Looper (2012) & Timecrimes (2007): Future Self Showdowns| EP14

Time Travel Loops.

In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we continue our exploration of the time travel subgenre by looking at two films that dive into the complex idea of causal loops.

Both Looper and Timecrimes explore what happens when time travel creates self-contained loops where cause and effect become impossible to separate.

First we discuss Looper (2012), Rian Johnson’s sci-fi thriller set in a future where criminal organisations use time travel to dispose of their enemies. Targets are sent back in time to be killed by assassins known as “loopers,” but eventually those assassins must close their own loop by killing their future selves.

Then we explore Timecrimes (2007), the Spanish sci-fi thriller by Nacho Vigalondo about an ordinary man who accidentally travels back in time by about an hour and becomes trapped in a looping sequence of events involving multiple versions of himself.

Together these films show how time travel stories often become puzzles — where characters must navigate timelines that are increasingly tangled by their own actions.

Because here on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we explore the history of science-fiction cinema one subgenre at a time.

Listen to the full episode below:

What We Discuss In This Episode

In this episode we talk about:

• The idea of causal loops in time-travel stories

• How Looper imagines organised crime using time travel

• The intricate narrative structure of Timecrimes

• Characters confronting alternate versions of themselves

• Why time travel stories often become paradoxical puzzles

Looper (2012) – Closing the Loop

Directed by Rian Johnson, Looper presents a future where time travel exists but has been outlawed.

In the year 2044, assassins known as loopers work for crime syndicates that send targets back in time from 2074, where disposing of bodies has become nearly impossible due to advanced tracking technology.

Each looper eventually “closes the loop” by killing their own older self, which marks the end of their contract and secures their payment.

However, when one looper fails to kill his future self, the timeline begins to unravel as the two versions of the same person pursue very different goals.

The film blends action, sci-fi and philosophical ideas about identity, fate and the consequences of altering the timeline.

Timecrimes (2007) – A Perfect Time Loop

While Looper explores large-scale time travel, Timecrimes presents a much smaller and more tightly constructed story.

The film follows Héctor, an ordinary man living in the countryside who accidentally travels back in time by roughly an hour after hiding inside a mysterious experimental device.

When he returns to the past, Héctor encounters other versions of himself and becomes trapped in a loop of events that must unfold exactly as they already have.

The film gradually reveals how each version of Héctor is responsible for events that initially seemed mysterious, creating a perfectly closed time loop.

Its clever narrative structure and minimalist approach have made it one of the most celebrated independent time-travel films of the 2000s.

The Puzzle of the Time Loop

Both Looper and Timecrimes highlight one of the central challenges of time-travel storytelling:

What happens when the timeline begins to loop back on itself?

In these stories, the past, present and future can become so intertwined that the idea of a clear starting point disappears entirely.

These kinds of causal loops push time-travel stories into fascinating territory, forcing both characters and audiences to question how time really works. 

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 About Journey Through Sci-Fi

Journey Through Sci-Fi is a podcast exploring the strange, visionary and world-changing history of science-fiction cinema.

Each series focuses on a different sci-fi subgenre, examining the films and ideas that shaped the genre - from classic cinema to modern science-fiction storytelling