10 Best Movies About Fate & Destiny You Shouldn’t Skip

The concept of destiny and pre-determined fate is a tricky one. It fills us with inspiration and promises of better things yet to come. But, at the same time, it fills us with dread because some things might not be ever changed and we’re stuck with the cards we’ve been dealt. Today’s list of movies is a special one since it deals with both sides of the coin.

It deals with the concepts of fate and destiny and our protagonists either embraced their fate and thrived through great effort, or they were swallowed by the course of unavoidable catastrophic events. Having said all that let’s take a look at our list of best movies about fate and destiny!

1. Final Destination (2000) 

When Final destination was released supernatural horrors were all the rage, it managed to stand out though. The movie follows Alex Browning (Devon Sawa), he plans to board a flight but is suddenly stopped by the premonition he had about a plane exploding on takeoff and everybody dying. As the events in real-time are becoming more and more aligned with what he’s seen in his vision, he manages to convince his friends not to board the plane.

The plane is destroyed soon after taking off and Alex is left to deal with the aftermath. Things take an interesting turn when the survivors who were fated to die that day start dying under bizarre circumstances. As it turns out, death comes for us all as Alex will soon find out. 

2. 12 Monkeys (1996)

12 Monkeys is set in the year 2035, a deadly virus has been released by the dangerous organization and it resulted in nearly all of humanity being wiped out. James Cole (Bruce Willis) is offered a unique chance, he can “earn” a reduced prison sentence if he travels back in time, to 1996 to be more exact, in order to try to stop the virus from being released.

The mission is complicated by various setbacks and bizarre twists that led us to believe that ultimately, the future cannot be changed. 

3. The Fountain (2006)

The Fountain of is a romance movie, and we all know that concept of soul-mates and everlasting love is closely related to the concept of fate and “meant to be”. The Fountain is a perfect example of this, as it follows a single couple.

They managed to find themselves and re-affirm their love through several time periods, and several lives. They managed to bridge time and space in order to reunite. This movie is a perfect example of a man fighting against his destiny and ultimately failing. 

4. Looper (2016) 

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Bruce Willis) is a hired gun currently living in 2044. The mob has adopted somewhat modernized methods of eliminating people, and taking care of “loose ends”. Since modern technology made disposing of the bodies impossible, the crime syndicates resorted to sending people back in time in order to assassinate the marks. The assassins are called loopers, and Joe will soon find out that his next mark might just be his “future self”. 

5. Butterfly Effect (2004) 

Evan Trebor (Ashton Kutcher) suffered unexplained migraines, blackouts, seizures, and memory loss throughout most of his childhood. Eventually, he figures out he can time travel to the exact time-frames during which those occurred. 

He thinks of a brilliant plan that involves time-traveling to change some of the decisions he’s made and make life better for himself and everyone around him. This does not work out like it never does of course and he is left to deal with catastrophic consequences. The movie also follows the “multiple timelines” concept that shows us how things would turn out if a different decision has been made. 

6. Interstellar (2014) 

Interstellar was a massive hit when it was released, but besides the obvious science-fiction themes it also deals with the concept of destiny. The movie is set in the future as the world deals with the aftermath of a global famine that threatens the survival of humanity. Ex-NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is raising his son and his daughter in a society that labels everything not related to “growing food” as wasteful and hence unneeded and almost heretic.

Cooper’s daughter complains that ghosts are trying to communicate with her. At first, he ignores her and shrugs it off as overactive imagination. As he sets to uncover the mystery of strange patterns made in the dust of his daughter’s bedroom floor, he realizes that it just might be a sign of destiny that will eventually lead them all toward the saving of humanity as a whole. 

7. Predestination (2014)

Predestination follows Agent Doe a temporal agent that uses time travel to solve crimes and prevent catastrophes. There is, however, one criminal that managed to elude him throughout the boundaries of time. As he finally starts to make sense of things and catch up with the mystery of his identity he might realize that his future is tied to his past and there’s no escaping destiny. 

8. Minority Report (2002) 

The movie is set in 2054, the police have implemented a “Precrime” program where murders and other violent crimes are able to be stopped before they ever happen. This is done by using “precogs” humans with the ability to visualize future murders. Society lives seemingly blissfully since the program has been implemented. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) an officer in the “Precrime” unit is a staunch believer in the program until he discovers that according to the precogs’ visions, he will soon commit a murder. 

9. Premonition (2007) 

Premonition is an eerie story about destiny, time loops, and parallel worlds. Linda Hanson (Julia Roberts) is married with two children. Her husband is on a business trip or so she thinks. As she listens to the voicemail sent to her by her husband, an officer knocks on her door to inform her that her husband has passed away in a tragic accident.

Linda barely manages to make sense of things when she wakes up again only to find her husband alive again. The shock is repeated the next morning when she wakes and finds him dead again. Linda starts doubting herself and her own sanity as she struggles with the realization that something much larger than herself is at play here. 

10. Bounce (2000) 

Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck) in his attempt to do something good for a change, switches his plane ticket with writer Greg Janello. Greg just wants to go home to his wife and kids. The twist of fate happens when the plane tragically crashes and Greg dies along with other passengers. Buddy, unable to cope with it first goes on a self-destructive rampage but eventually starts “making peace” with his past.

One of the steps he needs to take in order to recover is to make amends for past mistakes. This leads him to Greg’s widow. The matters are further complicated when Buddy falls in love with Greg’s widow.