Blu-ray News and Reviews | High Def Digest
Film & TV All News Blu-Ray Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders 4K Ultra HD Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders Gear Reviews News Home Theater 101 Best Gear Film & TV
Blu-Ray :
Ranking:
Sale Price: $9.66 Last Price: $14.99 Buy now! 3rd Party 4.49 In Stock
Release Date: December 31st, 2012 Movie Release Year: 2012

Looper

Overview -

In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented - but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past where a 'looper' - a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good - until the day the mob decides to 'close the loop,' sending back Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels.

OVERALL:
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
BD-50
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
119
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.35:1
Audio Formats:
English Audio Descriptive Service
Subtitles/Captions:
(English is the only language available for the Commentary)
Special Features:
'Looper' Animated Trailer
Release Date:
December 31st, 2012

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Like many who saw it, I fell in love with Rian Johnson's directorial debut, 'Brick.' Unfortunately, I found his sophomore effort 'The Brothers Bloom' sorely lacking. He has directed two episodes of 'Breaking Bad' since then, which restored my faith in him – especially when I listened to the commentary on his season three episode of 'The Fly.' Apparently, Johnson had given a few of the cast and crew copies of his screenplay for 'Looper.' (Mind you, this was prior to actually shooting 'Looper.') Each 'Breaking Bad' person participating in the commentary who read it raved about how brilliant it was. Those who hadn't read it seemed jealous and even a little hurt that Johnson hadn't given them a copy to read. Having now seen 'Looper,' I can attest to the awesomeness they described.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe. In 2044, time travel has not yet been invented, but will be in 30 years. At the time that it's invented, it is nearly impossible to dispose of a murdered body without getting caught. So, crime syndicates employ people from 30 years in the past - 2044 - to dispose of the bodies for them.

Try to stay with me. When a "mark" is sent back to 2044, a "looper" (a.k.a. assassin) stands in a specific place waiting for a mark to be sent back through time to that specific moment, appearing before him out of thin air. Once the mark arrives, the looper instantly blasts him with an insane shotgun, he removes the payment (silver bars) strapped to the mark's back, and dumps the body into an incinerator. The looper has just killed and disposed of a body that doesn't even exist yet. At one point in a looper's career, his payment - strapped to the back of a mark - will come in the form of golden bars rather than silver. This is called a "golden payday" or "closing the loop," and it signifies the end of the looper's contract/career. He is now free to do whatever he chooses – but only for 30 years. Should the looper remove the shroud from the dead final mark's face, he will find a 30-year-older version of himself. The syndicates of the future kill the aged loopers to tie up all loose ends. This allows the syndicates to stay clean and the loopers to have 30 free years to blow their small fortunes and live however they would like.

When Joe's time comes to close the loop, Young Joe sees the mark and knows that something is not right. In a moment of hesitation, he pauses, giving Old Joe (played by Bruce Willis) the opportunity to get away – which is not a good thing. We see this same thing happen to another looper in the beginning of the film, so when we get to the point where Old Joe gets away, we know just how bad Young Joe's scenario is.

I have tried to keep my synopsis basic (and spoiler-free), but 'Looper' gets quite complex. If you try your best to keep up and follow along as the film progresses, you will be fine in the end.

Although 'Looper' is a studio film with a mainstream-friendly science fiction concept and well-known cast, the execution features many experimental and indie elements that are very refreshing. It hits the ground running, but I fear mainstream moviegoers may be disappointed by the pacing in the second half. The film doesn't hesitate to take its time developing a solid story and characters. It's methodical and well thought-out, leading up to a fantastic ending and offering plenty of "new" things to pick up on with subsequent viewings.

Yet as much as I enjoyed 'Looper,' it's not a perfect movie. There's something in it that could have been done better. I'll refrain from explaining in detail because it's very spoilery subject matter, but a plot point in the second half is too familiar and played-out. An original concept like this deserves just a bit better, but even as-is, this personal nitpicky nuisance leads up to the climax (which I love), so I can't completely dislike this choice.

