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First off, a disclaimer: I like time travel movies. Therefore you might say that I was predisposed to like this film. Still, I know a bad film when I see one (well, mostly) and a bad film this isn't. It is, in fact, a very good one. The main flaw with it is that it doesn't make a lick of sense if you think about it, despite the fact that they try to make it seem feasible with a lot of physics jargon (they fail) - but then, The Terminator is one huge time paradox too, and it didn't really hurt that film. If you can get past the suspension of disbelief required, you should be entertained throughout. The film moves at a breakneck pace and keeps piling on the intrigue for most of the running time. It's the first film to be shot in New Orleans since hurricane Katrina and the interesting setting adds to the film. They don't shy away from showing the damage caused by the flooding either. Like any Tony Scott film, Déjà Vu has a pretty distinctive visual style, but he does tone it down from his last film, the rather hyperactively-filmed Domino. Scott certainly knows how to direct action and there is plenty here, much of it quite innovative, making use of the film's unusual angle on time travel (this is no Back to the Future). Crucially, the film keeps you wanting to know more and when small pieces of the puzzle begin to slot into place it's strangely rewarding. Denzel Washington basically plays himself, like he seems to in every film lately, but he does play himself excellently so it's not a problem. The characters are not particularly defined, and half of them disappear by the final act, but it doesn't really hurt the film. Déjà Vu is effective and very well-made popcorn entertainment.
The summary
The plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny, but it doesn't make Déjà Vu any less entertaining. I really enjoyed it.
