Knowing--one of the best sci-fi films ever.

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2009)

I'm a die-hard fan of GOOD science-fiction, which means I'm extremely critical of sci-fi movies. Too often, you could say nearly always, the studios sacrifice character development and meaning for explosions and effects; if it's good enough for teen-age boys to say "cool," it's good enough for a studio exec to greenlight.
Knowing isn't like that. Rather, it gives you characters you can care deeply about, and questions that you will either chew on or which will chew their way in the back of your own mind if it's the slightest bit open.
Nick Cage portrays a lonely and cynical astronomer who discovers a 50-year-old sheet of paper, filled with numbers, the apparent meaning of which begins to tear his world apart.
You already know that they relate to disasters and possibly the ultimate disaster. But you won't know that this is apocalyptic science-fiction with a mind and a soul. The performances are wonderful, the effects breathtaking, the story compelling. As events unfold, we'll certainly encounter disasters, horror, and suspense, but also love and hope.
Knowing is the movie that last year's "The Day The Earth Stood Still" should've been, but wasn't. It's also the movie that "Signs" should've been, but wasn't, or that "The Last Mimsy" should've been, but wasn't. It ranks up there with la creme de la creme of the genre: E.T, The Matrix, Donnie Darko.
The mingling of science with the supernatural seems to have set the critics in tizzy. Ignore them. They were wrong about Peaceful Warrior, and they are wrong about Knowing. This is not a movie for cynics or critics. Knowing is for people who can suspend disbelief for a couple of hours, and it is well worth that small effort. Not knowing is the gateway to Knowing.
See it, experience it, enjoy it.