Review: ‘Knowing’

© 2008 Summit Entertainment N.V. All rights reserved.

First things first, I predict there will be a lot of people who don’t like this movie. Already, a number of public screening attendees have approached me and asked what I thought of ‘Knowing’ and, when I told them, have given me this wonderful look of surprise. It seems that a lot of people were relatively pleased with the first half of the movie, but feel the later half (especially the ending) falters. I honestly must disagree completely and state what is merely my opinion… a great number of people who dislike ‘Knowing’ will feel so, even unwittingly, as a result of something deeper than that of the film artistic and technical level of achievement.

‘Knowing’ is the newest film from director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) and stars Nicolas Cage as John Koestler, an astrophysicist who stumbles upon an incredible set of predictions that has been buried in an elementary school’s time capsule with drawings of the future from the other students for the past fifty years. The predictions come in the form of a single sheet of paper covered with what at first appears to be a random series of numbers, written fifty years ago by a strange little girl at the school named Lucinda. Jump ahead to modern day, the school unearths the time capsule as part of an anniversary celebration and John’s son Caleb receives Lucinda’s entry into the capsule, which is how John acquires the coded message.

The first half of the film feels much more mainstream than is normally expected from Proyas, but it certainly does still provide much of his signature visual style. One area in particular that Proyas really nails is his use of sound and score to evoke exactly the feeling he wants as we follow John’s journey of discovery surrounding the numbers on the paper. A number of moments in ‘Knowing’ gave me the feeling I was watching a new, undiscovered Stanley Kubrick film because the play between the carefully crafted visuals and the powerfully and oddly appropriate music was so descriptively imaginative. You know, like in so many of Kubrick’s movie where no dialogue is spoken but so much is said? The structure of the story keeps us wondering what it’s all about, but it’s not so much of a mystery that we are unable to begin forming our own theories as to what’s happening. This is part of the fun in watching this movie.

The special effects are good, but not always “great” in that they have a slight CGI feel at times. However, the disaster scenes really pack a powerful punch as Proyas managed to really nail the intensity of the moments and we feel every bit of the horror and chaos invoked during these scenes. Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later) plays Diana Wayland, also a single parent and, while her and her daughter serve a vital role later in the story, the movie mostly revolves around the character of John Koestler. Which brings me to another important distinction. Nicolas Cage does a decent enough job, but he is as he always is and is to be expected… Nic plays Nic. Furthermore, none of the performances truly stand out or “pop” but ‘Knowing’ works because the story is so well told.

So, you may be asking what IS the story anyway? Well, I can’t tell you that. It would ruin the movie. Seriously, if I tell you anymore it would spoil the experience. What I will say is that ‘Knowing’ is a great science-fiction retelling of a very old story. That’s it! I’m not giving you anymore! My recommendation is to DEFINITELY see this movie, but go in with your mind as wind open as possible, leave your personal beliefs and philosophies at home and allow yourself to enter into an experience that is so rarely exemplary of what true science-fiction should evoke… thought.

‘Knowing’ [PG-13] opens today in theaters everywhere.

[Overall: 4 stars out of 5]