Best Nic Cage movie I've seen in a long time

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2010)

I went to see the Knowing expecting a cross between the X-Files and Ghost Rider. I left feeling drained. The movie starts off with a satellite photo slowly zooming in on the house where John Koestler, a depressed teacher at MIT is cooking hot dogs for his son. Even from the beginning, the movie grips you and doesn't let go. Even though the film was shot in Australia, it captures the tension and excitement of major cities like Boston and New York perfectly. Nic Cage gives one of the best performances of his career as we watch him slowly degenerate after he discovers a code that eventually leads him to believe he knows that the world is about to end in several days. My only complaint is the ridiculous albino aliens and that entire subplot that was almost completely unnecessary to the story. They ceased to be interesting as soon as they are shown to be supernatural. I've read several reviews that criticize the end scene. Personally, I thought this was the best part of the movie. As soon as it's revealed that the world really is going to be destroyed in the solar flare, I knew that all of the characters, at least the adults, were going to die but it didn't spoil the movie for me. The part when they're frantically packing and heading out of town was extremely suspenseful and including the Emergency Broadcast added to the realism of the movie. I thought the end was nicely tied together with Nic Cage returning home to his parents and sister amid violence and rioting and embracing them as the flares hit. The final scene where the cameras pull back to show a burning earth from outer space tied the beginning with the end very nicely. This movie isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed it, mostly because it raises important questions about our own mortality.,