The problem with puzzles is, they’re no fun once you’ve solved them. “Predestination”, the newest film from sci-fi directors Michael and Peter Spierig (Daybreakers) is a particularly beautiful puzzle, one that winds through time, space, and logic with dazzling style. The Spierig brothers have written and directed a sci-fi/time-travel mystery along the lines of “Inception” or “Looper”, but with all its turns, “Predestination” is still a puzzle that’s much too easy to solve.

Ethan Hawke reunites with the Spierig brothers to star as the mysterious, unnamed time detective, charged with stopping crimes before they happen. On his last case, Hawke must hunt down the murderous Fizzle Bomber who has managed to eluded him so far. On the way he befriends and recruits an androgynous writer named Jane (Sarah Snook). Soon, they discover that their paths interlock in ways that they cannot imagine.

Despite the smallish budget, “Predestination” feels as large and as splashy as any other Hollywood flick, and the inclusion of Hawke only helps. He and costar Sarah Snook are fantastic, finding a chemistry between them that feels natural and believable, no matter what decade they travel to. But star power and style points can only go so far. In my review of “Open Windows”, I mentioned Nacho Vigalondo’s genius movie, “Timecrimes” (2007). I wish the Spierigs had taken notes on how Vigalondo can push a time travel concept, even on a budget. “Timecrimes” is so clever, it surprises even on repeat viewings. Predestination has good intentions, but it’s just too simple and too obvious. Plot twist are given away to obviously and there are certain logical paths of thinking that are not cleverly enough dealt with to accomplish the time-travel premise of the story.

“Predestination” made its Toronto debut at Toronto After Dark Film Fest on Tuesday, October the 21st. The film also stars Noah Taylor (Shine, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Almost Famous). The Spierig Brothers have definitely upped their game.

Nimy Leshinski