Not worth ‘Knowing’
Starring: Nicolas Cage
Directed by: Alex Proyas
D
Nicolas Cage always has the answers, whether he’s given a treasure map or a page full of numbers, as is the case in his latest movie, ‘Knowing.’
Cage automatically figures out how to split a seemingly random list of numbers into dates. The realization comes to him quickly, which makes his look superhuman, but Cage is not the alien in this movie. He is, however, a scientist with the exact connections and knowledge needed to solve the mystery of the terrible list of numbers, which by fate falls into his hands.
Come on now, no one is that that lucky.
To be fair, ‘Knowing’ starts off as a thrilling and slightly disturbing mystery. A class of children draws what they think the future will look like, and one girl writes a list of numbers rather than a picture. The predictions are then buried away and forgotten for 50 years.
When the time capsule is finally reopened on the school’s 50th anniversary, the girl’s message is given to Caleb Koestler (Chandler Canterbury). His father, John Koestler, (Cage) gets his hands on the list, and everything starts to make sense.
As the movie goes on – and gets worse – all the children’s original picture predictions, even the ones with stupid drawings of spaceships and aliens, come true. However, this hilarious, ironic point is not even brought up in the movie.
There are actually a couple of things left unsaid in the movie, and most of the acting falls short. Cage’s fathering is consistently awkward, and the children’s emotions are almost non-existent, even toward the end of the movie when the whole world begins to fall apart. If someone knew the world was going to end and aliens were talking inside of people’s head, he or she might at least freak out just a little bit, right?
However, there were two noteworthy acting moments. One was by Lara Robinson as Lucinda, the possessed girl who wrote the list of numbers. Sitting in a classroom full of other children, Robinson truly stood out. It is also quite impressive that Robinson, who is only 10, is able to play two polar opposite characters – Lucinda Embry, the creepy and possessed catalyst of the movie, and Abby Wayland, Embry’s sweet and sensitive granddaughter.
The other great scene was with Rose Byrne, who plays Lucinda’s daughter, as she chases the car that kidnapped her character’s daughter. Her panic can be felt through the screen as she speeds through red lights, screaming for her child. But two scenes in an hour and 55 minutes don’t make the cut.
‘Knowing’s’ conclusion is especially strange: While the ending initially seems unexpected and surprising, it quickly devolves into a straightforward cliché. Considering the movie’s unique start, the script fell short at the end.
The best thing about this movie is that Cage has finally stopped chasing treasure, although he is now apparently in the business of chasing disaster instead. Not a smart move really, considering the disaster that he uncovers.
Oh, and did I mention his terrible hair?
Published on March 25, 2009 at 12:00 pm
