I kept trying to make this post be about how, thanks to my dad, I have a fairly decent working knowledge of science fiction, but am not necessarily a science fiction FAN. Mostly because all my favorite sci-fi is still primarily classed as horror. It seriously took me five paragraphs to say that. Which seemed inefficient and off-topic. So I deleted it.
Then I tried to tell you why I like the movie Looper so, so incredibly much. But I wound up telling you the whole plot, because I am a spoiler-monster.
Okay, I’m going to try one more time, starting now.
I often like science fiction in a casual, curious way where I’m adequately thought-provoked. But even though I truly find it interesting, a lot of times, there’s still this disconnect. Because even more than smart, thinky, technological ideas and big philosophical, sociological musings, I like grit and romance and corruption. I like deeply personal and unsettling questions of morality and responsibility and honor.
When it comes to the future, I like all my futures to be the sexy noir detective version.
That is Looper.
And because every time I try to describe it, I stop being coherent, I’m just going to give up and tell you my Like-List:
- Excellent line-by-line writing
- With consistent-but-subtle characterization
- And sharp, lighthanded world-building
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt wearing a suit
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Bruce Willis
- Dangerously-addictive boutique future-drugs
- Guns
- Organized crime
- Time travel
- Emily Blunt because I ♥ her
- Jeff Daniels because I ♥ him
- A dystopic society that’s worse than ours, but not that different
- Telekinesis With Severe Limitations
- Telekinesis With Severe Capabilities
- Child actors who can actually act
- Fast cars
- Honorable intentions
- Antiheroes
- More stuff that I can’t tell you here, because that would spoil it
So instead, here’s this trailer:
(If possible, you should watch it fullscreen.)
(Also, you should probably just go see the movie.)
Brenna Yovanoff 
If that’s a representative list of things you like in sci-fi, I may know the perfect author for you- Richard Morgan. His books have pretty much everything on that list except Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His first novel, Altered Carbon, does in fact feature a future noir detective. (Sexy is probably too subjective to judge, but I vote yes.) He really knows his way around blackly funny sci-fi noir.
Ooh, I will definitely check it out! If there’s one thing I love, it’s future-noir. (Also, sexy may be subjective, but when it comes to noir detectives, I feel that it’s pretty much all-encompassing. So.)
I recommend his books to pretty much everyone, probably even people for whom they are patently unsuitable, because they’re just that good. I was up in the air as to whether to recommend you start with Altered Carbon or Market Forces, because Altered Carbon has the sexy noir detective, but Market Forces has sci-fi corporate samurai duels in the form of vehicular death matches. So, y’know, cool cars.
Awesome! I actually adore your “like-list” as a review, because you highlighted things that I hadn’t seen referenced about the movie before. I was nodding along with each of your likes, and then when I got to the telekinesis part I went googly eyed O_O with excitement! I’m thoroughly intrigued now. :)
And oh, the telekinesis! Also, I forgot to mention, I lovelovelove that Bruce Willis is playing Action!Hero! Bruce Wills, but only in a supporting and partially antagonistic capacity.
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