Predestination (2014) Reviews

• 'Predestination' deserves more recognition.

  menzies972014-10-29

  I feel like sometimes great movies don't get enough recognition, films like Prisoners, Enemy, or Predestination. This film impacted me heavily, and it kept me thinking and thinking about it for a week after I saw it. Ethan Hawke gave a great performance, which keeps me wondering why he ever agreed to do "The Purge", but the real standout is Sarah Snook, who is breathtaking in her role. 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. My only complaints are that the movie's first act was a little slow. However, as the film progresses into the second and third act, the long first act is absolutely necessary. If it was a little shorter, it would've worked so well. Confusing? Yes. Enjoyable? Big time. If you can see Predestination, definitely do so. 8/10

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• Faithful yet lovingly enhanced story

  g_babic2014-09-09

  This is not just classic sci-fi it is almost a classic Greek play: Fateful and tragic. That's the parting feeling. But it delivers so many genres on any level you care to enjoy it. To me the strength of this film is the characters—every day people like ourselves—seeing themselves in an extraordinary light. As time-travel stories go there are none of the paradoxes of other such films to frustrate you. The elegant, thought-provoking symmetry of the original short story is respected beautifully—but hats off to the directors for expanding it into a study of human self-identity. In my opinion the best sci-fi only uses fantasy (within the realms of possibility) to explore humanity in ways that a grounding in known reality cannot, and this film offers viewers a 'what if' so believably presented they can put themselves in that situation and question themselves in a way they normally never would. The only paradox here is the very real inescapable self of all of us and yet being so many different people throughout our lives. You will benefit from seeing this film.

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• A unique and decidedly dark sci-fi film

  cashton-859-4388692014-09-19

  "Predestination" is an incredibly original and creative film, employing what may seem like 'common' aspects of the science-fiction genre, and putting a darker, grimmer twist on them. Time travel is handled quite well in this Australian film, focusing less on the effects of travelling back (and forth) in time than other sci-fi films. "Predestination" 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. 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. Overall, the third feature film by the Spierig Brothers is a surprisingly original, daring, and genre-bending film.

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• absolutely entertaining and clever!

  Riona332014-09-05

  Sadly I had to travel to an old and tiny cinema to see this movie as it didn't play in the major cinemas on the Gold Coast...after watching this movie i have absolutely no clue why. I truly enjoyed every minute of this film, all of the actors did a great job, especially Ethan Hawk. I did see some of the plot lines coming and still got a bit of a surprise in how they delivered those plot lines...if you get a chance and like a sci-fi with brains then go and watch this!!! I would definitely not compare it to looper (just to add to the end) yes looper and predestination are about time travel, but thats were it ends... :)

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• Exceptionally created

  moneyminder2014-11-24

  A must watch for anyone who enjoys a mind bending, soul imploding film. 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 Director was able to clearly explain the unexplainable at the very end of the movie. So, for those that sometimes walk out of a movie not understanding what happened, I can assure you that will not be the case here. I give many kudos to the original writing, screen writing, directing, and acting. This movie will be ranked as one of my all time best films ever.

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