Knowing


Starring: Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Lara Robinson
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An astrophysicist (Nicholas Cage) is shocked when his young song (Chandler Canterbury) brings home a strange series of numbers written on a piece of paper that was buried in a time capsule. He soon discovers that the number predict every major natural or manmade disaster of the last 50 years. Even more frightening is that it seems to predict a global catastrophe in the next few days.

Review:

Tim: Let me first say that I am well aware that this is a ridiculous, silly movie that is literally filled with plot holes. I definitely realize its major weaknesses. However, that is not to say that this is a completely unlikable movie- completely ridiculous, yes; completely unlikeable, no. There are a few great scenes, some tough moments, and you have to appreciate the pure scope of the catastrophes in this film.

I love the idea of a time capsule holding a piece of paper predicting all future global disasters. This idea is so very interesting to me. It also makes me wonder about the girl that wrote it- why make a prediction and then put it in an out-of-the-reach place that will help no one? Still, I like the idea. I thought the movie handled this mystery well, and even though the realization of the numbers' meaning is a bit far-fetched, I can suspend my disbelief pretty well. I was surprised that this movie soon becomes not just a movie about predicting disasters, but a movie about the biggest disaster of them all- the potential end of the world. I like end of the world movies.

This film has some very nerveracking moments. I think that scary, mysterious figures standing in unexpected places is a truly frightening occurence. That happened frequently throughout this movie. I thought the special effects were mostly good. The plane crash scene was impressive. The subway scene was less strong, but still exciting to watch. The film's climactic scene was a little overly dramatic and rushed, but I still enjoyed watching it.

The cast is decent. I try to focus on maintaining good thoughts about Nicholas Cage. He has certainly made some tremendous movies. Unfortunately, he has also starred in some real bombs. He wasn't spectacular in this movie, but I certainly liked him better than in movies like Next. He does a generally good job. I also liked the casting of Rose Byrne- I hope she continues to appear in as many movies as possible. The problem is that her character here is boring and one-dimensional, and I just didn't like her in the role. She has far too little to work with. She and Cage never really seem to get along together on screen- I did not like their pairing. The rest of the cast is surprisingly ineffective.

Knowing is an ambitious movie that rarely lets things like logic or sense to get in the way of its storytelling. I certainly loved the effort here, and I think that this movie could have been spectacular. As is, I still think this is a good movie. It certainly has a troubling amount of plot holes and illogical events. Still, I have been so hungry for a movie like this, that I am able to look past some of its visible flaws. I don't think that this is a great movie, but it entertained me, and I am grateful for that.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Push, Next; I, Robot; National Treasure, Con Air, The Rock