Directors: The Spierig Brothers
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
Running Time: 95 minutes.
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: The life of a time-travelling Temporal Agent (Hawke). On his final assignment, he must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.
For every good time travel film PRIMER. LOOPER, THE TERMINATOR, there is an equally bad one A SOUND OF THUNDER, TIMECOP, BLACK KNIGHT. The latest addition for the science fiction sub-genre is PREDESTINATION, a film which on paper sounds a lot like TIMECOP, but in reality is a little more TWELVE MONKEYS. This film is a rather different kettle of fish to anything that has gone before; this isn’t your average time-travel movie.
PREDESTINATION is rather a quirky science fiction film that is selling itself as an action driven time-travel outing. Unfortunately for those intrigued by this promise, there are only a precious few minor action scenes. Viewers expecting action-packed thrills are going to be truly disappointed, however, those ready to experience a rather unique story will be pleasantly surprised with what The Spierig Brothers have done. This is a thinking and talking man’s science fiction. Far more is spoken about than is actually seen, and that ultimately is the film’s undoing. The concept and execution are refreshingly different, but realistically there needs to be more cinematic elements than just an interesting idea to keep audiences engaged.
The poster might feature Ethan Hawke but he is only a supporting role. The focus of the film is the life history of a character known only as The Unmarried Mother. Relative newcomer Sarah Snook, most recently seen is Bayou horror flick JESSABELLE, takes up much more screen time than her more famous counterpart, and does so brilliantly. Her performance is powerfully compelling and engaging. If it wasn’t for her portrayal of her surprisingly complex character, framed by a uniquely intriguing story, PREDESTINATION would have been a complete write off. Fortunately its fascinating narrative manages to recover some lost ground.
PREDESTINATION is an unexpected and surprisingly entertaining entry into the ever expanding hall of time-bending films.
[usr=3] PREDESTINATION is out both in cinemas and on VOD from Friday 2oth February.
