MOVIE REVIEW: Is It Worth Knowing?

April 13, 2009 | Written by Matt Lepley

In the sci-fi thriller Knowing, a new elementary
school decides to bury a time capsule to commemorate the school’s opening. The year is 1959. Students include drawings of what they think the future will look like in 50 years.

But one girl’s drawing is a sheet filled only with numbers. Nicolas Cage and Chandler Canterbury play a father-son duo that uncovers the secrets of the mysterious letter of seemingly random numbers. Set in 2009, they race to find the true purpose behind the numbers.

Alex Proyas’ Knowing hit theaters March 20, challenging audiences if they want to know. Do you? Knowing sports some fabulously crafted visual scenes, including an in-your-face plane crash and a catastrophic subway disaster. The audio in these scenes is equally intense, as well as the music throughout the movie.

Unfortunately, there are spots of bad acting sprinkled throughout Knowing like stale cracker crumbs, particularly from Chandler Canterbury and Rose Byrne. Through the dark, riveting atmospheres of Knowing, there are subtle religious undertones.

Do not worry, if you’re not a huge religious fanatic, it does not interfere with the storytelling and is only apparent if you pay close attention. It is interesting but the theme is not fully explored. Whether or not religion and philosophy are truly what this movie is about is left up to the viewer.

I went into Knowing with very few expectations, “carte blanche” if you will. I had heard mixed reviews ranging from “best sci-fi film in years” to “why did I waste my time/money.” I was a little wary, being that Knowing has a premise that could very easily fall flat or turn into a cheesy goose-chase. I am glad to say that I didn’t walk away unhappy.

Knowing is neither astounding nor terrible, but it is worth a viewing. You could probably watch the whole thing with your eyes closed and it would still be decent, although you would miss some spectacular visuals, especially the last 15 minutes. So, do you want to know?

Matthew Lepley is special to The Ledger.