Knowing was a box office flop and has a bad reputation, much like many of Nic Cage’s recent movies. Unlike his other recent movies though, Knowing isn’t deserving of its poor word of mouth. Knowing was ignored upon release and despite a few very good reviews (Roger Ebert loved it), it barely made a dent at the box office, and most of the reviews were negative. Knowing is a wildly entertaining sci fi flick with shades of X-Files and War of the Worlds. The effects are top-notch and there are a few truly harrowing scenes of disaster, directed with great intensity by director Alex Proyas. Proyas is talented and much like his movie Dark City, Knowing could be a cult item for years to come.

Nic Cage plays a college professor named John Koestler who becomes obsessed with deciphering a coded message that seemingly predicts major disasters throughout history. Cage races against time along with his son and a woman and her daughter to find their connection to the mysterious numbers and prevent the ultimate disaster, the end of the world. Cage is fairly restrained here and Proyas does a terrific job with the pacing and effects. There are also a few creepy moments in the picture involving the creepy “whisper people” who plague John’s son. Well-dressed and silent, the audience isn’t immediately told their true origins or purpose. Knowing has a very good widescreen transfer and a few nifty extras for fans of the movie. There’s an informative commentary with director Alex Proyas, a decent making of featurette, and a really interesting featurette called “Visions of the Apocalypse”, which has a discussion with scholars about prophecies and uses some of the themes in the picture as its basis.

Unfairly maligned, Knowing is well worth checking out. Director Alex Proyas displays great visual style staging the effects sequences; a plane crash is especially amazing to watch. A thoughtful and occasionally exciting end of the world feature, Knowing is surprising and entertaining. The movie’s plot does get goofy at times, but viewers who appreciate an ambitious movie instead of just another sequel or lame remake should give Knowing a try.

DVD Grade: B+

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