The premise behind Looper is one that appears to be a perfect synthesis of all kinds of science fiction premises: It gives the director an excuse to go off the rails with plot mechanics, it tantalizes the audience with unsubtle metaphors, and it allows a unique opportunity for character growth and development. Rian Johnson's screenplay to Looper, while not perfect, is a superb piece of thoughtful and character driven science fiction that never feels like it's wasting its own premise. The Premise: Time Travel has not been invented... yet. Criminal organizations use it in the future to send their victims back in the past, where "Loopers" -specialized hit men- dispose of them. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself facing the task of executing his older self, who has come back in time for a very specific reason. This premise takes some key elements from the Terminator, and spins them into its own heavily character based narrative. Time Travel as a concept is very well worn, but where Looper excels is in the unique application of time travel in this borderline-dystopic version of the future. On top of that, the minimal application of other sic-fi tropes (i.e. telekinesis) emphasizes that each one has a very specific purpose in the story. Never have I been more relieved when a film doesn't try to explain how time travel works. It just works, and this is how it affects our characters.
1. Her
In all honesty, I almost forgot about this one. Minimalism and science fiction don't often fit together perfectly, but Her is an example of how (when done very right) they can. One can almost be forgiven for forgetting Her is a science fiction film, due to its exceptionally well-grounded emphasis on character over concept, which ironically enough makes the genius of the concept stand out even more. The Premise: What if your phone was capable of love? This is a ridiculously simple premise, and one that only a mad genius like Spike Jonze would be able to make work. Instead of trying really hard for social commentary and philosophical themes, Her is a film content to explore how the arrival of sentient technology impacts the interpersonal relationships of humans - and the social commentary and philosophical themes spring from that focus effortlessly. The epitome of high-concept science fiction, Her takes this one idea, and answers what appears to be every possible question the audience would have about this aspect of the future. And, like all the best science fiction, it leaves us thinking long and hard about how our lives are changing in this new technological world. While most science fiction opts for a cold and harsh version of the future, Her lives in a completely different world - one that can be both heartwarming and a little creepy, depending entirely on your perspective.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
