Review of Predestination (2013) by Chris R — 29 Mar 2017

Time travel is really hard to write about. Not exactly true. it is only really hard to write about, if you want to do it well. And that is difficult, but not impossible. Don't let the generic action movie poster fool you, Predestination, based on an award winning short-story -All You Zombies- by Robert A. Heinlein is a shining example bout how to tackle the mind-bending topic of time travel well. Did it necessarily need to be a film? Probably not. But I'm glad it is.

Time travel is a thought provoking topic. There are so many nuances - cause and effect, fate, predestination (That's the name of the movie! What a coincidence, right?), which leads to thoughts about alternate realities and timelines and so forth. It is perfectly fine to not delve into, or to ignore completely these elements of the subject matter in the same way that action films with collateral damage and evil henchmen dying left and right doesn't have to delve into the morality of murder as an act of self-defense, the value of a human life, and the morality of man. Back to the Future is an excellent, fun movie where time travel is a centerpiece, yet it doesn't get into the dark, nitty-gritty of the topic. However, it is refreshing when there is a film that does do that and that is exactly what Predestination is.

Unfortunately, I cannot delve too deeply into the plot of the film without ruining it. Simply put, Ethan Hawke has to travel through time in an attempt to stop a terrorist from blowing shit up. And though the film sets this up right from the get go, you soon almost forget about it. The first huge chunk of the film is a story told by a man in the bar to Ethan. Because of this, the film is slow to start and get going. The story the man tells is intriguing and compelling, but if you are looking for high concept sci-fi rigamaroles, you'll have to wait. Even though this is a time travel movie, time travel is used as a tool to discuss fate, choice, and identity. Does choice even exist or is everything predetermined? And if someone doesn't have a choice and aren't even in control of their own lives, then who are they really? Are they even living a life or just a cog in a machine?

The film shines with these issues and makes the viewer contemplate them long after it is over. That is definitely due to the strong source material on which the script is based. The film doesn't really shine as a film. A lot of the twist and turns of the plot may become more evident to the viewer of the film than the reader of the story simply due to the visual nature of the film medium. The film encapsulates the events of the short story, but extends it as well. However, the final stopping point the Spierig Brothers chose was odd. It didn't feel like a natural close, perhaps there was a run time concern (even though it is only an hour and a half). I could so easily imagine it being written as a novel, continuing to follow the story.

Science fiction novels and stories have been best when using the sci-fi elements tools to discuss high philosophical topic (the Ender series, the Foundation series, the Dune series, and so on). As fan of sci-fi it is thrilling to see films that don't just use sci-fi elements as entertaining toys. Despite Predestination's being better suited for reading than watching, it is still a fantastic piece of fiction.