the years has built a reputation as one of the best loopers around. He is conscientious, disciplined and doesn’t allow mistakes – until one day his future self (Bruce Willis) stands in front of him…
Neo-noir vision of the future with depth
“Rian Johnson’s ‘Looper’ probably had very few at the top of the list,” says our review of the science fiction thriller, which compared to blockbusters like “Marvel’s The Avengers”, “The Dark Knight Rises” or “Prometheus”. entered the 2012 cinema year as an underdog.
After all, “Looper” is also on a different scale, costing just $30 million to produce and grossing a decent $176 million considering that. Sure, far from a billion dollar hit – nonetheless, the time travel thriller ended up being remembered as a very special highlight of its vintage.
Current Amazon bargains:
» 10 Blu-rays for 50 euros*
» 4 UHD Blu-rays for 50 euros*
» reduced box sets & collector’s editions*
“Looper” is a well thought-out vision of the future that lives above all from its emotional depth, a thriller that is not only well acted (including Emily Blunt and Paul Dano), but above all is told in a gripping and original way, and a Story that develops a sheer force, especially towards the end, that you can hardly resist. The conclusion of our 4.5-star review is therefore tantamount to a practically unreserved recommendation:
With his masterful time-travel thriller, Looper, director Rian Johnson succeeds in creating a gripping and intelligent lesson on complex moral issues and turns his neo-noir sci-fi film into a universal and timeless character drama at its core.”
The complete FILMSTARTS review of “Looper”
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will receive a commission.
This is an updated re-release of an article previously published on FILMSTARTS.
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