Let me close with a warning that, after the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, really needs to be known. Minor Spoiler Alert: 'Looper' features some violence against children that many people will find highly disturbing. Content like this doesn't typically make it into mainstream movies (as Josh Zyber points out, with the exception of 'The Hunger Games'). Be advised. End Spoiler. If you go into 'Looper' with the knowledge that it's not wholesome and that it has been rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity, and drug content, then I don't see why the warning would deter you or the content upset you.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

Sony has placed 'Looper' on a Region A BD-50 in a single-disc blue Vortex keepcase that slides vertically into a cardboard slipcase. The black lettering of the title on the slipcase features slightly raised smooth lettering. Included inside the keepcase is a slip of paper with a code that unlocks an Ultraviolet copy of the film. When the Ultraviolet slip and the disc are removed from the case, an image from the film that has been printed on the back of the cover art sheet becomes visible through the keepcase. When you place the disc into your player, after a quick load screen, a bunch of skippable videos play – a Sony vanity reel, an advertisement for Ultraviolet, and trailers for 'Parker,' 'Premium Rush' and 'Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.' If you have to stop the disc mid-movie, upon starting the disc up again, you will be prompted to "resume playback" from where you left off.

Video Review

Ranking:

'Looper' has been given a slick 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that's presented in the film's original anamorphic 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I can easily see this disc making most Blu-rays from the future very jealous.

The picture quality is exceptionally clear. If you didn't know any better, you would swear that 'Looper' was shot digitally as opposed to film. This crisp quality allows for details to make themselves apparent – no matter how dark the scene might be. The use of light, darkness and shadows is perfected by unwavering contrast. Black levels are exceptional, creating deep voids where shadows can be concealing anything.

I didn't notice how strong the use of color (or lack thereof) was until re-watching 'Looper' on Blu-ray. The color pallete is mostly neutral, consisting of natural earthtones and muted colors. There are only two elements that cause for vibrant colorization: wealthy characters and lens flares – both of which are directorial decisions. Upperclass clothing, possessions and locations are about the only objects that warrant bright colorization in the dingy, rusted and corroded world of this unfriendly future. In the eleventh minute of the film, we get our first big lens flare. (Don't worry, there aren't all that many compared to a Michael Bay movie.) These flares cause brilliant horizontal streaks of bright whites and oversaturated blues and purples. I initially assumed that this was an error that came about during the transfer to Blu-ray because I didn't remember noticing it during my theatrical screening, but Johnson references it during his theatrical commentary (which is different from the Blu-ray commentary and was recorded long before the Blu-ray existed. I will explain more about it in the special features section). Almost all lens flares carry this oversaturation of color as they are meant to.

Aliasing, banding and artifacts are absent, as are edge enhancement and DNR. That being said, the most minute amount of digital noise can be seen in the oversaturated lens flares. Aside from that, 'Looper' features nearly flawless video quality.

Audio Review

Ranking:

'Looper' carries a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. This is one of those strong mixes that sounds great when you listen to it, but becomes even better the more you learn about it. Digging into the special features will let you know what I mean.

Almost all of the sounds in 'Looper' are unique and unconventional. This includes the sounds that make up the film's score. Knowing exactly what you're hearing only makes the audio sound even more impressive when it's mixed and spread throughout all the channels. Imaging is seamless and all sounds – be it vocals, effects or scoring – are dynamically mixed. There is one specific scene that exemplifies all aspect of the audio's greatness. When a hand cannon goes off in a small concrete room, the echo bounces around the room with perfect imaging like the ricocheting bullet. Bass is deep and resonant, occasionally using effective LFE. During this scene, my carpeted theater room suddenly turned into a loud and echoey concrete box.

I only have one complaint with this whole mix: the vocal track has the tendency to drop to low levels that caused me to bump up the volume quite a bit. A few of these instances even occurred during scenes that were otherwise silent. Aside from that, 'Looper' sounds great.

