No, this isn't the infographic, that's after the jump.
Looper is a film about time travel, whose plot is, by design, unstuck from the constraints of linear time and normal cause and effect. We humans are largely incapable of fathoming the nature of cause and effect in a circular universe of infinite dimensions, and some of the best parts of Looper are the tongue-in-cheek demands that the audience stop trying to understand it, because it’s impossible. “We’d be here all day making diagrams with straws!”
But of course, with any popular movie, while it’s not necessary, it’s fun to try to create that proverbial straw diagram. The closest I ever came to understanding time travel was hooking up a video camera to the TV and filming myself watching myself masturbate watching myself masturbate watching myself- MIND EXPLOSION! DINOSAUR ATTACK! Luckily, there are people at Wired much smarter than me who can handle such things. Spoilery Looper plot infographic below.
Regardless of how we classify it, the key question Looper presents is: Can modifying the past significantly affect the future, or are some outcomes inevitable? While some aspects of the film clearly indicate that we can change our futures by changing our pasts, the open question we’re left with is whether Joe really is able to successfully alter a probable future? [Wired]
You get all that? I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on. Personally, I really liked the part where Cyd was all “HNNNNGGGGGG!!!!” and Emily Blunt was all “NOOOO!!!!” and then Cyd was like “HNNNNGGGGGAAAAUUUGHGHOOOOOOGGGHHH” and that one bad dude’s guts shot out like blaow! That was rad.
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I honestly didn’t think it was that complicated. Pretty much understood it on viewing, but then again I write Back to the Future fanfic so…
I can’t speak to the Back to the Future fanfic, but I definitely agree that the timeline wasn’t very complicated.
The Mighty Feklahr is hear to review timelines and chew gaH, and He is all out of gaH!
Yeah it’s a pretty simple timeline but I’ve been exposed to the timeline breakdown for Primer and I still haven’t recovered from or understand that.
Really liked the movie but it still makes no sense why Cyd became the Rainmaker in the first place. Joe would originally have no reason to kill him and it was implied that Emily Blunt’s presence in his life prevented him from going down that path, which was true in the original timeline when Joe had absolutely nothing to do with his family. Only explanation is that either way Cyd would inevitably becom the Rainmaker.
What do you know Buttchugger?!
Before Joe shoes up on the farm Cid thinks Sarah is not his mother and has some sort of contempt for her. After the whole ordeal with the Joes Cid accepts Sarah as his mother (and I assume cares about her more?).
What Nussy said. Cyd never accepted Sarah as his mother and/or Sarah never really got a handle on the “being a mother to a god like wunderkind” thing. And she probably slinked back to her old ways or her past somehow caught up with her.
After the events of the movie, they have themselves a mother/son relationship. And have a buttload of silver to live on.
I am of the opinion that Cyd, as the Rainmaker in the original timeline predicted/theorized what would happen when he closed all the loops and purposely set the events in motion that would correct the traumatic events he remembered from his childhood.
BRAHHHHHHMMMMM
OH, SNAP. I like it.
I guess that makes sense. Because otherwise there’s no reason why Cyd/Rainmaker started closing loops. That was the one big plot hole I noticed. The whole Rainmaker starts closing the loops premise only makes sense in the altered path, and only if young Joe didn’t kill himself. Otherwise Cyd has no motivation for having a hard on for Loopers.
When Dano failed to close his Loop he warned JGL about the Rainmaker and when he told the legend, part of it was that his parents were killed in front of him etc.
We were shown how crazy smart Cyd was in addition to his powers, so I think there’s no way Cyd didnt make the connection when he decided to close the Loops.
Except that how does closing all of the loops correct the traumatic events of his childhood? On the off chance that one of the loopers might be super in love with his current wife, kill/escape from a bunch of gatmen, go back in time to try to murder him as a child only to be thwarted by his past-self committing suicide so his mother can live? That sounds like a stupid plan but damned if it didn’t pay off in spades. Well played Rainmaker.
As we saw there are variations in the timelines, which is how we say JGL transition into Bruce the badass. In one of these variations/cycles Young Joe figured out how to close the larger loop, as he had failed to do so other times thus leading to darkest timeline where Cyd would have to rise up and close the loops again because Ms Blunt got shot by Bruce.
Maybe Cyd just figured relying on a bunch of junkie fuck ups with the consequences of time travel wasn’t such a great business plan. Then again, why bother closing the loops instead of just offing dudes himself?
Maybe he just didn’t need them anymore?
