An action-packed and thought-provoking film.

Rating: 4/10 (31 July 2010)

Before watching Knowing I thought it would be just another forgettable action-adventure. It turned out to be very intriguing though; a film with a mystery that I eagerly wanted to see solved. I'm not going to explain the mystery, but I will mention that it has both fantasy and science-fiction elements. Nicolas Cage plays the protagonist Professor Jonathan "John" Koestler. He's a depressed single parent who it seems lives from day to day, and mostly for his son. When he confronts the mystery he realizes that it goes against what he has come to believe. So he is determined to find out what is going on. Some of what follows may seem absurd but it's certainly entertaining. Simon Duggan's cinematography captures some beautiful scenery, especially Koestler's house and the woods surrounding it. The special effects aren't many but they look fine. Knowing is a science-fiction disaster film by director Alex Proyas. Proyas directed the impressive comic book adaptation The Crow in 1994. He also directed one of the best films of the 1990s: the 1998 science-fiction Dark City. Knowing, however, isn't a great film. What happens at the end may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's still one of the most entertaining and absorbing films I've seen lately. I recommend it.