Like the Oasis song ponders, you know that feeling you get? That you’ve seen it all before…well, deja vu is about the recognition of having experienced a situation in the past, while lacking a memory–real or imagined–to support that feeling. Most people know the sensation, and no one has satisfactorily explained its cause. At least not yet.
Deja Vu does not explain the mystery either, but the movie does entertain; it is very watchable. An ATF agent, played by Denzel Washington, uncovers a link between a homicide and a terrorist attack. With help from some cutting edge technology, he visualizes events leading up to the murder, and butts against an interesting paradox: If they can prevent disaster by changing the past, even at the expense of creating a different future other should they try? Audience says yes.

What works about this movie:

1) Cast. The right mix of known and unknowns. The right blend of faces and personalities.

2) Eye candy. And lots of it. Convincing explosions and disaster footage.

3) Execution of concept. Appropriates an old theme and makes it seem new.

4) Engaging. The audience wants to follow the characters along to the end.

Possible enhancements:

1) Less metaphysics. In a movie like this, one grounded in entertainment rather than science, the fact that someone can move through time and space, even at great personal risk, is far more interesting than the mechanics and theory behind the leaps they take. Not to say the movie dwells on technical matters, but a few of the imagine-if-time-was-like-a-line-on-a-paper dialog tracts jarred me loose of the story briefly.

2) Tighter editing. A few scenes could have been cut.

Verdict: A decent flick, it’s worth a DVD rental, or afternoon matinee–for the very motivated.