Special Features

Ranking:
    • Commentary with Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt - Just after 'Looper' opened theatrically, Johnson posted a director's commentary of the film online that fans could download and listen to on iPods or phones while watching the movie in theaters. (You can download the this commentary for free here.) The commentary found on this Blu-ray is not the same one that Johnson posted online. For this review, I watched over 75 minutes of 'Looper' with this new commentary track. I'd say that 90 percent of the information provided in the two commentaries is the same – insight into the shoot, the screenplay, the deleted scenes, the evolution of the story etc. - only on the Blu-ray it's a little softer and more fun thanks to the help of Johnson's supporting cast. Gordon-Levitt shows off his film-smarts and adds some laughs that aren't present in Johnson's first commentary. Blunt also makes it more fun, but doesn't show up until the eight-minute mark.

    • Deleted Scenes (HD) – Five deleted scenes (with optional commentary from Rian Johnson and Kid Blue actor Noah Segan) appear on both the DVD and Blu-ray releases. 17 addition deleted scenes are included as Blu-ray exclusives, but I cannot tell you which are which since I do not have a DVD copy of the film. Please see the HD Bonus Content section below for a description of all the deleted scenes.

    • The Future: From the Beginning (HD, 8 min.) - Short making-of featurettes are typically disappointing. While it would have been nice to have a longer version of this one, it's still worthwhile. It offers a brief insight to the interesting aspects of the production, from characters and make-up to effects and storytelling. If you long for more, then don't dismiss the commentary, which offers everything else that you could possibly want to know about 'Looper.'

    • Scoring 'Looper' (SD, 16 min.) - This feature explains just how brilliant the sound of 'Looper' truly is. After watching this, the next time you watch 'Looper' you'll hear the uniqueness of this completely original audio mix. Composer Nathan Johnson explains where he grabbed the unique sounds for the score and how he manipulated them into music. This 16-minute feature can be viewed as a play-all, or you can view them in three chapters – Field Recordings, Percussion, and Melodic Instruments. Each chapter ends with a music-only scene from the film that exemplifies the techniques explained.

    • 'Looper' Animated Trailer (HD, 2 min.) - This dialog-free trailer isn't animated in the traditional sense, but with paintings and unique artistic depictions of the film's iconic scenes. After seeing the film, you'll love this trailer, it's brilliant.

    • Previews (HD) – You can view the same three trailers that played before the main menu, but also trailers for 'Company of Heroes,' 'Seven Psychopaths' and 'Lockout.'

  • Additional Deleted Scenes (HD, 37 min.) - Along with the five deleted scenes that appear on the DVD version of 'Looper,' the Blu-ray offers an additional 17 deleted scenes. Again, the commentary with Rian Johnson and Noah Segan is optional. Why is Johnson with Segan in the commentary and not one of the bigger actors from the film? Because a good chunk of the deleted scenes include more of Segan's tragic bad guy character Kid Blue. In addition to more on Kid Blue, the majority of these scenes are extended versions of ones that already appear in the film – even if just in one of the montage sequences. Learn more about Old Joe's post-golden payday life and get deeper looks into the farmhouse inspection and the diner dueling Joes conversation. All of the deleted scenes are good, but were cut for a reason.

  • The Science of Time Travel (HD, 8 min.) - Along with a few scientists, Johnson explains the science behind the time travel of 'Looper' with examples from the film. This feature is interesting, but feels like something that might appear as cross-promotional time filler on a science network. It's interesting, but not amazing.

'Looper' was one of the most creative and original films of 2012 and has been given a solid and worthy Blu-ray release. The film offers a unique glimpse into a dreary futuristic world. The time travel concept is used in a way that has never been done before, pitting a our central character against an older version of himself from the grim future. 'Looper' revolves around a science fiction concept, but it's a human story at its very core. It's edgy and gritty, just like the future portrayed onscreen. Every aspect of the film's production is noteworthy, and the Blu-ray release is equally strong. The audio mix is great and the video quality is nearly perfect. Increasing the value of this Blu-ray is a beefy assortment of special features that further your involvement in the world of the film. Although the making-of featurette is brief, it introduces each of the noteworthy aspects are explained in high detail in the commentaries. If you can handle an adult – meaning R-rated – high concept drama that just-so-happens to include a great amount of intense action, then 'Looper' is highly recommended.