Sometimes not knowing is better...

Rating: 4/10 (21 March 2009)

Let me preface this by saying I am by no means panning this movie. The general premise was intriguing, the action and intensity for the first 3/4 of the film was terrific.
Nicholas Cage, who time and again has proved he has no range as an actor, once again plays a perfect role - a now alcoholic, cynical, one-dimensional widower with a precocious young son.
The unearthing of a 50-year old time capsule and subsequent discovery of a list of numbers inside that appear to have predicted every major disaster on earth for the past 50 years, combined with witnessing a disaster called for in the document, suddenly turns Cage's world upside down.
As he seeks answers to what's happening, the plot thickens, excitement ensues...until the sudden appearance of mysterious strangers who seem to have direct connection to what's happening. Unfortunately, the more they show about them, the more outlandish this supernatural subplot becomes.
By the last 20 minutes of the film, it appears the filmmakers had two stories in mind, neither of which was long or substantial enough to last two hours. So, they smashed both plots together to create the final product. Had I not seen the end of the movie, I think it would have been a better overall experience, regardless of not know how it all comes out.
The first 75% merits an 8, but the ridiculous ending is worthy of perhaps a 2 rating, thus reducing the overall movie.