Ronit J

Predestination (2014) Synopsis:

As his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.

Predestination (2014) Review:

I’ve heard a lot about this film ever since it first released over a decade ago. Unfortunately, that ‘a lot’ wasn’t nearly enough, leaving Predestination lost in my endless watchlist. Until sometime last week where Rohan Joshi revealed his Top 10 Sci-Fi movies of all time. I had watched 8 of those 10 films, and the fact that Predestination managed to come above the likes of Arrival (one of my all time top 10 films), I really had my hopes up. Since this was one of the two films I hadn’t watched, I decided to give it a shot.

Now, I have not read Robert A Heinlein’s “All You Zombies”. I even missed the part in the credits which said it was an adaptation, so this was a nice surprise. It explained why the concept was so powerful: it came from one of science fiction’s greatest minds.

However, to only give Heinlein credit would be a disservice to the film’s cinematic achievement.

I’m not going to try and explain the plot, because the whole charm of this mind-bender is to discover it yourself. However, the gist is that there’s a Temporal Bureau. They mess with time to stop major crimes and catastrophes before they can be committed. From there, we meet The Barkeep (Ethan Hawk) and the Unmarried Mother (Sarah Snook). They embark on a journey that spans decades, and changes the course of history in an attempt to stop the notorious Fizzle Bomber.

How to Adapt a Great Concept

Visually speaking, the film might not have the most unique identity. However, the way it takes its time to establish the more important elements of the story deserves praise. First, the film opens with a series of visuals that vaguely set up the plot. Then, we move to a slow burning character story where The Barkeep jumps to 1970 and goes undercover. There, he encounters The Unmarried Mother, and the two strike up a conversation. The Unmarried Mother (real name John) narrates his life story, talking about how they were born Jane, were a brilliant student with an inclination for the sciences, and how they almost joined a super secret Space Program, but failed because of a meet cute that ended up with Jane being pregnant.

From there, the film jumps back into fast pace, taking both our characters on a chase that leaves them both a little enlightened. On paper, this haphazard pacing shouldn’t work. However, the film makes it work. After the confusing rapid montage in the beginning, the agent & John’s conversation comes as a welcome respite. The ‘story within the story’ too draws connections to the sci-fi elements, immersing us completely. And the latter part of the film carefully reveals just enough to keep you hooked for the next step, whilst also deliberately setting up the finale.

I don’t know how Heinlein’s short plays out, but if it plays out exactly like this, I’m glad the filmmakers found a way to transform the narrative to film without losing its essence. To me, Predestination (alongside both Dune films, and Lord of the Rings) is a prime example of how to adapt a great piece of writing into a—arguably—great piece of cinema.

Almost Perfect

Maybe it’s my bias for Arrival, or maybe it’s my attention to detail, but I was able to guess the twists. All of them. I understand that many of the hints are deliberately planted for us to make connections. That is why I won’t hold my predictions as a negative for the film. But, the fact is that knowing those twists resulted in the ending feeling underwhelming.

A little more effort to conceal those twists, or to plant them in more subtle ways would have made the reveals more compelling. But, this is a film from 2014, so we have to consider that. For starters, when Jane runs into her mystery stranger, the person’s identity is more or less discernible from just the silhouette and body language. The same is true for the Fizzle Bomber. In addition, the opening montage—despite feeling confusing—sets up some of the twists a little too overtly.

If it weren’t for those obvious hints, I would have called this film a classic. But, admiring the writing and narrative, as well as the film’s ability to capture my attention for its full 97-minute run, I won’t deny anyone who does call it a classic.

Predestination (2014) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

After successfully orchestrating Jane & John’s meet-cute, The Barkeep jumps to 1964. This is to be his final mission: kidnapping Jane & John’s daughter. He takes the baby and jumps to 1945, where he leaves it at the orphanage. Finally free to retire, The Barkeep jumps to 1975. However, his time travel device fails to decommission.

Later, The Barkeep discovers that the Fizzle Bomber is in 1975. He tracks him down, only to discover that The Fizzle Bomber is The Barkeep’s future self. The Fizzle Bomber states that if The Barkeep were to kill the Bomber, he’d inevitably begin his journey down the path to become the Bomber. But, not shooting the Bomber would result in the mass explosions. The Fizzle Bomber is an inevitability, his actions resulting in the deaths of thousands, but also preventing greater disasters.

The Barkeep shoots and kills the Bomber. As we watch on, we get more flashes of The Barkeep’s life, revealing surgical scars on his body. The Barkeep is a future John, and his actions were all manipulated and directed by Robertson to create a time loop paradox. In a final scene, John, who is now officially a member of the Temporal Bureau, wonders if he can change his future.

Is Predestination (2014) worth watching?

Yes.

I’ll admit, I managed to guess the twist within the first few minutes. While that did take away from the cathartic reveal in the end, the film still managed to keep me glued to the screen for the entirety of its runtime, which is rare for films today. A great concept, and an almost equally amazing execution, Predestination more than deserves every bit of praise it gets.

In Conclusion:

Predestination (2014) is a mind bending time travel film with a great concept and a worthy execution. While the film didn’t work for me at the same level as what I had expected, I cannot deny the film its brilliance and creativity.

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