I rented this today and it was pretty entertaining. It's by no means an upbeat movie, but it had a good story and great acting. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis and has to do with time travel and hitmen. Anyone else seen it? Thoughts?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SHouseman,

Had a code for a free movie from Redbox, so I picked it up tonight.
I thought the first two-thirds was pretty good... the last act was just awful. Felt like every role was miscast save for Joe (JGL/Willis) and Cid. Didn't need to see Piper Perabo topless either. Had high expectations for this one, so that plays a factor as well. Very disappointed.

and what's wrong with Piper Perabo?
I enjoyed the film, thought the only one miscast was Bruce Willis, though it wasn't enough of a deterrent to the film for me. We need more good sci-fi films.

Unfortunately I felt the same way about Looper as SBelcher. I was enjoying it and getting into the story and then the rug got pulled out. I have seen quite a few recent movies like this, the set up is fine, but no one seems to know how to finish it off.

To me, if the ending lets me down it doesn't really matter what came before, I can't say I liked it. Looper is a puzzle with a poor payoff.

I put spoilers in the title so I can talk a little about the plot. SPOILERS!!!

I agree about Bruce Willis. I don't know if he was miscast, it's just that he's in every other movie that came out last year or is coming out soon. He plays the same character in each movie... Joseph Gordon-Levitt was very good, and after the first few minutes, I got past his "Bruce Willis" makeup job. His black eyebrows jumped out at me a couple of times through the movie, though! I don't like movies that end with the main character(s) dying, but I guess I didn't see it coming like it did. I figured young Bruce would shoot old Bruce, but I guess he was out of range, so kapow! I feel like when the main character dies, I sometimes feel, I don't know, cheated. And I have a hard time rewatching it. But, like I said, I didn't see it coming from that angle as you can usually predict what's coming, so it was a "pleasant" story surprise. The main issue I had was it felt like 2 different movies. It was all pretty fast-paced, but when the young Bruce got to the farm, it bogged down and felt different...

So, I probably won't watch it again, but I do think it was a good story, good effects, etc. I'd give it a B...

quote:

Originally posted by SHouseman:
I don't like movies that end with the main character(s) dying, but I guess I didn't see it coming like it did.

I sometimes feel, I don't know, cheated. And I have a hard time rewatching it.

Precisely right, but many Sci-Fi and horror movies create plots that basically paint the characters into a corner and when it comes to end it either everyone dies or there is no actual ending at all, which just makes me feel like I wasted my time watching something with no real conclusion. I mean any writer can give you a story with an impossible situation, its providing a logical, satisfactory ending that's the hard part.

Just consider what was supposed to be one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, Promethus. This is the spoiler, it has no ending. I don't mean its sent up for a sequel, which of course was the idea anyway, but I mean the movie made very little sense and it simply ends with a couple of characters left, going somewhere, to discover something, that I had long since stopped trying to figure out. The picture looked great and the story was jibberish, and boring jibberish at that.

I would rather see a bad movie with a good ending, than a good movie with a bad ending any day.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I would rather see a bad movie with a good ending, than a good movie with a bad ending any day.

Well you wouldn't like Buried then

I know alot of people feel like that, but I don't. I find movies that have happy endings most of the time for me become very forgettable very quickly, movies where the protagonist dies or there isn't a "Happily Ever After" ending keeps me thinking about the movie for alot longer and I actually talk to my friends more about those movies than the happy ones.

I saw Looper and enjoyed it, I do agree that once he got to the farm the whole pace of the film changed but I didn't mind that too much. I think that second half of the movie was just as important, story wise, as the first half.

The only thing that put me off seeing the movie was actually that Bruce Willis was in it, he seems to have lost his touch and all the characters he has played lately all seem to be the same. It was the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it, and that it was a Sci-fi movie, that made me want to see it.

Prometheus was AWFUL. I'd give Looper a B+. I guessed the ending, so that's what keeps me from giving it an A.

quote:

Originally posted by Juelle Lou:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I would rather see a bad movie with a good ending, than a good movie with a bad ending any day.

Well you wouldn't like Buried then

I heard about that one. Thankfully I didn't see it, but you are quite right, I would have left screaming if I had.

Time travel movies are always tricky and in "Looper", there are a couple of instances where the characters say to each other to not think too much about the conundrums of time travel, but they're really saying it to the audience of the movie. As long as you don't take it all too seriously, it's a pretty fun watch, but certainly not one of Joseph Gordon's Levitt's best, in fact it was his only his fourth best movie last year after Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln, and Premium Rush. He's a busy fellow, all right!