Predestination
(2014/Sony Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: B+
Some
things are inevitable.
Predestination
is a solid time traveling film that is one step ahead of the usual
genre action movie fare. Ethan Hawke stars along with rising star
Sarah Snook (of the recent horror film Jessabelle which is
reviewed elsewhere on this site) and Noah Taylor (Vanilla Sky)
and is written and directed by Australian filmmakers Michael and
Peter Spierig who did the highly underrated vampire action film
Daybreakers in 2010 (which also starred Ethan Hawke), as well
as the intense 2003 Zombie film Undead (which I also
recommend.)
Based
on a 1959 Robert A. Heinlein Sci-fi short story entitled All you
Zombies, Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent
(Ethan Hawke) sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys
designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes.
Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal
that has eluded him throughout time known as the Fizzle Bomber and
prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be
lost. While posing undercover as a bartender, Hawke meets an unusual
(and slightly man-like) woman named Jane (played by Sarah Snook) who
tells him of her grisly past that is somehow linked to his career
changing assignment.
This
film is full of so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming
that I would highly recommend it even to viewers that aren't as into
genre fair. I haven't had a movie get me thinking like this since I
saw Vanilla Sky for the first time, which is one of my
favorites. The second act of the film plays off as an intense drama
while the stunning opening sequence channels pulp sci-fi noir. The
production value (especially the SFX makeup) is top notch as is the
acting in what really is a career- changing role for Sarah Snook.
Sony
does it again with an exceptional Blu-ray presentation of the film in
1080p high definition with a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio that is
crisp and clear throughout and the sound mix doesn't disappoint with
a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 (MA) Master Audio track in English, Spanish,
and French.
Amongst
the supplements is a fascinating feature-length behind the scenes
documentary on the film entitled All You Zombies: Bringing
Predestination to Life. There's also Bloopers and a five
minute splash piece entitled A Moment in Time.
If
you like Inception, Looper, and In Time then this is
definitely a Sci-fi Genre film that you shouldn't miss. I'm
surprised that there wasn't more buzz about this when it first came
out. Highly recommended.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
