My take: Looper (2012)

HD Goofnut · 01-03-2013, 10:02 AM

Title: Looper (2012)
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p / AVC
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, and Spanish
Run time: 119 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rating: R
Region Coding: Region A Locked

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe
Bruce Willis as Old Joe
Emily Blunt as Sara
Paul Dano as Seth
Noah Segan as Kid Blue
Piper Perabo as Suzie
Jeff Daniels as Abe
Pierce Gagnon as Cid
Directed by Rian Johnson

Johnson is a newcomer to the world of feature length film as Looper is his third since 2005. As important as his direction is his talent as a highly entertaining writer as he has a couple shorts and a few TV episodes including two Breaking Bad scripts. So if you haven't given Johnson a chance be sure to check out Looper as it is one of the best sci-fi films I have seen in recent years.

The year is 2044 and in 2074 time travel will be invented, but not before being outlawed for obvious reasons. Organized crime syndicates manage to procure several of the time machines so that they can more easily dispose of unwanted people. So they transport the people they want killed back 30 years with their faces covered and gagged so that they can be shot dead by a hired man, who is known as a looper. The looper doesn't ask questions and simply kills the assigned target at a given time and location and collects the money, in the form of silver, for the job.

Sometimes a looper ends up killing their self from the future. When this happens it is known as closing the loop and they are given one final large payment in gold instead of silver. Then the looper is expected to not ask any questions and live their life normally for the next 30 years until they are killed by their younger self. What if you're a looper that doesn't shoot your future self? What are the consequences? Can you change the next years if you alter certain events?

Everyone should take the time to watch Looper and I highly suggest you do so more than once. With engaging characters and an fast paced plot Looper is sure to please action, sci-fi, and drama fans all the same. Due to violence and profanity this one is not for children of any age.

As has become customary with new releases from Sony Looper looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Colors are properly saturated without any noticeable problems and flesh tones appear to be spot on. There is a fine layer of grain, but it strays awfully close to noise in some of the darkest areas of the darker scenes. There is also a few instances of blacks that aren't quite as dark as they should be. Both of these minor issues are just that so don't get overly worried about them. Fine detail is absolutely superb throughout the entire film whether it's the intricate textures of Joe's blunderbuss or the individual whiskers of Abe's beard. The transfer may not be perfect, but it sure comes awfully close. My own screen captures from Looper can be found below.

With a film about time travel you would expect the sound design to be a vital part and with Looper it was obviously a priority with the provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue is clear and concise through the center channel even during the film's more intense sequences. Channel separation between the fronts and surrounds is the real beauty of this lossless track as I constantly felt enveloped in the sound field. The film's score is beautiful one minute and chilling the next and thankfully it is never overbearing as it is appropriately balanced from once scene to the next. There's also plenty of LFE for your sub to deal with in the forms of firearms, vehicles, and the film's score. This may be the best 5.1 mix I have heard in the last several months so be prepared for perfection.

I was expecting a bit more in terms of substance in the extras department with Looper, but what is given is adequate enough. First up is a feature length audio commentary with Johnson, Gordon-Levitt, and Blunt that is definitely entertaining and worth the listen. Next up is a collection of 22 deleted scenes that total nearly 37 minutes. Most were cut obvious reasons and many have almost no dialogue. Next is an eight minute look at the science of time travel. Next is a 16 minute look at how the film was scored by using three examples. Lastly, we are given an animated trailer for the film as well as an Ultraviolet Digital Copy code.

Movie: 9/10
PQ: 9/10
AQ: 10/10
Supplements: 6/10
Final Word: A Must Own

**ImRizzo** · 01-03-2013, 10:39 AM

Nice review, been waiting on this movies impression, yours sound quite compelling, it's in my queue @ BB Thanks

**ImRizzo** · 01-03-2013, 10:46 AM

Been getting disappointed lately with offerings from blockbuster They have all the latest releases BUT they are cheaper production disc with sub-standard sound codecs ?? never Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio ??

