Rather like watching an intricately arranged set of dominos starting to topple. That's neat. I didn't see that one coming, you think, as yet another train carriage joins the pile-up.
Knowing (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:160
Fresh:52
Rotten:108
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Knowing has some interesting ideas and a couple good scenes, but it's weighted down by its absurd plot and over-seriousness.
Australian Rating: TBC
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Australian Theatrical Release:
Mar 26, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $79,948,113
Synopsis:
Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming...
Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming true.
In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.
Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB KOESTLER. But it is Caleb’s father, professor JOHN KOESTLER (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document’s chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son. When John’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.
With the reluctant help of DIANA WAYLAND (Rose Byrne) and ABBY WAYLAND, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, John’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster—and the ultimate sacrifice.
--© Summit Entertainment
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Terry Camilleri
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Terry Camilleri
Director: Alex Proyas
Director: Alex Proyas
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Reviews for Knowing
The final message may be trite, even saccharine, but Knowing would be pretty well unbearable without it. Proyas has made a truly haunting and terrifying film.
The film's final third [is] a mélange of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Christian eschatology that will make you wish the film had ended 15 minutes sooner.
Despite burning his credibility card with a chorus line of cinematic crap, Cage seems to have (finally) picked decent material, and he turns in a solid performance here.
A few may find revelation in this awkward fusion of 'Left Behind' meets 'Close Encounters', but most will simply find grave disappointment
Alex Proyas has taken what began as a fairly basic sci-fi concept built on the idea of a 50 year time capsule, to heights of psychological and visceral bravado.
A solid escapist cinematic experience enhanced by its chilling symbolism, filled with tension and thrills, fabulous special effects and a monumentally big scale ending.
... starts off as director Alex Proyas's take on "Final Destination" before going all "Close Encounters" on us. If only we hadn't seen it all before.
Basically two movies wrestling around in a burlap bag full of rocks: one an ambitious, big-idea sci-fi yarn, the other a horror movie as dumb as ... well, that's where those rocks come in.
Pay attention to Mr. Proyas' lighting and set design as well as the intense disaster sequences that dot Knowing: As with the rest of his oeuvre, the movie looks great.
This year's prize for most ludicrous set-up and most ludicrous punchline
Knowing feels like a bunch of cool ideas that were strewn about a table, picked up, shoved together, tied up with duct tape and, somehow, managed to stay working for the ride.
Even with its intriguing, sci-fi-ish setup Knowing finds a way of consistently striking all the wrong notes.
Excessive finale aside, its novel concept makes for a mental and action package worth seeing.
Among the most troubling elements of 'Knowing' are its dark cinematography, outlandish plot, and a less-than-memorable performance by Nicolas Cage.
Sometimes it's nice when movies do things you never saw coming. Knowing is an exception.
Knowing that 'Knowing' is not worth your money is probably your best bet in movies to not pay for this weekend.
Some producers sat in a screening room and thought, "Wow, this is gonna be great!" I give the filmmakers kudos for fully committing to an ending that others might have tried to mitigate or avert. They also fully committed to the immensely stupid surprise
Latest News for Knowing
July 06, 2009:
RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
It's a genre lover's feast this week on DVD, but don't say we didn't warn you about those pesky rotten Tomatometers. First up? Alex Proyas's latest science fiction thriller,... More...
March 22, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Power Knowing To # 1
This weekend Moviegoers still love Nicolas Cage action flicks as the actor's latest film, the doomsday thriller Knowing, easily beat out two other new releases to capture the... More...
March 19, 2009:
Critics Consensus: I Love You, Man Is A Fine Bromance
This week at the movies, we've got a bromantic comedy (I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel), ominous numerology (Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne),... More...
March 19, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Cage, Roberts, and Rudd Battle For #1 Spot
Three new films roll into North American multiplexes and for the first time in ages, all three have a realistic chance of claiming the number one spot. Comedies have been... More...
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