I think the obvious answer is the movie has a gaping plot hole, which is fine. I’m still waiting for a multi-verse timeline that plots out each of Seth’s lives minus every severed body part that also allows him to show up intact in the past. Not to mention the most confusing breakdown of all, the Jack and Jill production budget that required $80M for And Sandler in a fucking wig when Looper cost $30M.
Looper only cost 30 mil because Rian Johnson is basically Robert Rodriguez but with restraint and intellect.
And also because those floating motorbikes were the cheapest special effect since the dinosaurs of those ’70 B movies. Did you see how they “flew”?
Who am I kidding, I still loved the movie.
Maybe the Rainmaker was closing all the loops because he really just wanted to be happy and grow up with his mum, in the same way Bruce Willis was killing those kids to get back with his wife?
But why take the chance of sending the Loopers back? You can locate them, you have lots of dudes with guns and, oh ya, YOU ARE A GOD!
Why would your method of execution be to send them back to when you were most vulnerable?
Johnson said in his 1-1 interview with some blog that in the future, basically we’re to assume killing people is impossible. He mentioned something along the lines of bio-tracking, where when you die, someone shows up to fuck your dead body and take it away. He didn’t say fuck it, but he implied it with his eyes. Also, Old Joe killed all the gatmen and basically fucked the Looper operation am I right? So what Surly Badger here is saying almost makes the most sense. Rainmaker sends back Old Joe to take care of his problem for him and essentially change the future. I think it’s plausible and it doesn’t leave a gaping plothole.
Also, a gaping hole joke.
All I know is that a movie that kicks so much ass does not require charts and graphs. What is this, math class? No, sir.
Also, it was impressively how quickly Cyd could alternate between adorable and OMG NO.
If you found Cyd adorable at any point I have a pile of shit that has been reanimated with demon’s blood that you might want to raise as your own. That kid is the reason birth control should be state mandated.
They need to just give that kid all the Oscars! And all the Oscar Meyers Wieners!
Oh holy hell, I just advocated giving a little kid all our wieners, there’s just no way I’m going to be able explain my way out of this one is there?
I’m sorry, what’s not adorable about small children urging assassins to shoot people via pantomime?
Adorable kids and Hitmen, always a good combo. re: The Professional
Can someone make one of these for Primer? I haven’t thrown up yet today.
This is all invalid because it needs to be made out of straws.
I loved the movie, except for the last 2 minutes. Why did JGL’s character not shoot his own hand (the one Bruce Willis was holding the gun with) instead of killing himself? I know, painful – but immolation doesn’t make sense for the young JGL’s character.
Also, for all of you who haven’t seen it yet, IMPORTANT SPOILERS:
- Piper Perabo shows her sweet ta-tas.
- We can’t say the same for Emily Blunt, though they do show her caressing her leg in a very sexy way.
You’re welcome, Interwebz.
IMPORTANT: did you realize that both main actresses in this movie had their break in a lesbian role? Yessiree. Look it up. And again, you’re welcome.
The biggest plot hole is why did Old Joe not put the damn gold on his chest and not his back? He knows how people appear after time travel. Why risk relying on Young Joe to pause so Old Joe can turn around and be shot in the back? Flip the gold vest and it would be much safer.
Maybe someone already brought this up in one of the above comments, but the biggest thing that’s wrinkling my brain is did any of this even end up happening? Because if Young Joe only kills himself to prevent Old Joe from killing Sara, then Old Joe wouldn’t exist to go back in time to cause all of this ruckus, meaning Young Joe wouldn’t kill himself. (But then, yes, obviously if Young Joe doesn’t kill himself, Old Joe exists and we get the events of the movie). That’s one of those “we’ll be here all day making diagrams out of straws” questions, but it’s still interesting to wonder.
In that case the biggest thing I’ve pondered is if the people Old Joe killed are still dead or not? …. love this movie
Joe is playing with time to make his life perfect as many of us want to do.
However why is Joe not the Rainmaker?
No one has seen the Rainmaker in the future.
Joe’s early life memories are similar and then Cid or Joe in the loop grows up with a caring mother?
What about the dirty shoes?
Abe took a young homeless boy off the streets and raised him giving him a gun?
And Abe knew where Joe was going.
There are plenty of clues throughout the movie and I would like to see someone figure it out.
Like a dream only you can control the outcome- perhaps going back and replaying till it comes out right. I have done just that in dreams.
Only one looper has the ability to change the timeline and that is Joe.
Only one person and one person only is in control of the loop changing the loop till everything works out OK
Therefore Joe has to be Cid and the Rainmaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!