Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Knowing (2009)

Director: Alex Proyas

Time Out rating

Average user rating

211 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Alex Proyas’s derivative sci-fi movie is a close encounter of the nerd kind, mixing Spielbergian child-like wonder, disaster movie spectacle and the cod-religious silliness of M Night Shyamalan’s ‘Signs’. The premise is compelling, but the execution is over-cooked.

A string of numbers scribbled by an obsessive schoolgirl back in 1959 is given to the son of MIT astrophysicist Nicolas Cage, when a time capsule buried fifty years before is disinterred. Although Cage’s father is a pastor, since the death of his wife he has believed that life is just a random string of accidents. Then he finds patterns in the numbers that seem to correspond to the dates of disasters, and starts to wonder if our fates really are predetermined.

Unfortunately, consideration of these weighty issues soon gives way to what feels like an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ on steroids. There is hard scientific talk about unusual solar flare activity, and intimations of a global ecological disaster. But then the pale-faced ‘Whispering People’ start handing out smooth black stones, and rationality gives way to portentous religious talk about God’s prophet Ezekiel. By the time single mother Rose Byrne, daughter of the now-dead 50s schoolgirl, takes Cage and his young son to the crazy lady’s abandoned mobile home in the woods, it’s easy to predict where this is headed.

The apocalyptic images are impressive, but what do they all add up to? You may end up asking yourself, in the spirit of Erich Von Däniken, ‘Was God An Astronaut?”

Author: Nigel Floyd

Time Out London Issue 2015, Apr 2-8 2009

Email Tweet Share

User reviews of this film

Terry D. said...

Posted on Jun 15 2011 19:03 This movie makes you think. As for the movie maker's depiction of Ezekiel's Biblical vision, very good rendering. The scenes that include stones build up toward the final close encounter to where they are everywhere beneath Cage's feet taking on a behavior of their own were also significant in the Bible " and the rocks will cry out " I enjoyed the film, the plot heads in the right direction. From begining to end the movie was brilliant, borrowing biblical inclusions muled the movie story line forward and had me captivated to think " what if "

Report as inappropriate
Crissyman said...

Posted on May 11 2011 11:52 Personally, i thought the film was a triumph. Im in a media studies lesson at school studying this film. Reading some of these comments upsets me slightly. i thought the plot was original and i love anything to do with Exogenesis and "new beginnings" This film clearly gives that idea out. Agreeeably, Cage's acting skills do slightly falter on occasion but i think thats the same with many of his films, especially World Trade Centre. This is why i had deducted a star. If it wasnt for Cage, the folm would recieve 5 stars.

Report as inappropriate
Claresy said...

Posted on Jan 18 2011 13:43 I'm watching it again now for the probably 20th time. I actually really like this film, you don't have to be religious to like or understand it, the plane and train crashes are spectacular however I don't think it would happen like that but still the scenes are impressive, I always laugh at the plane crash because Mt Cage is screaming at a bloke who was just in the plane crash and on fire which might hurt a bit and he is screaming at him to do what I don't know, it is a really curiouse part. But anyway loved it.

Report as inappropriate
Robert said...

Posted on Nov 29 2010 22:10 This is a truly great movie. The whole story is very good and is gripping and is a bit mysterious. The ending is emotional, for a moment I tought that they were the 4 riders of the apocalypse, but then I saw those other "flying ships". Great movie!

Report as inappropriate
Sandi45 said...

Posted on May 30 2010 20:36 Just watched the rented DVD. The film was disappointing. It didn't live up to the expectations after watching the trailer. The storyline started well with predicting incidents but the ending was rubbish. Even Nicholas Cage couldn't save the film (and he is a good actor)

Report as inappropriate
Lee said...

Posted on May 11 2010 09:41 Without a shadow of a doubt this was the worst film I have had the misfortune to sit down and watch.
Complete nonsense from start to finish. Its like someone had an idea for a movie but without any idea of where or how to end it so fell back on the old Alien Cliche. And why were the aliens modelled on Rydian from X Factor, Pointless American Drivel. I'd guess there was some originality in the script. The hero didn't end up saving the world from solar destruction. Instead the Rydian Aliens saved a few kids and dumped them on a new planet full of cornfields. You'd have thought that after that all that time looking after the kids and then saving them from certain death the least they could have done was to give them a house to live in.

Report as inappropriate
Hawklord67 said...

