Next

Plot synopsis:
Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) can see into his future. He can only see two minutes ahead, with the exception of a vision he once had of a woman walking into a diner. Knowing no details other than the time, he goes to the diner twice each day at 8:09 to await her arrival. He works as a small-time magician in Las Vegas, where he supplements his income with gambling, using his powers to win against the house.
Cris draws the attention of FBI agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore), who has figured out his ability and wants to stop terrorists from detonating a nuclear weapon. Before she can approach Cris, his gambling draws the attention of casino security. He stops an imminent robbery, yet is chased by security agents. Using his ability to forecast the actions of his pursuers, he eludes them and the Las Vegas police. Ferris tracks Cris to his home, but he escapes after foreseeing her arrival. Later that night, the casino's security chief is approached by two of the terrorists, is interrogated about Johnson and is then killed.
The following morning, Cris is at the diner again when he sees Liz Cooper (Jessica Biel), the woman from his vision. It turns out that not only can Cris see the future, but he can also see how his actions can affect that future. After envisioning different approaches—all of which fall flat—he intervenes when Liz's ex-boyfriend arrives. Knowing that she is heading for Flagstaff, Arizona, Cris charms her into giving him a ride. Ferris follows, while the terrorists decide to kill him. A washed-out road forces Cris and Liz to spend the night in a motel. With the weapon tracked to Los Angeles, Ferris convinces her superiors to let her bring Cris in. The terrorists follow in the hope that the agents will lead them to Cris.
Ferris confronts Liz near the hotel. Claiming Cris is a dangerous sociopath, Ferris asks Liz to drug Cris so that they can bring him in peacefully. Instead, Liz warns Cris, who tells her his secret. When she asks why he will not help the FBI stop the terrorists, he explains his limitations, noting the exception for events involving her. Asking for Liz to wait for him, he tries to escape from the FBI agents but is captured after saving Ferris from logs tumbling down the side of a mountain. Unable to kill Cris, the terrorists kidnap Liz instead.
In custody, Cris is strapped to a chair with his eyes held open and forced to watch television until he has a vision that can help the FBI. They expect him to see a report about the detonation of the bomb, but instead he envisions a broadcast from several hours in the future in which Liz is killed by a small bomb while strapped to a wheelchair as bait for him. Cris escapes from captivity and races to the parking garage where she will be killed. Pursuing him to the garage, Ferris promises to help save her as long as Cris will help stop the bomb; she also sets up a plan to draw out the terrorists.
Using his ability, Cris helps the FBI track the terrorists to the port where they are based. When they arrive, Cris is able to walk right up to the terrorist leader and avoid being hit, by seeing where the bullets will go and dodging them. After killing the terrorists and saving Liz, they find that the bomb has already been moved. Ferris shows Cris a seismograph, hoping that he will see any tremors caused by explosions before they happen. As he stares at the screen he realizes that he has made a mistake and that he was too late: the bomb detonates out at sea and completely destroys the port, as well as the rest of the city.
The timeline reverts to Cris and Liz in bed at the hotel in Arizona, before Liz goes outside to be confronted by Ferris. Because of Liz's involvement in events, Cris has been able to envision everything that could happen leading to the nuclear explosion. "Every time you look into the future, it changes."
Cris calls Ferris and offers to help prevent the nuclear disaster, then asks Liz to wait for him.

Tags: paranormal, plot twist, action, murder

Review:
And of course, the story ends in a wholly different way than the movie, a very satisfying and inevitable conclusion that bolsters Mr. Dick's reputation for opening the future to us.*** OK, ONE LITTLE SPOILER ALERT *** READ NO FURTHER (unless you don't mind) ***I just have to add, the flurry of action sequences which come like a staccato rendition of The Flight Of The Bumblebee during his escape from custody, is thoroughly delectable and brought more than one involuntary "Ha!" from the audience I saw it with, including from me.
Julianne Moore is very effective as the bright and ruthless government agent pursuing Cage for the "greater good." The movie is engaging (you always want to find out what happens next) and you get to see an interesting idea played out: how can he use his amazing yet limited ability given critical challenges?
