Knowing (2009) [Blu-ray]
Action | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Nicolas Cage (National Treasure) stars in this edge of your seat sci-fi thriller as John Koestler, a professor who deciphers a coded message with terrifyingly accurate predictions about every major world disaster. Looking to protect his family and prevent future calamities, he enlists the reluctant help of Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne), daughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies. His quest to understand the messages and his own family's involvement in them becomes a heart-pounding race against time as he faces the ultimate disaster.

User Comment: prezidanto from United States, 25 March 2009 • *** This review may contain spoilers *** I can't believe people are calling this the "best SF movie of the year", unless there aren't any other SF movies this year. Ebert obviously needs to adjust his meds if he gave this four stars.

Plot holes? Plot holes? The rocks... do they mean *anything*? How come the aliens can't find *some* way to communicate with people? How do they expect to leave their numeric clue hidden for 50 years and have just the right person run across them? Why does the son get all bent about being treated as a child... for 30 seconds? My God -- it's full of holes! This abomination makes Swiss cheese look like battleship armor.

"Thought-provoking" only in the sense that if you start thinking about it, you'll be astounded at how little sense in makes, and how much thinking you have to do to force any of it to work.

I've been reading science fiction for 30 years. I know SF. SF is a friend of mine. And if this is the best SF movie of the year, I'm a monkey's uncle. And aunt. And male offspring. And second cousin once removed.

Summary: Sucks like a neutron star.

User Comment: hardykh from United States, 21 March 2009 • *** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film started out with a real grabber. The whole time capsule thing was working as was the predictions and it had me riveted waiting to find out what was going to happen next.

Then everything went left and the movie bounded over the shark as Cage begins a wild chase to tell everyone about the end of the world.

I absolutely believe this screenplay wasn't written with the ending that was in the movie. I figure around one third of the way through someone said, "hey this is way too M. Night Shymalan, better beef up the special effects!" That's when the explosions started.

Then another Hollywood big-wig said, "hey, we need to add some extraterrestrials or this will never hit" and so enter the blond guys in the woods. These scenes look like they were re-shot after the fact.

Finally as Cage is on his knees waving to his son on the space ship, I expected the credits to roll, but no. I feel pretty sure a focus group was show the first cut and they said it was a downer, so...after a rewrite and lots of money on special effects. Voila! End of the world.

Ten, after another focus group, comes the two kids in Eden ending that looked completely out of place and I feel pretty sure was tacked on after audience reactions ranged from"but what about the kids?" to "that's a downer".

All in all, the whole thing went way off the rails and squandered any viewer interest in favor of bad theology and worse writing.

If anyone can confirm my theories of rewrites and re-shoots, please let me know. Otherwise, I have to believe the producers just got lost somewhere along the way to what promised to be a good film.

Summary: Did Writers Know When It Jumped The Shark?

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