Preposterous and off-putting yet strangely moving

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2013)

In reviewing this film I am trying to view it from two different angles; that of a "mainstream" film goer and that of a sci fi fan. I fit the description of the latter. For mainstream viewers this movie will no doubt be an absolute dud. The characters are off-putting - the main protagonist (in his young and old incarnations) is a cold-blooded murderer, a point that is repeatedly demonstrated. The rationale for transporting people back in time to execute them is ridiculous - it is obviously just a plot contrivance to allow for the situations in which the "old" and "young" versions face each other. And of course, the time travel issues injects a further element of total absurdity. As a "mainstream" movie, then, I'd give this a 5.
However, as a science fiction movie I'd rate it somewhat more highly - maybe a 7. From the start, I had to suspend disbelief regarding the rationale behind the "looper" methodology, but like others here I kept asking, "If the crime syndicate can get away with that much illegal activity, why can't they just kill people in their own time period?" Accepting this plot point was hard work. I also had to put aside the repugnant nature of the main characters. Having consciously pushed these and other problems aside, I found the movie to be engaging and even affecting. Some reviewers have commented on the attempt to make Gordon-Levitt look like Willis, and I don't have a problem with that, other than that the novelty of it was a distraction to an extent (yet it "worked.") The acting was perfect, the envisioning of the future was impressive in that the designers didn't work overtime to create an all-new look, which in a way made sense. (Like people today, those in the 2040s had a fad of wearing clothing from past decades). The "future" also included some "retro" touches - payment in silver bars - reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica in which there is space travel yet telephones have cords. The "retro" touches were a distraction but still, added to appreciation of the film. A couple of other positives: SPOILER - the film turned into so much more than it appeared to be about. I wondered why the telekinesis issue was taken so casually but when it reappeared it did so with a vengeance (calling to mind Carrie, of course, as well as a character in the TV series 4400). Above all, like the "unsung" Back to the Future Part II, with its ever-shifting realities, it was like a very bad dream. The nightmarish quality that permeated it was, I believe, one aspect that made it so effective.
Speaking of other related movies or scenes, MAJOR SPOILER HERE: I was surprised by the ending, even though I instantly thought of "The Butterfly Effect" in which the hero kills himself to stop a series of disastrous events from occurring. Which underscores the fact that this is a very un-Hollywoodish movie - the main protagonists die, and the choice Gordon-Levitt's character makes at the end SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER saves the mother and son but in so doing, imperils the rest of the world as the child is clearly a malevolent force - the future is in for big trouble. I would give the movie extra high marks for not wrapping everything up neatly, Hollywood style. All in all it is extremely flawed, yet I did find it strangely moving.