Film

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

Updates:

Knowing (2009)

Director: Alex Proyas

Time Out rating

Average user rating

200 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

Bookmark

User reviews of this film

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
KN said...

Posted on Aug 08 2009 12:15 It was not only two children taken away as some people here perceived. You see many lighting alien vehicles lifting up

Report as inappropriate
Bry said...

Posted on Aug 06 2009 01:09 Just watched this movie tonight and loved it! I did not expect the ending but it was a great twist, if Nick had gone with Caleb then that would have made for a boring end but when he was saying goodbye it was so sad and made for such a good film, everyone in my family agreed that it was the best movie we had seen in a long time. I don't understand why people think the ending was bad as i think if it had been how people wanted it too be then it would have been extremely boring and not emotional at all, i loved everything about the film. Absoloutely amazing.

Report as inappropriate
Davidos said...

Posted on Jul 30 2009 19:34 Bought Time Out yesterday, read the review for this one, thought might be worth a watch, went to the video shop and got it... really not too bad until about 3/4 way through but you really should have prepared me for the fact that this is clearly a Scientology propaganda film... drivel by the time it gets to the end... to those who wonder about the "amazing" combination of science, religion and action, get yourselves down to the local Scientology meeting, you've found your calling.

Report as inappropriate
MisterHyde said...

Posted on Jul 26 2009 10:31 **Spoiler Content Ahead - Expect Delays**
My favorite part was the plane crash, although being as it may, it portrayed my absolute greatest fear. Aye, the fear of witnessing twisted metal spiraling into its impending doom and exploding into a burst of flame is very lovely thing to witness. But I'm very glad they did in such a way that I was glad to be tormented whilst they destroyed the aircraft.
Anyway, as comments said before me, they have noted that 'Knowing' had patterns derived from other movies with end of the world plots and aliens. To be honest, however, what these past movies had captured before was what set them apart from others and thus made them into such classics. I found that this movie, shall I say, over emulated these other movies and interwove way too many common themes? Since I do enjoy developing stories and creating original ideas, I found that they butchered themselves in the writing department with an overflow of cliché ideas. So, my point being, it needed to be more original.
The most magical moment was the ending. With the easily noted CGI effects and the children giggling in the wheat fields of some planet in the far end of the universe, how could anyone decline its presence on film? *cough*
But besides what I thought was terrible, my surprisingly distant related cousin, Nicholas Cage, did a rather good job acting and I did enjoy many elements that occurred during the movie. So, it wasn't all bad.
By the way, can someone get me the dentist of that alien that blinded Nicholas Cage? Look at them pearly whites!

Report as inappropriate
nick said...

Posted on Jul 25 2009 06:07 This movie was ridiculous! i just went to all that suspense for aliens to be the answer to all the numbers1111 that is bull crap!!!! im so frusturated right now! i cant beleiv this crap! that was a waste of life!!!! why! why! why!

Report as inappropriate
Sam said...

Posted on Jul 13 2009 20:00 I am extremely disappointed with many comments about this film: particularly those people opposed to what they perceive as a religious angle. Knowing follows in a ling line of excellent science fiction film dealing with "end of the world" scenarios. Inevitibly these types of fims (at least the best of them) address metaphysical or spiritual issues (we are speaking here about the demise of humanity, after all). This film leaves enough to the imagination for the viewer to apply his or her own beliefs to the ending. Religion is at least partly a cultural phenomenon. Whether a Buddhist, Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc., I believe all religions have the common thread of attempting to understand what lies beyond this life and dealing with realities outside our own. To me, science describes the mechanizs of how the Universe works. Religion approaches the "why" of the universe. They are truly different sides of the same coin. I believe this film joins the spiritual with the scientific very well. That is what attracted me to the film. I think that many people were put off because such a film provides a modern context within which give the tales in scripture believability to people living in a modern environment. People ambivalent about religion are uncomfortable about this. That is too bad because they are missing much. A scientific life without spiritualism is quite empty. Ask a believer like Einstein. he would attest to this.

Report as inappropriate
Gary Ridenour said...

Posted on Jul 13 2009 06:42 This movie made my clothes smell! If the aliens were so powerful to see into the future and travel between galaxies, then why didn't they just shield the Earth or turn off the flare.If they cared so much about life, why did they let six billion people fry to save two kids. Who do the kids' kids procreate with? No wonder it is out in DVD already!

Report as inappropriate
Jason said...

Posted on Jul 12 2009 17:38 Ninja,
Just because the ending was hopelessly simple doesn't make it a "good ending". Just because a 14 year old can understand it doesn't make it a good ending either.

Report as inappropriate
Jason said...

Posted on Jul 12 2009 17:34 Ruth,
That was a horrible depiction of a skeptic/atheist. If you want to see a good depiction of an atheist/skeptic on film, see "Contact". This was nothing more than an uninformed attempt to legitimize the Biblical notion of prophets and the creation according to Genesis. Extremely strong Christian overtones, making Charlie Brown look like a Black Sabbath concert. "Hearing the call" from voices in your head is just crazy enough to appeal to the wildest fundamentalist lunatics who still see movies.

Report as inappropriate
snake said...

Posted on Jul 11 2009 10:06 I thought this movie was unique although the ending was not so great thats was the only thing i did not like about this movie.
but nicklas cage did a fantastic job on the charter he played.
so i give this movie must see

Report as inappropriate
Ninja said...

Posted on Jul 11 2009 05:40 Okay, well I've read some of these comments and I have to say, some of you are idiots. Those of you who say the movie's ending was terrible and didn't make sense I would like to let you know, if you possessed a brain you'd realize that the ending was beautiful for the way the director melded religion, science, and spiritual beliefs in one movie. I would like to take into consideration that there are many not-so-intelligent people in this world, but even with that said, the movie was spectacular visually and mentally. Not a big fan of Nicholas Cage, but I have to give it to the man, much better than Mark Walberg in "The Happening". And for those of you who still disagree with the opinion that the ending of the movie was brilliant, i would like to tell you one thing. I am 14 years old and I could figure out the plot and understand the ending.

Report as inappropriate