A great idea with a very disappointing ending

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2009)

This movie grabbed me from the very start and held my interest until almost the very end. The mixture of psychic abilities, religious undertones and scientific theories was engrossing.
Without giving away any spoilers, the movie revolves around a series of seemingly random numbers written 50 years ago by a shy, obviously disturbed schoolgirl. The paper is locked in a time capsule to be opened in 2009. Deciphering the meaning of those numbers takes MIT professor Koestler and his young son on an incredible journey.
Don't let the few reviewers on here warning you about some sort of fundamentalist Christian agenda put you off. While I kept getting certain vague biblical references throughout the second half of the movie, there is NOTHING fundamentally Christian about the ending. In fact, I would say that it is rather anti-Christian.
The ending was a total and complete disappointment for me. I was expecting so much more after almost two hours of wondering what the real meaning of those numbers was. The movie got everything right except the end. It was just too easy and too simplistic.
Despite the letdown at the end, I would still recommend this movie. The plot is based on a great idea, the special effects are awesome and I certainly didn't feel like I wasted 2 hours of my life. As a bonus, it sparked an interesting discussion about science and religion between my 14 year old daughter and myself.