Discuss Looker
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The LOOKER gun
posted by tmdb67572229STAFFMOD on February 14, 2017 at 2:09 PM
I haven't seen this movie in a very long time but I do remember being fascinated by it. The concept of the LOOKER gun is very reminiscent of the "flashy thing" device used in the later Men in Black movies and somewhat similar to the "dazzler" weapon used by real-life police. It would be an amazingly powerful device to have. "Ready, aim, mesmerize," you could incapacitate someone without causing any harm. Police could subdue an unruly suspect and cuff him before he comes to. A woman could protect herself from a rapist or purse snatcher, stop him in his tracks and get away before he realizes anything.
I want one of these things. :)
As for the movie itself, I'll have to re-watch it some time but I do think, from what I can remember about it, it was really ahead of its time.
Reply by rooprect
on October 18, 2022 at 10:35 PM
Just watched this for the first time in ages and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended to see in retrospect; Crichton was really spot on with his predictions of digital trickery.. LONG before cgi & photoshop & all that stuff we casually expect today. Back in 1981 the concept of having someone's face & body mapped onto a computer generated wireframe was preposterous ...back when digital graphics were only as good as Space Invaders.
I agree the Looker gun would've been a great nonviolent tool for self-defense, law enforcement & even warfare. It's not entirely unfeasible either... visual stimuli are known to cause some people to freeze up or have seizures (epilepsy) which, now that I think about it, was a plot point in Crichton's earlier film The Andromeda Strain.
I think the movie got a little campy in the final act, but it's pretty obvious Crichton was having some satirical fun with the fake tv studio scenes. I mean, the dead body on the breakfast table while the kids are passing the orange juice... hahaha This movie had it all. Smart story, nice presentation and some good fun.