Blend of formulas creates horrible creepy mess

Rating: 1/10 (31 March 2009)

A tragedy of 21st century lack of creativity. Knowing is about five different films cut and paste together awkwardly with a story-line so far-fetched that the only way to tie it together is to have weird alien things come down and sort everything out. There is the horror element: token small dark-haired pale girl predicting 'things', scratching warnings into walls in blood (The ring, Gothika, Silent Hill etc.). There is Nicholas Cage being a miserable git (nearly every Nicholas Cage film) with token single-fatherhood, wife dying young in freak accident (I am for one, glad that Nicholas Cage isn't my dad. Even if his broodiness is hard to take seriously). The only thing that sets this film apart from others is the absolutely unnecessarily horrific accident scenes: including a camera in the perspective of a train-driver, mid crash, with bodies spluttering against the windscreen and another scene with several people burning to death. The film is so grimy that these scenes seem nothing short of hilarious as it gives you the impression that director Alex Proyas is making a film that is depressing as hell for no real reason and that this is all a bit over the top. I would, however, advise that these scenes may a bit too much for children or stupid people. On that note, I classify this film unsuitable for anyone. For the few comedy moments there were, I still left feeling unhappy enough to write this.