Knowing that others, like me, adore Proyas and Cage, DO see this one but there are some flaws, definitely

Rating: 7/10 (30 March 2009)

John (Nicolas Cage) is an astro-physics professor at MIT. He is also a new widower, with a pre-teen son named Caleb. The two of them live in a lovely old home, in the Boston area, with a wooded area in back. One day, John goes to Caleb's school for a visit, for it is an important occasion in the establishment's history. Fifty years ago the students drew pictures of their predictions for future life and buried them in a time capsule on the school's grounds. Today is the day to dig up the object and view the contents. As each student is given a sealed envelope containing the picture of a former student, Caleb is shocked to discover that his package has no picture, only a bizarre string of numbers. After showing the sheet to his father, John is baffled, too, until he begins deciphering the codes. It seems that within the lines of digits, there are the dates of many natural disasters on earth, with an exact number of victims, including one for 911. As there are three strings of numbers which have not "occured" yet but which may be happening very soon, will John be able to prevent the next disaster? And, what about the girl who wrote this strange information on paper? Was she herself clairvoyant or was someone or something giving her the information? First, let me state that Proyas' Dark City is a monumentally great film, one for the ages, and that his The Crow and I, Robot are great films, too. However, this movie is not on their level, despite having a thought-provoking and complex plot and an art direction that is first-rate. Why is this so? Its hard to put it into words. First, the cast is fine, but is definitely not the reason to see the film. Cage starts off well, for he is a great actor, but there are times when his performance seems "forced". This fact alone hurts, as Cage is one of the finest actors of our time and my personal favorite. Rose Byrne and the lesser cast members do not enhance the film's value but don't detract from it either. The one bright cast member is the young boy playing Caleb, for he has an eerie, "otherworld" look that is spooky but he also is quite touching as the confused soul in a changing world. In his favor, Proyas has fashioned a beautiful looking film, with amazing sets, costumes, art direction and special effects. Scenes of a plane crash and of a subway derailment are spectacularly effective and the atmosphere of the film is downright scary, at times, due to Proyas carefully constructed camera angles and heart-thumping music choices. So, ultimately, the true problem of the film is not necessarily Proyas, but the story and script. It just doesn't "hang together", being one part mystery, one part science fiction, and one part family drama. Sad. Yet, for all of the criticism that the film will receive, it is still worth the viewing, for the ideas expressed are tantalizing and will make tongues wag for hours after a show. Therefore, if you love Proyas and Cage, like me, or science fiction in general, DON'T skip it. It may be flawed but its still an eye-popping film with plenty of stimulation for the mind and the heart.