--- title: "Looper: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/looper/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/looper" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Looper (2012): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 21 reviews: 18 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics welcome Looper as intelligent, entertaining science fiction, with praise clustering around Rian Johnson’s writing and the performances of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. The reviews admire its combination of time-travel complications, forceful action and character drama, often finding emotional weight in its questions about family, identity and violence. Its wit and grounded world also earn approval, though critics differ on how much thought its ideas reward afterwards. Reservations centre on logical inconsistencies and a slower middle section, with several otherwise enthusiastic reviews finding the shift away from the early urban action less successful. The spread is largely positive, but the dissent is firm: The Guardian enjoys the performances while questioning whether the premise withstands scrutiny. The Wrap is markedly harsher, finding that a promising thriller becomes padded and incoherent, with Gordon-Levitt’s make-up an additional distraction. ## Radio Times — Damon Wise Rating 5/5. This fast-paced gritty sci-fi thriller satisfies fans of both popcorn thrills and intelligent genre storytelling with its head-spinning time-travel plot and smart questions about destiny and identity; the action, ideas and lead performances are highlighted. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-uo0sz9/looper/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2012. Festival review. Rian Johnson’s Toronto opener is a spectacularly cool time-twisting sci-fi thriller that shows smarts and action-adventure can go hand-in-hand, with a smart script, visually stunning sequences and great performances that make it gripping and provocative. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/-looper/5046152.article) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2012. The critic praises Johnson's deft storytelling and emotional palette that elevates familiar tropes, highlighting the film's pacing, character conflicts, and critique of violence as a choice rather than glorification. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/looper/) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2012. The critic hails Looper as an extraordinary, conceptually bold time-travel tale with intricate plotting, emotional depth around family and redemption, and striking production design. Minor flaws include some logic issues and a dip in pace during the farmhouse scenes, but overall it is a home run. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/looper-review/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The review praises Looper for its crackling dialogue, unusual characterisations, well-thought-out world and emotional core despite some plot quibbles. It highlights the film's brain, courage and heart, calling it intelligent science-fiction that succeeds where others falter. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/looper-review/) ## Little White Lies — Matt Bochenski Rating 3/4/3. 12 September 2012. The critic calls it the most resourceful, vivacious and savage science fiction movie of 2012, praising its stylish, violent and daring vision that succeeds through sheer confidence despite tangled plot elements. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/looper) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4/5. 7 September 2012. Johnson strikes an effective balance between conceptual cleverness and multiplex thrills in this hugely satisfying time-travel sci-fi, though it has logical inconsistencies and slow spells; the performances, especially Bruce Willis, are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/looper) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2012. Festival review. The critic describes Looper as futuristic, violent and noisy but highly enjoyable in its first half, with savvy direction and fun action sequences full of cult movie allusions. It sags a little in the later sections but remains savvy, nasty fun overall. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/looper-toronto-international-film-festival-review-8117003.html) ## Film Comment — John Wildman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). Johnson's sci-fi thriller lets viewers forget it's sci-fi while enjoying it, choosing a grounded path over flashy effects. The director's ideas are laced with mordant wit, making the film entertaining though not deeply thought-provoking after viewing. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/looper-rian-johnson-joseph-gordon-levit/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2012. The critic notes many clever things about the film, especially the casting coup of having two actors play the same role across time, and finds a strange, befuddling joy in its time-travel complications despite the mental effort required. The premise creates queasy sensations through its handling of tenses and physics-defying elements. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/01/killing-time-2) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2012. The critic describes the film as an obstreperously entertaining science-fiction pastiche that mixes genre thrills with high-art aspirations through wit, sharp editing, and clever allusions. It spins a fast-moving entertainment from a time-travel premise while leaving some genre fundamentals dusty. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/movies/looper-with-bruce-willis-and-joseph-gordon-levitt.html) ## The Times — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2012. Rian Johnson's sharply written sci-fi thriller has a killer central premise involving time travel used by organised crime, with a twisting switchback story and terrific supporting turn from Emily Blunt; it mixes references to Children of Men, Memento and The Matrix but has a slight reservation about the prosthetic make-up on Gordon-Levitt. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/looper-92vvlj6ng7m) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2012. The critic finds Looper a brainy, idiosyncratic thriller with strong performances and atmosphere in its first half, but notes it loses momentum and originality once Bruce Willis appears. It is compared unfavorably to The Terminator or a Terrence Malick film in its second half. [Read the review](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/looper-rian-johnson-118-mins-15-holy-motors-leos-carax-115-mins-18-8190721.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2012. Rian Johnson's time-travel sci-fi action picture is a return to form after The Brothers Bloom, ringing ingenious changes on familiar material like The Terminator with help from strong performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt. It courts the adjective 'thoughtful' but does not stand up to much thinking about. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/sep/30/looper-review-bruce-willis-emily-blunt) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2012. Rian Johnson mixes familiar genre elements in a refreshingly individual way, delivering one of the best sci-fi thrillers of the year. The cast, especially Gordon-Levitt and Willis, excels, with Johnson's writing and direction standing out for its enthusiasm and intelligence. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looper-review/) ## /Film — Germain Lussier Rating 8.5/10. 6 September 2012. Festival review. The film succeeds by using sci-fi elements to explore universal themes and character drama, with innovative time-travel ideas and strong performances, though the second act's pacing shift is a minor distraction. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/522748/looper-review-and-video-blog-rian-johnsons-time-travelling-sci-fi-drama-delivers/) ## NME — Owen Nicholls Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2012. Rian Johnson's latest is clever, inventive, and witty, twisting the mind with philosophical questions while delivering expected action. Minor faults like flashy edits and a mid-section lag don't detract from it being the best sci-fi film of the year. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/looper-the-best-science-fiction-film-of-the-year-761917) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B+. 26 September 2012. Festival review. The critic praises the film's originality as one of the most unique sci-fi pieces in years, strong performances from Gordon-Levitt and Willis, and Johnson's growth as a filmmaker with visually striking and thematically rich storytelling. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-heady-high-concept-looper-is-a-dazzling-piece-of-sci-fi-noir-20120926/) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2012. Rian Johnson's time-travel noir is a pulpy and cerebral pleasure that excels in its pacy urban section and grounded performances but falters when straying from its pitch-black beginnings. It ranks among the most exciting sci-fi films of the century for its intricate world and sharp characters. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a407405/looper-review-rian-johnsons-time-travel-noir-is-a-pulpy-pleasure/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 28 September 2012. Festival review. The critic praises the strong performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis along with the inventive first half focused on self-preservation themes. The second half suffers from a tonal shift, new characters, and plot shortcuts that weaken the storytelling despite keeping the core ideas intact. [Read the review](https://collider.com/looper-movie-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2012. The film starts with promise as a smart and stylish time-travel thriller but loses momentum and coherence in the middle, becoming padded and meandering. The critic singles out the distracting makeup on Joseph Gordon-Levitt for particular complaint. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/looper-review-stylish-time-travel-tale-loses-race-clock-58191/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/looper.md