HD Goofnut · 01-03-2013, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImRizzo

Nice review, been waiting on this movies impression, yours sound quite compelling, it's in my queue @ BB Thanks

It's one heck of a film for sure.

quad4.0 · 01-03-2013, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImRizzo

Been getting disappointed lately with offerings from blockbuster They have all the latest releases BUT they are cheaper production disc with sub-standard sound codecs ?? never Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio ??

Thats my fav to bitch about subject! Lionsgate did Hunger Games, what a great flick! But the dam rental had no lossless audio! WTF is this? I know there are other's doing it also. But not sure which company's are doing other than Lionsgate. If I like the movie, I'll buy it. But, I purposly avoided Hunger, just to protest. I'm sure they could care less. But I did let them know also. Not fair! WTF! right?

HD Goofnut · 01-03-2013, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quad4.0

Thats my fav to bitch about subject! Lionsgate did Hunger Games, what a great flick! But the dam rental had no lossless audio! WTF is this? I know there are other's doing it also. But not sure which company's are doing other than Lionsgate. If I like the movie, I'll buy it. But, I purposly avoided Hunger, just to protest. I'm sure they could care less. But I did let them know also. Not fair! WTF! right?

So far it's just Lionsgate and Summit that has been dropping lossless audio for rentals.

jkkyler · 01-03-2013, 02:34 PM

In addition several studios have 'rental only' discs that do not have any of the extra/special features or alternate endings. As discussed in another thread - it does suck considering I am only paying $1.29 to $1.50 depending on blu-ray vs DVD I am not gonna complain. If I like a movie I will go buy it either on sale new or at the local used blu-ray/dvd/game store. I understand why they are doing it to a) combat piracy and b) try to add value and drive sales vs rentals.

**ImRizzo** · 01-03-2013, 02:53 PM

I hate it, because I often read a bluray review that touts how impressive the audio editing was done and the quality of the sound was reference quality. Then my Blockbuster copy arrives I throw it in and it loads and starts and within minutes I'm saying WTF!! to major explosions and no boom !?? then I realized it was 5.1 surround sound, phhhhht! SUX !
sorry to keep this OT should start a new thread.

dsskid · 01-03-2013, 05:45 PM

Thanks for the great review HD. You've convinced me to pick up a copy at Best Buy tomorrow to watch over the weekend, as it seems to be my kind of movie. Looks like the audio track will give my newly installed bass shakers a good workout as well.

John

HD Goofnut · 01-03-2013, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsskid

Thanks for the great review HD. You've convinced me to pick up a copy at Best Buy tomorrow to watch over the weekend, as it seems to be my kind of movie. Looks like the audio track will give my newly installed bass shakers a good workout as well.

John

No problem. Let us know what you think of it.

OFDPOS · 01-07-2013, 11:29 AM

Maybe I need to watch it with a store bought one not the rental RB ??
Maybe the sound would make it better ??
It was ok , it just seems here the last 3-4 movies with Bruce Willis has been duds !
Or I guess he's playing second fiddle now ,getting older and it just seems he's just walking through the movie doing his part. Collecting his check ?
The movie must of been on a low budget , I mean 2044 and driving around in today's cars/trucks with solar panels/hoses sticking into the fuel tanks !
They could of at least through some body panels on etc, yeah the bike was suppose to hoover but it it looked bad too...
Don't mind me I haven't had any coffee yet ! lol

Trudint · 01-08-2013, 08:45 AM

Thanks for the excellent review once again. I picked up the movie on iTunes digital early release and really enjoyed it.

HD Goofnut · 01-08-2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trudint

Thanks for the excellent review once again. I picked up the movie on iTunes digital early release and really enjoyed it.

You're welcome.

tvine2000 · 01-09-2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Title: Looper (2012)
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p / AVC
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, and Spanish
Run time: 119 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rating: R
Region Coding: Region A Locked

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe
Bruce Willis as Old Joe
Emily Blunt as Sara
Paul Dano as Seth
Noah Segan as Kid Blue
Piper Perabo as Suzie
Jeff Daniels as Abe
Pierce Gagnon as Cid
Directed by Rian Johnson

Johnson is a newcomer to the world of feature length film as Looper is his third since 2005. As important as his direction is his talent as a highly entertaining writer as he has a couple shorts and a few TV episodes including two Breaking Bad scripts. So if you haven't given Johnson a chance be sure to check out Looper as it is one of the best sci-fi films I have seen in recent years.

