Benjamin Gates In Knowing

Rating: 9/10 (8 April 2015)

First off, I just finished running on the treadmill while watching the movie National Treasure. National Treasure with Nicholas Cage is a fun movie to watch that I immediately remember including the characters, and it takes me back to when that movie was new in the years 2004 and 2005, which I seriously can't believe was a decade ago. Of course, I'm not here to talk about National Treasure, because this isn't the IMDb page for National Treasure, however while watching that movie I immediately thought about this movie. Let's think, what do these two movies have in common, that's right the main actor Nicholas Cage. He starred in this movie some years after National Treasure was made. While I believe Nicholas Cage is a big actor, I haven't seen him in that many films, and the movie I remember him the most from is National Treasure. Sometimes when you see an actor you recognize from a movie or TV show, while that actor plays a different character we almost feel like that character played by the actor in that movie, is the same character played by the same actor in a different movie, as if Benjamin Gates from National Treasure was John Koestler in Knowing. The characters seem to have some similarities and were possibly the right ones for the roles. For example, it seems like both characters in both movies they are very well educated men. In National Treasure, Cage's interest was more American History which made him believe in a hidden treasure. In this movie we see how his interest is more about "Determinism." That might not be the right word I forget what it's called, but the prediction of future events from past events and that each event happens in sequence from a prior cause leading to the next. Also, in similarity both characters come across a series of codes that only they seem to be the only ones to figure out what they mean and try to go after where the code leads to.
Among the differences between John Koestler and Benjamin Gates. Benjamin Gates in National Treasure seems to be a single 40-year old man hanging out with his nerdy friend Riley, and we later see his love interest Abigail. In this movie, John Koestler is a single father a widower. He lives alone with his 9-year old son Caleb Koestler and frequently acts depressed. So, seeing John Koestler as a father of a kid and as a widower gives different meaning to his character that wasn't in either National Treasure. The kids in this movie also give a certain scary mood from the movie seeing how the horror is coming from the few main kids in the cast POV.
This movie isn't quite like National Treasure in terms of action, fun, and adventure. This movie is more of a creepy scary movie and possibly even horror movie. Not really really like horror movie, but around as scary as movies like Jurassic Park which if you can handle, you should handle this. Also, how kids are the main characters in this movie when National Treasure doesn't really have kids as a main cast. National Treasure mostly has grown ups on a big adventure. Seeing how kids are among the cast gives more meaning to this movie. It also does not seem quite as cheesy as National Treasure, as National Treasure can at times be cheesy. The first two that came out seemed to have the same mood. This movie has a darker mood which if you like horror movies, you should enjoy this. The intensity of the scenes should get to you, as a lot of scenes just have a really dark tone to them. But, in all while this isn't a fun adventure movie to watch like National Treasure, it's a fun horror movie to watch that will keep you watching, wondering what will happen next. I give it a 9/10.