Posted on Feb 28 2010 19:59 I personally think the film was really good apart from some low quality acting from cage and his new girl friend. People seem to be missing the point and take the film too seriously, Afterall it is only a fictional film and nothing more. This film makes people come to their own conclusions and I had my own, as did my wife. Whether your a Christian or not it has to make you wonder what life is all about! Doesn't it?

Report as inappropriate
frank burns said...

Posted on Feb 07 2010 01:17 The first 40 minutes or so make it seem like it is going somewhere, then it just devolves into Christian propaganda about the apocalypse, the story of Eden, and "purpose due to determinism" (wherever purpose you can find there!) The writers begin with a plot that seems like it is going somewhere, then it gets really confusing, and finally it gets solved by "aliens ex machina". Save your bucks.

Report as inappropriate
Charlie said...

Posted on Dec 25 2009 00:17 Interesting comments above.
For me the story line reminded me of an Arthur C Clarke story - 'Childhood's End' - where mysterious characters with angelic and demonic 'traits' 'watched over' telepathic children who at the end of the film, left their parents and 'evolved' into something else and then left the Earth just as it was being destroyed on their way to a new beginning.
There really is nothing new under the sun...

Report as inappropriate
Bazza said...

Posted on Dec 23 2009 17:25 Probably a bit too overrated, although some good ideas and a fantastic ending. Typical of most people to want a happy ending where everything is great! Dissapointing to see that most people didn't have the concentration span to spot multiple UFO's arriving on the new planet. Good religious conotations, e.g Noah's Ark and Adam and Eve although slightly ridiculous frequency of distasters and links to the main characters. One to watch for the ending alone.

Report as inappropriate
Big Al said...

Posted on Nov 24 2009 09:50 Only in America, what a load of codswallop. The storyline was predictable and weak, full of quasi religious undertones (and overtones) the acting was putrid. This movie was totally unconvincing from start to finish. As you would expect the special effects were brilliant, but who would watch a film just for special effects?. This is a film made by the stupid for the stupid.
Do yourself a favour and save your money.

Report as inappropriate
callum said...

Posted on Sep 30 2009 16:36 for the first hour or so i was absoloutely gripped to this film. the intricate story line, mixed with the dark and almost gothic style that brought a new side to the usual 'sci-fi' style. however, the ending was a complete joke. i understand some people saying they enjoyed it - and thats fair enough, but for the writers to dump the whole story line and go: "brilliant. aliens explain evertything" was the complete kop out in my view. it was SUCH a dissapointment.

Report as inappropriate
WordoftheGun said...

Posted on Aug 27 2009 12:52 Spoiler Alert***
I would like to say this movie did hit up in my top 10 (end of the world) type of movies. And for the idiots who didn't understand this movie here's the simple breakdown of the key parts people didn't quite understand or just didn't watch mainly the ending part there wasn't only 2 kids there was multiple ships, because you cant just breed 2 kids and not have inbreeding so they had to get more kids. They took them young due to start over fresh without all the bs the world was in today Just basically wing-it from the start. Just like Adam and Eve. This movie was like a Noah's ark story with a more believable story than the bible. I didn't say I don't believe there's a god just I there is something greater just everyone has there own depiction. I guess people just want to see a face and make money off donations. Anyways this movie is a must see on a suspense scale from 1 - 10 I'd say it's about a 7. As of the story/plot it's about a 9 ( the CGI couldve been a little better at the very end made me thought they were in toonworld lol)

Report as inappropriate
TezzaM said...

Posted on Aug 11 2009 15:57 What a load of typical American dross, the film was way too dark in parts and as for Nicolas Cage, well he mumbled only slightly less than Christian Bale in Terminator Salvation.

Report as inappropriate
123amy said...

Posted on Aug 08 2009 17:28 The film was fab!!!! The plane crash is the most amazing part in the film. i wasn't able to close my mouth. i had to go back and watch it again it was spectaculer plus the train crash AWSOME!!!! The strange people in the darkness also known as the whisper people in the film really do create the suspense. The begining was very interesting...and once you see the numbers you feel so into the film. All of it is absoloutly outstanding, untill you come to the point when you find out that they are aliens, well that is ok but the ending was terriable and really dissapointing. I was really looking forward to the ending because everything else had been just great. These aliens seemed to be so advanced with there technology, why could they save everybody on earth or stop the sun's flare from destroying the earth? just because these kids can hear some voices in their heads. And seeing them not leting the dad go with him was really upsetting. The ending could of been alright but they just had to put an adam and eve shot in the end. WHY?WHY?WHY? it totally killed the ending.

Report as inappropriate