The year is 2044 and in 2074 time travel will be invented, but not before being outlawed for obvious reasons. Organized crime syndicates manage to procure several of the time machines so that they can more easily dispose of unwanted people. So they transport the people they want killed back 30 years with their faces covered and gagged so that they can be shot dead by a hired man, who is known as a looper. The looper doesn't ask questions and simply kills the assigned target at a given time and location and collects the money, in the form of silver, for the job.

Sometimes a looper ends up killing their self from the future. When this happens it is known as closing the loop and they are given one final large payment in gold instead of silver. Then the looper is expected to not ask any questions and live their life normally for the next 30 years until they are killed by their younger self. What if you're a looper that doesn't shoot your future self? What are the consequences? Can you change the next years if you alter certain events?

Everyone should take the time to watch Looper and I highly suggest you do so more than once. With engaging characters and an fast paced plot Looper is sure to please action, sci-fi, and drama fans all the same. Due to violence and profanity this one is not for children of any age.

As has become customary with new releases from Sony Looper looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Colors are properly saturated without any noticeable problems and flesh tones appear to be spot on. There is a fine layer of grain, but it strays awfully close to noise in some of the darkest areas of the darker scenes. There is also a few instances of blacks that aren't quite as dark as they should be. Both of these minor issues are just that so don't get overly worried about them. Fine detail is absolutely superb throughout the entire film whether it's the intricate textures of Joe's blunderbuss or the individual whiskers of Abe's beard. The transfer may not be perfect, but it sure comes awfully close. My own screen captures from Looper can be found below.

With a film about time travel you would expect the sound design to be a vital part and with Looper it was obviously a priority with the provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue is clear and concise through the center channel even during the film's more intense sequences. Channel separation between the fronts and surrounds is the real beauty of this lossless track as I constantly felt enveloped in the sound field. The film's score is beautiful one minute and chilling the next and thankfully it is never overbearing as it is appropriately balanced from once scene to the next. There's also plenty of LFE for your sub to deal with in the forms of firearms, vehicles, and the film's score. This may be the best 5.1 mix I have heard in the last several months so be prepared for perfection.

I was expecting a bit more in terms of substance in the extras department with Looper, but what is given is adequate enough. First up is a feature length audio commentary with Johnson, Gordon-Levitt, and Blunt that is definitely entertaining and worth the listen. Next up is a collection of 22 deleted scenes that total nearly 37 minutes. Most were cut obvious reasons and many have almost no dialogue. Next is an eight minute look at the science of time travel. Next is a 16 minute look at how the film was scored by using three examples. Lastly, we are given an animated trailer for the film as well as an Ultraviolet Digital Copy code.

Movie: 9/10
PQ: 9/10
AQ: 10/10
Supplements: 6/10
Final Word: A Must Own

Nice review , my friend , i will have to pick this up.
OH btw since i do movie sound tracks myself , who did the music for this film??

HD Goofnut · 01-09-2013, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvine2000

Nice review , my friend , i will have to pick this up.
OH btw since i do movie sound tracks myself , who did the music for this film??

No problem.

Nathan Johnson did the music. Not much under his belt.

