The disaster movie we have been waiting for!

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2009)

Knowing is a movie about a professor, John Koestler, trying to find out the truth and preventing the grim future from happening that a sheet of numbers has predicted. How many ways can Nic Cage screw this up? Many. But here he has proved otherwise.
ACTING: Nicolas Cage is fantastic in this film. I'm so glad that the wooden delivery of lines from him as the Ghost Rider has gone. Here, he clearly shows every aspect of a troubled individual: the limited happiness, the grief at the loss of his wife and the intensity as he tries to discover what the numbers are telling him. Rose Byrne does not do much here, I was anticipate for more from her but that aside, she works. I love it how she really shows uneasiness mix with confusion only by her eyes and her display of near-nausea. Chandler Canterbury again proves that child actors are sometimes even better than the older ones!. Deeply disappointed at his father's dullness after the death of his mom, absolutely rebellious when his father (typically) hides the truth from him or being very desperate when a choice of his cannot be made at a key moment in the movie. Sounds like a lot of emotions for one person to show, but Chandler, as Caleb, does it all. Overall, Knowing has assembled a wonderful cast.
DIRECTION: I can't say a lot about Alex Proyas as I don't follow him back to the days of The Crow or Dark City. The only movie of him I last watched was I, Robot - and that was reported terribly butchered by Fox Studio's genius Tom Rothman. However, seeing that his past movies have a cult following, I guess it is safe for me to say that he is good. He makes the audience aware that something threatening is afoot and creates a satisfying answer to the question that is at the top of viewers' heads. For example, in I, Robot, the culprit was within the company and the murderer of Dr. Lanning was right next to our main characters. Knowing does that again, with a satisfying cause as to why the alien wants to whisper into our characters' heads.
Alex Proyas has made Knowing perfect by injecting it with a bit of reality. Besides creating all those common feelings, moods and actions found in a family at loss, Mr. Proyas also shows our, usual, ignorance to our older generations in the family. With that, he has made Knowing a movie that is very human.
Now, I love silence because that is what (to me) makes a scene memorable and has a scarring effect. Mr. Proyas offers plenty of them here after a pivotal sequence in the movie and that just stops your breath (or opens your eyes...and mouths) as soon as it is over. As a result, Knowing offers a magical display of Hollywood cinema.
MUSIC: I absolutely love Marco Beltrami's score in I, Robot and I found it flawless in every way. Fast-paced, strong and epic - he offers what an action movie demands for its music. Knowing is on another area though and Mr. Beltrami again, operates things without using massive effort. From the intro, the man begins slow (with light brasses and sparse drumming) but effectively creates a stressful and tense atmosphere - just like what the viewers are about to see as the story unfolds. What is even more lovely is that there are no music during the disaster sequences and that brings forth the realism to Knowing. There are parts, however, where the music just falls apart. Especially when trumpets are used to emphasize the scale of one thing, they blare loudly and seem to make these moments hokey-pokey rather than eerie or suspenseful. 7 out of 10 for this. One suggestion for Mr. Beltrami: stay away from the brasses.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Everyone knows that I, Robot was a photography delight, offering viewers angles that are dynamic and unique. Simon Duggan's skills work again in this movie, albeit like a reviewer said along the lines of "more technical rather than artistic". This is true since Knowing uses the REDOne camera, which is the hot new technology for photographers right now. Of course, Mr. Duggan really shows the audience the power of the REDOne, with trailing shots that are long yet super smooth and skillful documentary-ish movements to reveal the camera's flexibility (the plane crash sequence comes to mind). A job well done, that is all I can say.
VISUAL EFFECTS: One word: unbelievable. Nothing looks fake in here and for every shot with CGI is a beautiful shot. The Earth at night when you first see it, the disaster sequences or even the big reveal - the effects crew has accomplished in making you wanting to cover your ears when that hulking plane arrives, close your eyes when the subway jumps the track and make you sweat at the intense heat of a forest fire on- screen. Effects effective?
In general, Knowing is one of those rare perfect films that Hollywood has produced recently, so I suggest everyone to get it while it is still hot. This is a movie where its job is not only to entertain, but to get you thinking about it later on. An awesome film of 2009.
P.S. Knowing provides me a reason to NOT study Maths in future.
From Vietnam, Denisvn93-1