Netflix adds little seen, “Certified Fresh” sci-fi movie starring a pre-Succession Sarah Snook
Predestination’s various twists and turns will throw you for a loop.

Before Sarah Snook was battling for control of Waystar Royco, she was dealing with time travel in the 2014 movie Predestination, which is now streaming on Netflix (and was immediately added to our Best Netflix movies list).
Despite not being a hot ticket for moviegoers (it made less than $5 million at the worldwide box office), the sci-fi movie has been well-regarded by critics (“Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) and viewers (75% positive rating on RT). I remember I was definitely enthralled by it when I initially watched it on-demand around the time of its release. You now have the chance to weigh in yourself as you can watch Predestination on Netflix (US only).
Based on the short story All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein and written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, Predestination follows an agent of the Temporal Bureau (Ethan Hawke) as he attempts to stop a terrorist known as the Fizzle Bomber. This leads him to a bar in 1970 New York, where he meets John (Sarah Snook), who tells the agent his whole story — how he was born a girl, fell in love with a mysterious man that abandoned him, got pregnant, at which point the doctor’s discovered that he was intersex and performed a hysterectomy, meanwhile, the baby was abducted. The agent then offers to help John get answers to his past, which will in turn help out with his own mission.
If the plot description alone sounds crazy, you’re not wrong. Predestination is a wild ride, with plenty of twists and turns that I had to think about for a while before getting a complete grip on it. And yet, the complexities didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie, and clearly, others felt the same way as evidenced by the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes scores.
One of its strongest elements is the two main performances by Hawke and Snook. Hawke is always a reliable actor, and this role gave him opportunities to explore some complex ideas, resulting in one of his more unique and interesting performances. But Snook is the star of the show, four years before she truly broke out with her Emmy-winning role on Succession. Snook plays John and Jane (their identity before the hysterectomy), though her performance as John is incredible and nearly unrecognizable.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away key plot details that will be better served by just watching the movie itself. But, if you want a little more evidence as to why Predestination is worth a watch, check out the trailer right here:
Predestination is now available to stream on Netflix. It is also streaming for free on Pluto TV and available via digital on-demand platforms.
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Michael Balderston is What to Watch’s assistant managing editor and lead movie writer, covering movies coming to theaters, writing movie reviews and highlighting new and classic movies on streaming services; he also covers a range of TV shows, including those in the Taylor Sheridan universe, Slow Horses, Only Murders in the Building, Jeopardy!, Saturday Night Live and more, as well as the best ways to watch some major US sporting events.
Based outside of Washington, D.C., Michael's previous experience includes writing for Awards Circuit, TV Technology and The Wrap.
Michael’s favorite movie of all time is Casablanca, while his favorite TV show is Seinfeld. Some 2025 favorites include One of Them Days and Black Bag for movies, and The Pitt on TV. Follow on Letterboxd to keep up with what I'm watching.