Film of the Week: Predestination

Time travel films, if told correctly, can be some of the best stories out there. If told correctly, and not too complicatedly, the big revelation at the end can be satisfying, even mind-blowing at times. Characters interacting with themselves to pass on a message either from the future or the past, certain events appearing to be out of order but are actually happening in the correct sequence. That is what draws me to time travel.

I have watched many films that focus prominently on this type of story, and only a handful have really made an impact. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, a BBC comedy film, is my favourite time travel film, because it’s simple yet complex at the same time. The whole story revolves around three people in a pub, who discovers a time portal in the toilets. As the story goes on, the time travel aspect slowly grows more and more complex – at one point, there are three versions of the same group of three people within the same room, one group unaware of what is going on, and the other two trying to avoid bumping into the other two groups – but the story aspect of it is told in such a simple way that you are able to follow and understand everything that’s going on without having to scratch your head in a confusing manner.

Project Almanac, a found-footage film about a group of friends who discover plans to build a time machine in the basement. The found-footage aspect sparks something different, because it tells the story from another angle, from the first-person perspective instead of the third. Again, it does have some complex moments, but the story helps you understand it that much more.

The third film about time travel that has made a big impact on me is Men in Black 3. I know, I wasn’t expecting that either, but it technically serves as a prequel to the first story, and makes the recruitment sequence in the first film that much more justified, adding some more depth to the other films, and adding a lot of dramatic irony, which when you’re watching through the series from beginning to end, and certain pieces of information that you know is revealed to the characters, it does come with a certain level of satisfaction. Plus, they are a good series of films as well.

I should probably explain what the Predestination Paradox is before I move on. A quick way to explain it is: You are there before you get there. Certain events happen to specifically influence themselves.

Predestination (staring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, and Noah Talyor), based on the short story, “All you Zombies”, by Robert A. Heinlein, is a science fiction mystery thriller that absolutely shattered my mind. It created a massive impact when certain elements came to light, and certain sequences were discovered to be playing in the correct order all along, I wondered how I hadn’t come across this film before.

Coming out in 2015, and despite it receiving positive reviews from critics and getting an 84% out of a 100, it dropped below my radar, and it was only when I was browsing through a list of films that I thought might be interesting to watch one day, I came across Predestination. I read the short description and thought I will give it ago. I’m so glad that I did. It blew my mind. I’m afraid that I’m going to say something that is going to spoil the film, which is something you mustn’t allow to happen if you have any interest in this film. Avoid the Wikipedia article, or just any spoilers in general. I highly recommend that you go into this film with a fresh mind. You could say that about any film, really, but this needs to be specifically kept in the dark.

However, I can’t just leave you with nothing, can I? No, I will leave you with the short description that I had read that got me interested in the film. I give credit to the person who wrote the description on IMDB.com, and I will leave a link to the page of the film at the end of this article.

“The life of a time-travelling Temporal Agent. On his final assignment, he must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.”

And that’s it. That is all I am saying regarding the plot of the film. I will now express some of my thoughts during my watching of said film.

The actors and actress’s performances throughout the film were phenomenal. They created an engaging atmosphere that kept you interested from beginning to end, making you want to know how it is all going to end, especially when one character is telling a story to another. And everything in that film needs to be in there. I have come across many films where there needs a lot more information – a lot more story – than we get, or the we receive the complete opposite when we have to much unnecessary information. It is rare to come across a film that has just enough information to tell you everything, but still creating a thought-provoking atmosphere. Predestination does just that, and it will be a while before I stop thinking about it, that’s for sure.

It has been a while since a time travel film, or any film for that matter, had such a huge impact. I’ve said before that I’m not that fussy when it comes to watching films. I’ll sit down and watch pretty much anything if it has been recommended to me or I have an interest in that particular story or genre, which has resulted in me watching a lot of films. I am fussy with what I get on DVD, however, because that means I’ve come to the conclusion that the film is good enough to watch over and over again, not just once in a while or a long while, so the DVD’s just sitting there gathering dust. I will certainly be getting this film of DVD, and that conclusion was rather refreshing, to be honest. I can guarantee you that the second time watching this through, it will be a completely new experience than the first time, and if you went into this film without knowing anything beforehand, the ending, and the second viewing will be that much more satisfying.

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2397535/

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)