01-03-2013, 10:02 AM	#1
HD Goofnut Official HDF BD Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mississippi, U.S.A. Your resident Dune, Star Wars, and war film expert Posts: 9,556	My take: Looper (2012) Title: Looper (2012) BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc Video: 1080p / AVC Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Subtitles: English SDH, English, and Spanish Run time: 119 minutes Studio: Sony Pictures Rating: R Region Coding: Region A Locked Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe Bruce Willis as Old Joe Emily Blunt as Sara Paul Dano as Seth Noah Segan as Kid Blue Piper Perabo as Suzie Jeff Daniels as Abe Pierce Gagnon as Cid Directed by Rian Johnson Johnson is a newcomer to the world of feature length film as Looper is his third since 2005. As important as his direction is his talent as a highly entertaining writer as he has a couple shorts and a few TV episodes including two Breaking Bad scripts. So if you haven't given Johnson a chance be sure to check out Looper as it is one of the best sci-fi films I have seen in recent years. The year is 2044 and in 2074 time travel will be invented, but not before being outlawed for obvious reasons. Organized crime syndicates manage to procure several of the time machines so that they can more easily dispose of unwanted people. So they transport the people they want killed back 30 years with their faces covered and gagged so that they can be shot dead by a hired man, who is known as a looper. The looper doesn't ask questions and simply kills the assigned target at a given time and location and collects the money, in the form of silver, for the job. Sometimes a looper ends up killing their self from the future. When this happens it is known as closing the loop and they are given one final large payment in gold instead of silver. Then the looper is expected to not ask any questions and live their life normally for the next 30 years until they are killed by their younger self. What if you're a looper that doesn't shoot your future self? What are the consequences? Can you change the next years if you alter certain events? Everyone should take the time to watch Looper and I highly suggest you do so more than once. With engaging characters and an fast paced plot Looper is sure to please action, sci-fi, and drama fans all the same. Due to violence and profanity this one is not for children of any age. As has become customary with new releases from Sony Looper looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Colors are properly saturated without any noticeable problems and flesh tones appear to be spot on. There is a fine layer of grain, but it strays awfully close to noise in some of the darkest areas of the darker scenes. There is also a few instances of blacks that aren't quite as dark as they should be. Both of these minor issues are just that so don't get overly worried about them. Fine detail is absolutely superb throughout the entire film whether it's the intricate textures of Joe's blunderbuss or the individual whiskers of Abe's beard. The transfer may not be perfect, but it sure comes awfully close. My own screen captures from Looper can be found below. With a film about time travel you would expect the sound design to be a vital part and with Looper it was obviously a priority with the provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue is clear and concise through the center channel even during the film's more intense sequences. Channel separation between the fronts and surrounds is the real beauty of this lossless track as I constantly felt enveloped in the sound field. The film's score is beautiful one minute and chilling the next and thankfully it is never overbearing as it is appropriately balanced from once scene to the next. There's also plenty of LFE for your sub to deal with in the forms of firearms, vehicles, and the film's score. This may be the best 5.1 mix I have heard in the last several months so be prepared for perfection. I was expecting a bit more in terms of substance in the extras department with Looper, but what is given is adequate enough. First up is a feature length audio commentary with Johnson, Gordon-Levitt, and Blunt that is definitely entertaining and worth the listen. Next up is a collection of 22 deleted scenes that total nearly 37 minutes. Most were cut obvious reasons and many have almost no dialogue. Next is an eight minute look at the science of time travel. Next is a 16 minute look at how the film was scored by using three examples. Lastly, we are given an animated trailer for the film as well as an Ultraviolet Digital Copy code. Movie: 9/10 PQ: 9/10 AQ: 10/10 Supplements: 6/10 Final Word: A Must Own tvine2000, dsskid and GLOW like this. __________________ BenQ MP512ST, Panasonic TC-L55ET5 55" 360Hz LED/3D, Sharp LC-46SB57UN 46" 120 Hz LCD, Sanyo DP46848 46" 60Hz LCD, HP 21.5" 60Hz LCD Onkyo TX-NR709 7.1/Onkyo SKS-HT540 ASUS BD Drive, LG BH200, Sony Optiarc Blu-ray Burner, Sony BDP-590, Vizio VBR220 My Motion Picture Collection Latest BD Review: *Jack Reacher* Last edited by HD Goofnut; 01-03-2013 at 10:16 AM.

