Knowing (2009)

- 2 Eberts

Roger really, really liked this movie so I had been looking forward to seeing it. He said, "Among the best science fiction films I've seen -- frightening, suspenseful, intelligent, and, when it needs to be, rather awesome. Nicholas Cage plays an MIT astrophysicist whose son brings home a sheet of paper after a 50-year-old time capsule is opened at his grade school. The sheet is covered with numbers, which the scientist, despite all his training, becomes convinced mean something. Pluck this movie, and it vibrates." He gave it four stars.

I really liked the first half of the movie. There were many things in it that reminded me of director Alex Proyas's earlier movie, Dark City (1998), which was really good.

I thought the first half was really scary. The fear of the unknown really worked here. Once we saw the "whispering people" the movie kind of lost its way. It wasn't scary anymore and the suspense and mystery ended.

I have mixed feelings on the ending. Part of me liked the portrayal of the creationist view of the world but part of me thought it was just silly.

All I really "Know" is that this was not one of the "best science fiction" films I have seen, but it wasn't one of the worst either. Worth seeing if you like sci-fi.