I had a pretty interesting week for movies. I managed to catch two different films that were on opposite sides of the spectrum in nearly every way.
First up was the Nicolas Cage sci-fi thriller, Knowing. This might turn out to be the best “worst” film of the year. It was almost universally panned except for one 4-star review from my favorite reviewer—Roger Ebert. Like a rating over 90 on Rotten Tomatoes, I’ve often had trouble with anything Ebert has given his highest rating to. Thus, I went into this movie with pretty much all of karma lined up against it.
The story revolves around Cage’s character. He plays a pretty bright professor at MIT who stumbles upon a letter stored in a time capsule 50 years prior that accurately predicts disasters of the future. We’re along for the ride as he sets out to both understand the validity of the information and to prevent the forecasts from coming to pass.
I spent most of this movie glued to the screen sitting on the edge of my seat. If the story interests you at all then you’re in for a fun experience. However, this story does require a good ability to suspend your disbelief but isn’t that what sci-fi is often all about?
Be prepared to feel like you’re riding an intense roller coaster. Also be forewarned that you’re not likely to have seen carnage portrayed this realistically in any other movie of late. One scene involving a plane crash feels so real and looks so horrific that I had a hard time getting it out of my head. If there’s any knock here it’s that so much destruction happens in such a short period that you get a bit numbed by it.
The point of the story many found lacking. I had a question or two about it but not anything that couldn’t be easily imagined into an acceptable ending. For those looking for a definitive, simple ending, this is not your movie.
