movies: predestination

predestination: to save the future he must reshape the past
I don't think I have every enjoyed a movie where the plot was so blatantly obvious from almost the very beginning of the movie as much as I enjoyed Predestination.

It's a time travel story with twists and turns and reveals, as only a time travel story can do, so I don't want to go too far into the plot. Suffice to say though that I'd worked out 98% of them (or at least almost all of the major details, there were just a few little flourishes here and there that I didn't pick up on).

And, you know what, I don't even care.

Because more than being a time travel story, it's a very small, very intimate three person (actor-wise) movie, and that is what makes all the difference.

Nobody deserves the kudos for making this movie what it is more than Sarah Snook... in essence she carries the entire movie and if she hadn't worked, then nothing in the movie would have worked.

But boy, oh boy does she work.

I've also never been that fussed about Ethan Hawke as an actor one way or the other... and while he definitely doesn't have to do the emotional heavy lifting that Snook does, he has a couple of really great scenes.

Rounding out the trio is Noah Taylor as the head of the time agency who only has a few small scenes.

And for small, (and I'm guessing) independent movie filmed in Melbourne, they make excellent use of both the locations and their production budget. It might be a lower budget movie but it doesn't feel like it in any way... likewise, I've seen big studio movies who don't do with their production design what this movie accomplishes.

It's never flashy or glitzy or overly showy, and baring a couple of small scenes, there isn't much in the way of action sequences, however it's a great little movie.

Sure, the plot essentially screams the twists at you at multiple points along the way, but even so, it was very enjoyable.

yani's rating: 2 violin cases out of 5

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