I had never heard of it, but Nicholas Cage is usually watchable, Lee Tamahori did the brilliant Once Were Warriors and the 'look 2 minutes into the future' Macguffin sounded intriguing enough; so I bought it and put it in the DVD player after dinner for myself and the wife to watch.It was really good and kept us both on the edge of our seats until the end (the ending was also very clever IMHO).Actually the best movie (along maybe with Watchmen) that I've seen this year.I imagine the pitch was something like 'Groundhog Day meets Die Hard', but for once they more or less pulled it off.They could have had a love interest with less of an age gap (but I assume Jessica Biel is there for eye candy not acting reasons) and the plot is a bit silly at times, but Cage plays it with just the right amount of 'tongue in cheek' as a lead in a paranormal action romance and compared with the last movie I sat and watched with my wife (the third Mummy) which is in a similar genre I suppose, this is in a different class.I can't really understand why so many folks give this really low ratings.
But, be clear of doubt, this film is actually good and it succeeds in being intriguing and not cheesy at the same time - completely unlike the "Deja Vu." "Next" leaves a lot to the audience's imagination and certain things are there just for you to accept on the basis that this is a movie - no lengthy pseudo-science speeches here.
The movie also makes very good use of computer effects - there aren't many and the few that there are, aren't awful looking like director Lee Tamahori's last feature "XXX: The State of the Union." Johnson's clairvoyance is shown in a clever way and the story takes several nice turns.
Granted, there are some plot holes and some motivations are suspect, but overall it tends to entertain and keep you going more often than not.Nicolas Cage plays Cris Johnson, a man who can see two minutes into the future and predict what will happen.
Dick has been the resource of stories for some very exciting films (Minority Report, Total Recall, Blade Runner), but in NEXT, his short story 'The Golden Man' as adapted by Gary Goldman and directed by Lee Tamahori, the concept of precognition as a human feature in altering the future falls into a video game format that becomes more action film and less human interest tale.Cris Johnson AKA Frank Cadillac (Nicholas Cage) is a sloe eyed Las Vegas grungy magician who has found a way to hide the fact that he has the gift to see two minutes into his future, a gift that rewards him at the gambling tables but draws attention from the FBI after a thwarted attempt on Cris' part to stop a robbery is captured on video tape.
When a group of terrorists threatens to explode a nuclear weapon in Los Angeles, FBI agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) sees in the Las Vegas magician and smalltime crook Cris Johnson a.k.a. Frank Cadillac (Nicolas Cage) the hope to find where the device is hidden.
But agent Ferris wants to force Cris to help her at any cost while Liz is abducted by the terrorists."Next" is one of the best action movies I have recently seen, with an excellent and unpredictable story of the awesome Philip K.
Dick; gripping screenplay with many twists that inclusive provides a hook for a possible sequel; and fine performances of three of my favorite contemporary actors and actresses: the sensational Nicolas Cage, the wonderful Julianne Moore and the sweet Jessica Biel.
I just went to see it this morning and a huge pot of macadamia nut brittle vanilla ice cream wasn't enough to soften the bitterness (yes), I am thus compelled to write my first ever movie review in order to try and keep people from giving their hard-earned cash to whatever evil corporation struck this movie upon us.This "movie" is about Chris Johnson, a guy who can see up to two minutes (except when the plot suddenly decides it's three hours) in the future.
Thus begins a convoluted (by which I mean SHITTY) plot involving the two main characters making huge sacrifices for each other since they are True Loves and the bad guys being terribly retarded, accompanied by some of the worst CGI I've seen in the last few years along with horrible acting (although admittedly judgement is always clouded in dubbed movies).
To top it all off, the ending is OBVIOUS.Apart from Jessica Biel's beautiful body and the comic relief brought by Cage's haircut there is absolutely nothing remotely interesting in this movie, it simply is a gigantic waste of time and money.
No French terrorists waiting this time, though there should be.Yes, it's entertaining enough, if that's all you want but disappointing in so many areas.It makes you wonder if Hollywood is such a dog eat dog world where only the most talented survive how it can turn out so many dogs of films like this.
Cris has the uncanny ability to see two minutes into his future, which compels FBI Agent Ferris (played by a stony-faced Julianne Moore) to convince Cris to help stop a nuclear bomb from going off in LA.
Nicolas Cage is the best actor of the lot, Biel and Moore do above average, and the rest can only pull so much from their bad roles.If you go for all action, OK special effects, and little thinking, then this is the flick for you.But do think of this: Do you really want to see a film with an abrupt ending, no real direction/meaning, no explanation for many of the plot elements?
Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel star in "Next," a 2007 action film directed by Lee Tamahori and written by Gary Goldman, Jonathan Hensleigh, and Paul Birnbaum.Cris Johnson (Cage) is a magician named "Frank Cadillac." What people don't know is that Johnson has a unique gift: he can see up to two minutes into the future as long as it impacts him personally.
Not only does the FBI want him, but the munitions people as well.I found this film very entertaining with some neat effects as it plays with past and future, sometimes advancing the plot ahead by mere seconds.
Nicholas Cage is always great, and he is here as the beleaguered magician who has come to the attention of the casino because they suspect him of cheating.It's a good cast, and the late Peter Falk has a cameo, another treat.I didn't catch the reviews when this film came out nor did I do more than glance at a few here on IMDb. But this is an action film.
Nicholas Cage is so often wooden yet faintly likable that I can watch him without irritation but Jessica Biel - at least the character she was given - was so much the one-dimensional eye-candy token gesture that I kept wishing she'd slip into the past and stay there.Unfortunately once you weed out the clichés - tough female FBI agent, lissome but polystyrene young female lead who has a scene with a group of children to prove she is really a real person, hero with a past, etc etc you end up with not much of anything except suspension of disbelief which is only going to take you so far - usually to the closing credits, and I cant even really remember what it all ended up being about...Watch it so you can say you saw it..
And when I say that, you should know that I recently saw Rocky VIII and Children of Men Where Cage can only see two minutes into the future in the beginning of the movie, he can already predict 2 hours into the future half way through the film.
By the end of this movie you can add dodging bullets to that and of course saving some 15 million people as he saves the day in the most gruesome violation of intellect being the 'ending' of this ultra bad flick.This film is simply appalling to watch because it's not only crammed with all the ridiculous action-flick clichés while nothing of what you see makes any sense at all, it stands out as a cinematic giant in ripping off the hard earned dollar of the average Joe who goes to the theatre to be at least entertained.
This is 'Quality' too...And it's good to see Nicholas Cage back in quality roles with some substance...Admit it, the 'Gone in 60 Seconds, the recent 'Ghost Rider' these were simply vehicles that made him $$$$$$$$$$,$$$...(He had an 'Island to buy after all', soo PULEEEZE, give him a break!...Geesh!)...Actually, as much as I liked this movie, it made me realize what a crappy life I have and how much of-a-difference a really good opportunity, or a-whole-Lotta'-Cash would/could make in my life...Actually, either one (either persona), the dude in the movie - Cris 'Frank Cadillac' Johnson (althoughthe 2-minute thing might be a lil' irritating), but 'my gosh' (CURSEWORD HERE), meeting someone like Jessica Biel (that fell in love with me?), with her striking good looks and (prolly) wide-range of talents and being able to actually win at the blackjack table!!!...Yeah, I got a pretty crappy life...Kidding, (but serious)...Or heck, Even Nicholas Cage (which would definitely be my 10th-20th choice), but still if you can just imagine growing up knowing the world is truly 'at your feet'...Meaning: You have enough gitas (gitas: green paper to 'git us this and git us that') to do whatever you want...'yeah, whatever' (including buying your own island!)...Oh well, I'm pretty depressed now...So cutting this one a bit short, even though I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend it highly...GO RENT IT!...I'm gonna' go stand in traffic or something...I have a hard time even remembering two minutes in the past, much less seeing the future...I bet it's that thing that's going around, the STML-thing (Short Term Memory Loss)...Bottom line (literally) This movie 'exudes quality'...and for me, that's what it really takes to make it a movie worth watching...Thanks...and again, My kindest Regards to you All!!!...Sirvertual~.
Perhaps that's because Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) sees what might happen and adjusts the present, thereby ironically sapping the surprise right out of the story.FBI agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) needs Johnson's services to stop a smuggled nuclear bomb from exploding in Southern California (I know, you think one has already exploded and left only zombies driving expensive autos).
From the first scene the director without wasting any time tells you that Cage can see his future and then takes you into unwinding of action, and never let go the pace of the movie.
The movie has lots of twists and turns; mostly predictable  once we know that hero can see the future; but still maintains interest throughout.Nicolas Cage looks a bit haggard but has acted well.
The movie had a really good story about Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) who can see 2 minutes into the future very clearly and the police needed his help to stop a terrorist attack who had threaten to detonate a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles killing millions of people.
"Next" is a film about Chris (played by Nicolas Cage), a man who can see what will happen to him personally up to two minutes into the future.
I almost always like Nicolas Cage movies, and man oh man Jessica Biel looks absolutely smmmmmoking hot!
