For an adaptation of a short story by Robert A. Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers) that’s just a scant ten pages long, Predestination packs some creative, convoluted time travel storytelling into its running time. While the journey of many other short sci-fi tales to the screen either dilutes their impact or results in the grafting on of sub-standard Hollywood action (I’m thinking of plenty of Philip K. Dick adaptations fitting either description), writer-directors The Spierig Brothers confidently rely on their leads to do the heavy lifting here.
Ushering us into the film’s universe of time-traveling secret agents, Ethan Hawke provides a welcomely grizzled presence, but it’s the young actress to whom he plays mentor, Sarah Snook, who shines brightest, called upon to deliver one of the broadest performances of the year. As the two pair up to take down a mysterious mass murderer, the scene seems set for yet another young blossoming hero’s journey of the sort dominating cinemas of late, but Predestination has tricks up its sleeve – the mystery set out in its opening scene, and the unexpected places it is prepared to take its story.
Strangely though, given the source material, there’s more talking than doing in Predestination, and while the Spieirig’s restraint pays off in a couple of ways – avoiding a Shyamalan ‘gotcha’ ending or Hollywood bombast – Predestination is more a movie to be regarded than swept up in. To elaborate on the narrative details would rob the film of surprises that it earns, but sadly the payoff is not quite what it could have been. Worth a watch for its unique storyline, but not essential outside of sci-fi buffs.
