A paradox is defined as a statement that leads to a contradiction or a situation which (if true) defies logic or reason.
Paradoxical statements that might even escape your mouth occasionally, include :“Nobody goes to that restaurant, it’s too crowded.”
Stories that involve time travel are also rife with paradoxes, such that it would be impossible for you to go back and kill your own father when he was a boy, as this would prevent you from ever being born.
Looper is the tale of a group of secret hitmen whose victims are sent back to them via time travel because it’s very difficult to dispose of bodies in the future. Loopers are well rewarded but living on borrowed time, as eventually, to keep this business clandestine, the Loopers themselves are sent back from the future to become their own victims, for one last, big payout.
If you let your future self go free, you’re both in big trouble…
We say, “Forget about logic, just enjoy the ride…”
TAYLOR: Looper was fun. I think it’s a film about choice and having every option simultaneously available to us, but being limited to only one set of experiences. I enjoyed trying to wrap my head around it. But there were two major plot points that seemed impossible, if previous events were to be considered real. I can’t tell you what these instances were without spoiling the plot for you, so let’s just say, at least twice in the movie, I should have found myself watching some other film.
HOWE: I thought we we’re forgetting about the logic problems.
TAYLOR: We are, starting now…
HOWE: When?
TAYLOR: Exactly.
HOWE: I enjoyed Looper. It isn’t the best time travel movie I have seen (Back to the Future is still better than this and makes more sense) but because we haven’t had one for a long time it was a nice change from some of the trash we’ve seen.
TAYLOR: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s impression of his older self, embodied by Bruce Willis was uncanny. Part of it we can thank the special effects and makeup departments, but his expressions and voice was the studied product of a talented actor. You can’t see Gordon-Levitt, you see someone who looks like he could be Willis’ son. Although the performances in the film were well crafted, there were a few things in this future world (2044) that seemed out of place.
HOWE: The best they could do was take a 2009 Toyota Yaris or 1990 F150, add some solar panels and a bit of plastic pipe and presto, it’s a futuristic vehicle. Very poor.
TAYLOR: Agreed, if they had just made the vehicles look old, it would have been more effective. Hmm, are we being overly critical?
HOWE: I thought we we’re forgetting about the logic problems.
TAYLOR: We are, starting now…
HOWE: When?
TAYLOR: Exactly.
HOWE: I enjoyed Looper. It isn’t the best time travel movie I have seen…
–– Taylor gives Looper 3 sheets in the wind out of 5.
–– Howe gives it 2.5 eye drops out of 5.
The film is currently showing at the Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
–– Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are film reviewers living in Vernon, B.C.
