SCI FI PI

Starring Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelssohn
Director Alex Proyas
Rated M
Released Jul 28

Knowing is a film that requires a leap of faith. Literally, and in the spirit of film viewing that Alex Proyas intended. This film is quite complex in its structure - it's a riff on a riff, if you will. What looks to be a creepy 'kid predicts the future' movie turns out to be a whole lot more.

Whilst some of you may have read other reviews online or seen the film, for those who haven't, we won't spoil the fun. Let's just say that a crashing aeroplane is not the biggest explosion in the film.





The film received a mixed reception at the box office, mainly because the ending went in a very straightforward direciton to a very difficult place. In effect, putting credence to religious views by using a classic Sci Fi technique. It's nothing new to hardcore Sci Fi fans, but it's a little bit n the nose for people who find Christianity ridiculous.

Whilst we can't go into details here, we can say that the film does have a lot to offer to those people who've seen Armageddon and Deep Impact and found the endings wanting. Knowing is a film that will bring you to the edge of the precipice, and take you over. If you can accept the method (and the final, final shot) then you'll have a movie that you can proudly put in the 'show people on special occasions' shelf.





Nicolas Cage's tremendously worried expression is something that fans or non-fans must be warned about. He's one of those love him or hate him actors. Rose Byrne suffers no problems in that department. The film does a great job with their 'love' story, not falling into obvious pitfalls to create a believable journey for both characters, who see the solution to the same problem in very different ways.

If you do get Knowing, what you'll see is a slow-burn creep out movie, which gradually morphs into something pretty wild. There are scenes of mass devastation and carnage that are pretty much the most brutal and realistic (one particular scene shot in one extended shot - simply harrowing) that have ever been brought to the screen. If you get the BD edition, the final moments and the major catastrophic scenes will be worth it.





So - to plot. 50 years ago, kids placed drawings inside a time capsule, when it's opened, one picture is actually a page of numbers. These find their way to Nic Cage's Physic Teacher character, who, in a flash of alcohol-fuelled brilliance (he's a mourning widower) sees the numbers 91101 and the exact numbers of victims that day. Going through the numbers, he finds every single date has a corresponding disaster with the exact number of victims. as a scientist, he is sceptical, but soon events (!) turn him around.

If that wasn't enough, strange mysterious men seem to be stalking his only child.

When he delves into the secret of the numbers, he finds the story of a strange little girl, and tracks down her daughter, played by Rose Byrne. That's when things get interesting, as he tries to convince her about her mother's 'gift'.




If you have the robust mind that can accept a decent filmic leap (or two), the science fiction experience to forgive the foibles for the grand ideas, and can also accept the well-trodden path of religion as science fiction, then you may just have a film that is uniquely (almost literally so) satisfying. The question - should you get it? is answered by 'are you a true Sci Fi fan?' - because if you are, you'll find it engrossing, even if not the greatest movie ever. For some though, you might just find yourselves very impressed indeed, despite any misgivings you may have about the central tenet that links the film's plot to an orthodox, storybook view of Judeo-Christian religion.

In fact, if you're into disasters, just for the sake of disasters, then this is a movie you should see in High Def.

EXTRAS

The Extras aren't exhaustive, and you'll get the same on the BD as the DVD, although you've do get a decent Audio Commentary with director Alex Proyas, who does more than 'this is where we shot this' and gets into the nitty gritty about the choices inherent in the storytelling. Very good if you're a filmbuff jaded by the usual fare.

Knowing All - The Making of a Futuristic Thriller (HD) - straight down the line making of doco, although it does have some great stuff on the epic plane crash and surprisingly, reveals how much of the film was shot in Australia.

Visions of the Apocalypse (HD) - The end of the world as kooks know it, and those who know it's going to go a different way. Be prepared. Still, entertaining.


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