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Knowing Movie Review

Knowing is a 2009 science fiction disaster film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. It’s a very underrated movie.

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“I think shit just happens. But that’s me“

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A teacher chances upon an encrypted code in a time capsule that makes him believe he can alter the chain of events that are about to unfold. I know that to many the storyline here seemed silly, and yes it is ridiculous at times, but overall I really liked it. The movie is so thrilling above all else and so dismal and hopeless in its destructive nature that it ranks among the better disaster movies that I have seen in a genre that is usually horrendous.

Clearly, the film is silly when you take into account the validity of its science fiction elements. Not only the solar flares are implausible as the scientists have stated, but also the extraterrestrial angels of sorts felt overly mystical. Still, to the movie’s defense, that element made it suitable for any kind of interpretation, religious or atheist, thus making it very intriguing and powerful.

The second act of the film is clearly its weakest point with typical disaster tropes and an over-reliance on action and spectacle. However, the first act was an excellent build-up that was immensely intriguing to me and quite suspenseful while the ending is truly something else. It was so unexpectedly dark, brutal and dismal that it really elevated the entire movie to greater heights. I know that it might be polarizing to some, but I truly respected its insane darkness.

Knowing solidly develops its characters, but not greatly. Nicolas Cage is overly hopeless as a protagonist, though still this is far from his usual over-the-top and campy roles. He at least was a serious professor here, which made his acting much more palatable. Rose Byrne is per usual very good and I liked her here, but the kids were uninteresting, though Lucinda was clearly highly memorable.

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The movie’s VFX weren’t all that great to be honest with the exception of the aliens who look great and very cool. The film’s score and sound are very good, but the cinematography and the overall imagery are only medium. Overall, even though it has its character backstories, it should have been more emotionally investing given its epic nature.

Guilty pleasure or not, I like Knowing quite a bit despite all the bad reviews. The second act was typical in its disaster tropes and the movie can be quite silly in its SF elements, but there is no denying the powerful parts that are the intrigue of the first act and the unexpected darkness of its batshit insane ending. It’s a highly entertaining, mystical and very suspenseful SF disaster flick that works more often than not.

My Rating – 3.5