7.5/10

The Spierig Brothers take us on the most thought provoking sci fi film of the last ten years. “Predestination” chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent (Ethan Hawke) sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost. Where this film benefits the most is in it’s original look and feel of time travel in an era where films of the such are a little overdone. “Predestination” uses scientific theory combined with great plot twists and turns to make this film a can’t miss for any sci-fi fan. The film does have some minor problems communicating the full message of it’s bombshell deliveries, but i think the viewer will be ultimately satisfied by this movie. Even if things aren’t fully understood in the first watch, i think the film warrants a second one for the viewer to fully grasp some of the things they originally missed. What is most incredible about the twists and turns is that the film really only has three actors, but it’s the way the story was told that make these surprises even more impressive. Picture a horror movie with three people in it, and you still manage to be surprised when you find out who the killer is. The Spierig Brothers are certainly no strangers to the sci fi world with 2005’s “Undead”, and 2010’s “Daybreakers”. However, “Predestination” feels like a perfect fit for the kind of stories they are always trying to tell. You feel these two have watched more than their fair share of time exploration films, and it’s impact is left on the movements of the two main characters. Ethan Hawke is charming while not revealing a lot of his personal traits. What’s interesting is how he is cast as the main character of the film, but his character feels second string to Sarah Snook’s incredible performance. Snook plays two roles in the film, and for fear of spoilers i will not reveal much more than that. She is certainly given a lot more room to act than the wheel chair character that physically and actingly limitted her in 2014’s “Jessebelle”. With the difficulty of acting as two different people, Snook nails it with personalities completely opposite for both of those she plays. I can’t talk about this movie without recognizing the makeup work. Between the brutality of an explosion 5 minutes into the movie and some great work to make Snook look unlike her other character, this film is among the very best in makeup work that i have seen in 2014. It’s a lot easier to suspend any disbelief you have about such characters when visual enhancements of this calibur are being made. There were a couple of continuity problems i had with the film, but nothing that ruined it overall for me. The movie clocks in at a fast 87 minutes, but it never feels rushed. The script is wonderfully paced with enough shock and awe in all three acts to never leave the viewer hanging. The film’s first 40 minutes are told in a flashback about Snook’s character, but that time is needed to set up the pieces for what finishes as one of the most talked about endings this year. I definitely recommend this film to sci fi lovers. I do expect some confusion with the way some things are revealed, but i think this movie more than warrants the topic of discussion. “Predestination” is entrancing, slick, and edge of your seat madness that shows The Spierig Brothers have landed