My first viewing of this movie was an event, for me. I'd seen trailers, small behind-the-scenes bits, and interviews related to the movie for a long time before it was released. Our situation is such that we rarely, rarely get to go out to the movies. As much as I wanted to see this in theaters, we didn't...
so I managed to be exposed to more of the hype surrounding this film in the months waiting on the DVD release. I sat down, terribly excited... it's my favorite genre! It's got Bruce Willis! Everyone is saying this thing is amazing!
I was utterly disappointed.
Maybe it was the hype that built it up to unreasonable expectations, or maybe it was the gruesome retrieval of the first running looper... or maybe I was interrupted one time too many by my family. Whatever the reason, I loathed this movie upon first watch. The cover says its the most original movie in years... I'm sorry, but no. Upon first viewing, I saw nothing original... just thugs with a twist.
This viewing today, however, I seem to have softened a bit. The first running looper... his retrieval didn't seem as gruesome this time around. More of the plot made sense, and motivations seemed clearer.
I still don't buy that young Joe suddenly decided to not be a selfish ass. You can't just cut off your trigger finger, Joe? Shotgun to the heart is the only solution?
I would have liked to see the good life path for the kid laid out for us... nothing big, but maybe some news clippings in the credits or something. Something to show that the sacrifice was worth it.
I still have not completely fallen for this movie. Yes, it's my favorite genre, and it's not as terrible when you can watch the whole thing at once and concentrate a bit on the nuances. But I still think it's a high-tech excuse to shoot a lot of guns and do some fancy effects, and not the thrilling original mind-blower everyone makes it out to be.
No counts this week for the time-bender marathon, but since time-travel can confuse some people, I'd recommend you leave the knitting in the basket for this one. Three and a half out of five. Maybe if I wait another two years to watch it again, that'll improve again. I will say it's definitely worth the under $5 price point for the DVD.
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