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Knowing (2009)

Director: Alex Proyas

Time Out rating

Average user rating

184 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 2009-03-25 10:21:47

Time Out London Issue 2015, Apr 2-8 2009

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User reviews of this film

Ruth said...

Posted on Jul 02 2009 15:57 My thoughts exactly Jon when I read the "sponsored by creationists" comment. Made no sense. However, I have to disagree with your comments on Nicolas Cage's acting. Wonderful actors have trademark expressions. Did Gregory Peck or Cary Grant use the same quirks and expressions as they depicted a character? Yes - - and if you know the actor it can take away some of the "suspension of disbelief" for some people. However, if a person is drawn to the charisma of the actor, the film is enhanced by that actor. So there - putting my 2 cents in. (love ya Nicolas!) Besides that one disagreement Jon, thanks for your comments on this film - I have to agree with a lot of them!! I love the "angels are alien beings" theme in the movie.

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Jon said...

Posted on Jul 02 2009 08:00 Ok this is at Ir.
I was lulzing all over the ground when I read your horrible excuse of a comment. Was this movie sponsored by creationist...WKAJLSJDF?!?! If creationist were asked this they would shat bricks. You are saying that a film depicting ALIENS virtually creating Earth instead of God was sponsored by creationist. Your logic is bullet-proof. I do agree with Nich's acting, his look doesn't change much from movie to movie and it gets old pretty quick.

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Jon said...

Posted on Jul 02 2009 07:53 I don't realize the stupidity of people untill situations like these bring it out in the open. WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING IN AN APOCALYPTIC MOVIE? I found it hilarious how many people were either confused or found the ending to be terrible. My favorite quote from this comment page is "When the plot was discovered the entire cinema groaned." First off, WOW. If you couldn't figure out the plot of this story within the first 10 seconds of the freakin trailer you must be either mentally challenged or have failed the 1st grade.
Look. The old woman, the 'prophet', was predicting events that would happen, were people really expecting the entire chain of events to break off for one point and have Nich pull something out of his arse and save the world? The aliens, I found that they tied the alien and bible references together masterfully, most directors may shy away from producing such a theory in a film.
Acting wise, I believe Nich did a fine normal job for him, not always my favorite actor but I usually enjoy the movies he is in. Im not really sure the name of the 'prophet's' daughter but I found myself nearly screaming at my screen because of how many hollywood mistakes she made in the movie. Basically like when you are watching a horror movie where the victims walk around in complete darkness with no freakin defense. I actually laughed so hard when she died and I was overjoyed.
I have seen a lot of hate comments about how the ending was bad, I challenge anyone to come up with a better ending. Have everyone just die, including the kids?...No because that would defeat the purpose of even having the numbers. There is no better way I would have ended the movie. Judging by the grammar and the shortness of most people's comments on the end they are probably ignorant to all of the biblical references present.
The one and only problem I had with the ending was the fact that it really didn't matter that Nich figured out the coords because he wasn't getting taken anyway. The aliens kidnapped the children without Nich even being there, I found that to be a type of gap in the plot.
All in all I enjoyed the film and found many clever references with a neat storyline. Amazing special effects and a GOOD ENDING. :)

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Nicholas Cage said...

Posted on Jun 25 2009 04:59 for those saying the story was rubbish, they didn't call it a sci-fi movie (based off a sci-fi book) for nothing. it's just a movie - can't expect everything you see in a movie to be real can you?? The special effects were great and there was quite a bit of reference to religion. At the very end, it shows references to the very first chapter in Genesis (from the Bible).

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Ruth said...

Posted on May 23 2009 05:26 Steven - you are right on about the religious aspects of this movie. And thank you for noting the aliens had angel wings. But then, some thought this movie was too religious. Nicholas Cage's character represented the skeptical atheist in the beginning quite well I thought. Go Figure!! I loved this movie!!

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Ruth said...

Posted on May 23 2009 05:19 I loved this movie too and completely agree with Andrew and Informer's reviews. I also wondered what movie were the people watching to those who didn't like it. From their comments, it is obvious they dIdn't predict the whisperers being aliens ( obvious) or understand the that solar flares can anielate a planet, and the Adam & Eve reference at the end. The fleeting Ezekial reference is a reference to how Ezekial in the bible is taken by God without dying by going up in the sky. Some people think is could have been aliens even back then. Definitely a GREAT Sci Fi with GREAT disaster effects and yes, it helps if you already understand that solar flares could indeed end life as we know it (not to mention interfere with satellite communication devices - - already happening) AND I LOVE everything Nicolas Cage is in, so of course that was a bonus for me.

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simon said...

Posted on May 21 2009 07:16 very disappointed! good effects in the disaster scenes but overall it was boring!

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Pri said...

Posted on May 15 2009 11:09 Okay, so I thought that the trailer looked damn good, but what they dont mention in the trailer, is the ending. (which is clearly where the whole movie unraveled, in story line, and CGI). This movie was terrible! It had a good 1st half, but the story started out semi-realistic, and then ended up being about aliens!!! So what if its sci-fi! I wouldn't have bothered watching it if I knew it was a mix of better sci-fi's. All in all, not a great movie, and was not worth the time or effort.

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Ir said...

Posted on May 05 2009 00:28 The question that really tortures me after this movie: was it sponsored by the creationists? And this overwrites it all: clichéd dialogues, clichéd scenes, a too old, too worn out Nicolas Cage with his too unconvincing over-dramatic stray puppy look (maybe if we hadn’t seen it in the every other movie he has ever made?) Yes, in the end as the world was burning down alive (oops, am I not supposed to give away this part of an apocalyptic film?) I couldn’t help laughing. Ridiculous. Waste of time. That’s my verdict.

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Hannah said...

Posted on May 04 2009 19:53 I loved this movie. Saw it and couldn't stop thinking about it. I ws full on but the plane and train had to be the best bits to me. Didn't understand the ending and was stupid but a great movie all round!!

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Xander said...

Posted on May 04 2009 02:07 WHAT A MOVIE! Ok, this film is designed to make you think. A "what if it COULD happen?" scenario. The film is tailored for those of us out there with an open mind to possible scenario's. Yes, it did go into some "science jargon" as someone previously wrote, but they failed to mention that the "jargon" actually made sense and applied to the movie. Film lovers out there with a brain, I 100% reccommend this movie. It's based on science fact mixed with hollywood glam. "the aliens" pat of the film. And the "religious" side others have referred to is a nice twist. And really, it only refers to this at the end - which by the way was spectacular. It's nice to see hollywood churn out a film thats different from the rest. In the real world, The family doesn't go home all singing and dancing to a "well done, you saved the world" ending. This film is one for the DVD collection. Outstanding.

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abid said...

Posted on May 03 2009 22:28 best movie ever seen

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wolverine said...

Posted on May 03 2009 15:07 The plot toward the end did not make much sense to me. However, I do like the not-so-typical-Nick-save-the-world ending. It is still a bit corny but I do like the surpise ending.

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marie said...

Posted on Apr 27 2009 16:11 there is action but the story is rubbish especially the end...

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devo said...

Posted on Apr 27 2009 16:00 Good premise starting out but then went off the rails. Cage's acting is getting boring. Like Costner stealing Little Big Man for Dancing with Wolves this ended up to be a rip of Close Encounters of a Third Kind. It actually looked like somebody lost the final part of the script on their way to work.

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