Predestination (2014) Review!!

Synopsis – The life of a time-traveling Temporal Agent. On his final assignment, he must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.

My Take – This is one of those rare incredibly original and creative films, which employ what may seem like ‘common’ aspects of the science-fiction genre, and put a darker, grimmer twist on them. This film uses decidedly odd pacing, beginning with a ‘bang’ and following that up with almost an hour of subdued plot. But oddly enough, these moments of -almost- pure dialogue and occasional flashbacks never become boring, but rather deepen the film’s characters and their back-stories. Although the first scene is action packed, not much is understood as to the who’s and why’s.

After that, and for only a few minutes, the movie seemed slow and without direction. Soon after it becomes intriguing, suspenseful, and where the direction of the film is going (although not yet understood). The Directors were able to clearly explain the unexplainable at the very end of the movie. One of the best things about this film was that when I thought it was going in one direction, it took a hard right hand turn. Not many movies make me doubt myself like that. The direction was clean and solid, the cinematography was immaculate, and the special and visual effects were outstanding. Everything about the look of the film was perfect. Ethan Hawke plays a character without a name, a time-traveling agent for a secret agency that uses their ability to transport to specific dates as an opportunity to stop crime. Hawke’s character is on the tail end of his career. And on his final assignment, he is tasked with stopping the “Fizzle Bomber”, a terrorist that exploded a bomb in New York City in 1975 that killed over 11,000 citizens. He had an even chance to stop the bomber once before but failed and now after a recuperating after his final jump, he jumps from 1960’s through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s to achieve his final objective. The cast performances are what really make this movie ‘shine’.

Ethan Hawke, as usual, delivers an almost flawless performance as the unnamed lead, and Sarah Snook, an Australian newcomer, surprises with her wide range of acting abilities. She is outstanding in a complex and demanding role that has rightly grabbed the attention of Hollywood. Ethan Hawke has worked with the Spierig Brothers before with 2009’s Daybreakers, an average tale of vampires in a futuristic world, but with Predestination, the collaborative efforts of the brothers along with Hawke & Snook has resulted in a brilliant time travel science fiction film that betters Rian Johnson’s Looper in its vision and execution. Predestination is a surprisingly original, daring, and genre-bending making it a must watch for anyone who enjoys a mind bending, soul imploding film.