01-03-2013, 10:39 AM	#2
ImRizzo HDF SUPER MODERATOR Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Formerly: Brooklyn, New York .... It's not a place, it's an Attitude and a State of Mind !! Posts: 19,028	Nice review, been waiting on this movies impression, yours sound quite compelling, it's in my queue @ BB Thanks __________________ ..................................... PFC5 & Loves2Watch ~ RIP

01-03-2013, 10:46 AM	#3
ImRizzo HDF SUPER MODERATOR Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Formerly: Brooklyn, New York .... It's not a place, it's an Attitude and a State of Mind !! Posts: 19,028	Been getting disappointed lately with offerings from blockbuster They have all the latest releases BUT they are cheaper production disc with sub-standard sound codecs ?? never Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio ?? __________________ ..................................... PFC5 & Loves2Watch ~ RIP

01-03-2013, 02:34 PM	#7
jkkyler I bleed for HD Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,303	In addition several studios have 'rental only' discs that do not have any of the extra/special features or alternate endings. As discussed in another thread - it does suck considering I am only paying $1.29 to $1.50 depending on blu-ray vs DVD I am not gonna complain. If I like a movie I will go buy it either on sale new or at the local used blu-ray/dvd/game store. I understand why they are doing it to a) combat piracy and b) try to add value and drive sales vs rentals. __________________ HT- Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 1080p plasma, Panasonic PT-AX200u LCD projector, Elite Vmax Electric 100' screen, Onkyo TX-NR905 AVR, Paradigm Titan Monitor v5 fronts, Paradigm CC-190 v6 center, Paradigm Atom Monitors v5 surrounds(x4), HSU research VTF-2 sub, xbox360+hd-dvd player ,Sony BDP-S550 blu-ray, D*tv H21 HD-DVR Bedroom: Insignia NS-lcd26, Samsung BDP-1400 blu-ray Den - Vizio 20" 1080p LCD + Samsung BD-p1600 Don't believe everything you read on the internet - Albert Einstein

01-03-2013, 02:53 PM	#8
ImRizzo HDF SUPER MODERATOR Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Formerly: Brooklyn, New York .... It's not a place, it's an Attitude and a State of Mind !! Posts: 19,028	I hate it, because I often read a bluray review that touts how impressive the audio editing was done and the quality of the sound was reference quality. Then my Blockbuster copy arrives I throw it in and it loads and starts and within minutes I'm saying WTF!! to major explosions and no boom !?? then I realized it was 5.1 surround sound, phhhhht! SUX ! sorry to keep this OT should start a new thread. __________________ ..................................... PFC5 & Loves2Watch ~ RIP

01-03-2013, 05:45 PM	#9
dsskid ISF Calibrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Age: 49 Posts: 4,946	Thanks for the great review HD. You've convinced me to pick up a copy at Best Buy tomorrow to watch over the weekend, as it seems to be my kind of movie. Looks like the audio track will give my newly installed bass shakers a good workout as well. John __________________ Displays are like 100% cotton t-shirts. Always buy a size larger than you think you'll need, because they tend to shrink over time. Professional reviews of displays are an excellent tool, but the final decision should come from using your own eyes. Living Room - Panasonic TH58PZ700U, Panasonic DMP-BDT215, Denon AVR-1911 Man-Cave - Pioneer Kuro Elite Pro-111FD, Pioneer Kuro BDP-320, Denon AVR-591BA, PS3 RIP L2W, PFC5 & Kosty Last edited by dsskid; 01-03-2013 at 05:50 PM.

01-07-2013, 11:29 AM	#11
OFDPOS High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 87	Maybe I need to watch it with a store bought one not the rental RB ?? Maybe the sound would make it better ?? It was ok , it just seems here the last 3-4 movies with Bruce Willis has been duds ! Or I guess he's playing second fiddle now ,getting older and it just seems he's just walking through the movie doing his part. Collecting his check ? The movie must of been on a low budget , I mean 2044 and driving around in today's cars/trucks with solar panels/hoses sticking into the fuel tanks ! They could of at least through some body panels on etc, yeah the bike was suppose to hoover but it it looked bad too... Don't mind me I haven't had any coffee yet ! lol

01-08-2013, 08:45 AM	#12
Trudint High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Fresno, CA Age: 31 Posts: 118	Thanks for the excellent review once again. I picked up the movie on iTunes digital early release and really enjoyed it. __________________ Vizio E601I-A3 XBOX 360 Slim 120gig PS3 Slim 250gig Onkyo TX-NR414 AppleTV 3