It's pure laziness in development, an obsessed focus in its mediocre action sequences, and without a clue in knowing how to end a story.Nicolas Cage plays Cris Johnson with Tom Hank's haircut from The Da Vinci Code.
The FBI is unto some terrorists who have placed a nuclear device in California, and one of its agents Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) is after Johnson to seek his abilities to help them, while the baddies are after everyone else, in one of lamest reasons ever - since the FBI wants Johnson, let's waste time finishing him off.While there were tons of promise in the movie with a premise like that, you get frequently irritated when Tamahori playbacks scenes on repeat, pulling that sleight of hand that says, OK, that's what's happening in Johnson's mind, you'll following his 2-min peek into the future, and we go back again.
The rest looked like the Matrix's "bullet time / dodge while the bullets are flying at you / look mom I can split myself" effects, which wears on after a while.Cage sleepwalks through the role, no doubt assisted by a world weary character, while Jessica Biel is totally wasted in a role that could have been played by any Playboy Playmate of the Year, and that's just to put her twin peaks forward on screen.
If you run the movie back through your mind you realize it doesn't add up, doesn't make sense.The story follows small-time Las Vegas magician Cris Johnson who has the unique ability to be able to see two minutes into his own future.
It takes an overdone science fiction premise (what if someone could actually see into the future?), throws in some name actors to give it star attraction and sex appeal (the section of the film which deals with Nicolas Cage's clichéd attempts to seduce Jessica Biehl was lame beyond description), and then tries to mix it in with an anti-terrorism plot lifted from "24." (Oh, my God - ambiguously ethnic terrorists from some unnamed country have smuggled a nuclear bomb into Los Angeles for some unstated purpose!
Nicholas Cage and Jennifer Biel star in this Philip-K-Dick-inspired thriller about a man who can see a small distance into the future.If you could see even two minutes ahead of the present, what abilities would that give you?
Like most of the PKD-short-story inspired movies, the writers and director have taken great liberty (as they've often had to) in order to bring the core ideas of a 10 or 15-page story to the big screen.When I saw the trailer and especially when I saw it was PKD-related, I was immediately interested, as Philip Dick was an author who saw far into the future.
From Nick Cage's and Julianne Moore's SAME hair color from a cheap Wal-Mart bottle to the god-knows-why Jessica Biel's character was in the show at all, this story just doesn't cut the believability test from start to finish.
Only thing which is worth watching in this movie is Jessica Biel.Julianne Moore is not bad in this too.
I am a big fan of Nicholas Cage (I never watched Wicker Man and am not sure if I should) and Julianne Moore (who reprised a role similar to that in Hannibal) but normally not so enamoured with Jessica Biel; I must say though that her appearance in this film definitely showed me why she recently won sexiest woman alive.
Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) earns a living in a Las Vegas magic act, where the magic is no illusion, he really can see up to two minutes into the future, which has drawn the attention of FBI agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) and she wants him to help foil a plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in the heart of Los Angles.
Johnson and his unsuspecting girl (Jessica Biel), who is destined to be in his future, become caught up in race against time that only he can stop.Despite its flaws, Next becomes a very compelling action thriller, that sees a really good concept play out with style.
Nicolas Cage stars as Cris Johnson – a cheesy Vegas performer with the power to see a few minutes into the future, as long as the action involves or affects his life in some way.
Nicolas Cage, playing a magician with the ability to look into the future (two minutes ahead) falls in love with Jessica Beal while chased around Las Vegas by Julianne Moore, who want's him to find a nuclear bomb.
Nicolas Cage plays the title character, a magician in Vegas named Frank Cadillac (named after two of his favorite things, Frankenstein and Cadillacs, a rather ludicrous explanation but why not), and who just wants to stay under the radar, even as he's fully aware of his own special gift: he can see approximately two minutes into his own future, what is directly around him at the time, and can stop it almost in spite of the fact that merely looking at it changes it in a way.There's two story lines competing for attention here, one is something that was probably on the leftover counter of the 80s action-thriller picture where the US government will stop at nothing to squash dirty Russian terrorists with no real demands except to set off nuclear madness.
So you're not a Nicolas Cage's fan anymore, and, since Jessica Biel and Julianne Moore are inexistent in this movie, you have no reason to see it for the actors.
Is like a movie filmed in OZ warp hole, with Nick Cage in his worst ever hair do and ...Jessica Biel.8/10.