Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:45 pm Post subject: Knowing
It's rare that an apocalyptic blockbuster is done well in Hollywood. The last time it happened was Deep Impact. It's also rare that Hollywood delves into the metaphysical and treats it intelligently, and with due reverence to the actual realms of possibility. It's also rare that Nic Cage does a good film, in my opinion.
This movie, though, fascinated me. High concept at first glance, it has enough detail underneath its surface to appeal to those who like a movie to make them think, or to test their imagination.
Nic Cage is an average joe widower, bringing up a young child by himself. He's a college lecturer in astrophysics, rapidly losing faith in even the possibility that there might be a reason behind Life, The Universe, And Everything.
But his son one day brings home a trinket from a 50-year-old time capsule, a letter written by a child containing nothing but a series of numbers. After a brief examination of it, Nic finds that the series of numbers points to dates, places and death tolls from major human tragedies in the past, and indeed in the future. There are not many of them remaining, and he does what he can do attempt to prevent them. These sequences are spectacular successes for the effects team. Slowly, it becomes obvious that the final end is indeed nigh.
It's this last part of the film that grabbed my attention most, with some very well considered imagery that deliberately straddles the line between the religious and the extra-terrestrial, to an excellent effect. Is that the all-seeing eye of God, or a spaceship, or an ark, into which the chosen one of various species are marching two-by-two? Are those creatures aliens, or do their ethereal wings betray and angelic bent? Is that paradise land at the film's denoument another planet? Is it heaven, or another paradise familiar to all in the Abrahamic world, as suggested by a simple fruit tree in its centre?
The imagery might not be familiar to those of an atheist inclination, but the way it merges with imagery to satisfy agnostic leanings is indeed very well styled.
Of course, I know Khalyn is going to disagree with some of this. Come on, boyo...!
Rating: _________________ "It's ok to be different, it's good to be different, and we should question ourselves before we judge others." -- Johnny Depp
It's rare that an apocalyptic blockbuster is done well in Hollywood. The last time it happened was Deep Impact. It's also rare that Hollywood delves into the metaphysical and treats it intelligently, and with due reverence to the actual realms of possibility. It's also rare that Nic Cage does a good film, in my opinion.
This movie, though, fascinated me. High concept at first glance, it has enough detail underneath its surface to appeal to those who like a movie to make them think, or to test their imagination.
Nic Cage is an average joe widower, bringing up a young child by himself. He's a college lecturer in astrophysics, rapidly losing faith in even the possibility that there might be a reason behind Life, The Universe, And Everything.
But his son one day brings home a trinket from a 50-year-old time capsule, a letter written by a child containing nothing but a series of numbers. After a brief examination of it, Nic finds that the series of numbers points to dates, places and death tolls from major human tragedies in the past, and indeed in the future. There are not many of them remaining, and he does what he can do attempt to prevent them. These sequences are spectacular successes for the effects team. Slowly, it becomes obvious that the final end is indeed nigh.
It's this last part of the film that grabbed my attention most, with some very well considered imagery that deliberately straddles the line between the religious and the extra-terrestrial, to an excellent effect. Is that the all-seeing eye of God, or a spaceship, or an ark, into which the chosen one of various species are marching two-by-two? Are those creatures aliens, or do their ethereal wings betray and angelic bent? Is that paradise land at the film's denoument another planet? Is it heaven, or another paradise familiar to all in the Abrahamic world, as suggested by a simple fruit tree in its centre?
The imagery might not be familiar to those of an atheist inclination, but the way it merges with imagery to satisfy agnostic leanings is indeed very well styled.
Of course, I know Khalyn is going to disagree with some of this. Come on, boyo...!
Rating:
YES to all what you said OB
H/K and I did talk about this film ... well we had a debate LOL ... But! ... like you OB I have been aware of this device being described in not just the bible, but in many other religious texts throughout mans history. In fact in 1992 I talked with a lay preacher about this device and how scary it would look, especially when you read the description about the internal bearings and what they looked like.
It's obvious that Metaphysical creatures maybe don't require transportation devises, but physical objects and people do .... It makes compleat and utter sense, hence the ark being made out of wood, the bloody thing floated on the water and did it's job for the people and animals etc.
Any hoo I thoroughly enjoyed the film and understood it .
Existence, object hood, property, space, time, causality, and possibility.......... and a lot more things to think about in this film, but it made it all the better. _________________ http://www.withintheshadowofthetree.com/
Carl B Harrison
Well I finally got around to watching this unusual film. I was expecting something along the line of Next but boys was I wrong on that account. After watching it, I have to say I bloody enjoyed it!
This movie was very cleverly written and done. The effects with the plane crash and train incident were fantastic. The things that are mentioned in the movie are quite scary to think about, especially the ending.
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YES to all what you said OB 
LOL