The Bat Cave

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
Director: The Spierig Brothers

Bottom Line: I’m not going to lie: this sci-fi, futuristic time traveler made my head spin… with joy. Predestination is chock full of wonderful twists, turns, and time travelling paradoxes. Ethan Hawke plays a time-jumping Temporal Agent whose job is to prevent future killers from ever getting a chance to commit their crimes. On his latest assignment, he’s posing as a bartender when he runs into a customer (Snook) that promises to tell him the best story he’s ever heard. “His” tragic story of abandonment, lost love, and gender reassignment sets the stage for a series of surprises and a mind-bending journey through time.

Predestination requires one’s full attention. It’s not the kind of movie where you can multitask and get the full experience. If you blink, you might miss a crucial plot development. The first couple twists are pretty surprising, but eventually it’s pretty easy to guess what is coming – although that doesn’t make it any less fun. This movie breaks pretty much every time travelling rule you can think of and it would be very easy for things to get hokey, but the filmmakers take the developments seriously and Predestination totally works despite it’s many potential pitfalls.

I thought Sarah Snook gave an incredible performance in this movie. She’s tasked with a role that is built for award season yet somehow Predestination has been overlooked by pretty much everybody. It’s one of the better performances in all of 2014 – a true can’t miss.

Predestination just might wind up a cult/genre classic. It’s a riveting story with a knockout performance from Snook and a far more entertaining 2014 Ethan Hawke film than the overrated Boyhood which somehow got showered with all the awards attention. It’s a must see for sci-fi fans and I’d strongly recommend it to everyone else too.

Replay Value: A second viewing is probably required.
Sequel Potential: This should be a one and done.
Oscar Potential: Sarah Snook was certainly robbed. Really makes me wonder if this will be considered a 2015 film.

Grade: 7/10 (Must See)