tense and perverse

Rating: 4/10 (1 May 2009)

'Knowing', as a tense action film works to some extent. The scenes of destruction are the most impressive iv seen, yet there is something rather perverse and pointless about the whole thing. The development of the mystery that fuels 'Knowing's' narrative is pleasingly ridiculous at the best of times, but as usual with a lot of recent American action films, the plot takes itself far too seriously, becoming at times unbearably tense, whilst at the same time (paradoxically) rather uninteresting.
The more problematic, or in fact worrying, element of this film seems to be its most outstanding contribution. The action scenes - the scenes of disaster - are incredibly real and intense. (Me and a friend watched this, and despite our cynicism we were both undeniably affected to a great extent by these scenes - for an American i imagine the imagery is far more affecting.) The problem with these scenes is that as a whole they seem to mean nothing - they lead our protagonist simply through an orgy of destruction that - in opposition to the action genre's tendency to depict such destruction - is neither enjoyable nor cathartic.
This film, despite creating some brutally real scenes (which is undeniably quite an achievement), seems to have no purpose. The carnage that ensues can, at best, be seen as CGI at its most powerful; however it often seems as if there is a kind of perverse enjoyment/paranoia in watching many people die in very real yet spectacular ways that this film apparently panders to. Along with this the tense mystery that keeps the plot going slowly comes apart and by the end of the film, the plot's conclusion, despite its grandeur, is rather unrewarding. Ultimately this film - along with much of the apocalyptic genre that is slowly emerging from the American disaster and science fiction genres - is unrewarding and at times slightly worrying.