BLU-RAY REVIEW

Looper

Featured In Issue 174, February 2013

Picture4.5
Sound5
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
41318
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Strong viiolence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content
(Retail Price):
$35.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
119
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2012
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
12/31/12
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Rian Johnson
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

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 (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 (Willis) for assassination. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt; 22 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Johnson (HD 36:50); three featurettes "The Future From The Beginning" (HD 07:52), "The Science Of Time Travel" (HD 08:29), and "Scoring Looper" (HD 16:18); an animated trailer; an upfront trailer; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1080p AVC picture exhibits an engaging film-texture appearance with a light grain structure. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail apparent in close-ups of facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. The color palette is nuanced and naturally hued, with no exaggeration. The imagery is perfectly hued throughout. Fleshtones are perfectly natural. Contrast is excellent as well, with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Blue horizontal streaks often occupy the frames, which is distracting. Still, this is an effectively cinematic picture experience, with impressive cinematography. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding throughout, with jolts of energy during intense action segments, followed by nuanced quieter segments. The action scenes are enhanced with deep, sub-25 Hz bass and a rhythmic strong score that emotionalizes the story. The orchestral score is nicely recorded with a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends the surround. Instrumental timbre is excellent. Subtle atmospherics and sound effects, as well as Foley effects, are perfectly balanced. Surround energy is often intense, directionalized, and energized within the soundfield with effective panning, especially during intense gunfire exchange and explosions. Dialogue is always intelligible and nicely integrated spatially. The soundtrack delivers a realistic yet powerful sonic characterization of a complex story. (Gary Reber)