Obviously no one can change another person's opinion.
LOL and sure I'll go jump in a fucking lake.

But anyway you can't complain about coincidence because the film really isn't about that is it?
It's like saying about any movie why are these people the chosen ones?
What movie would you have seen, let's say the first Transformers, I could complain and ask why the fuck is it that Sam Witwicky was the descendant of that asshole in the ice but that's retarded because if I complain about that there'll be no movie.
Complaining about Cage being there is the same. So fuck Cage, why not he not be there? Then what is the point of the movie? If Cage wasn't anywhere then what the hell would we be watching? Him in his house staring at the paper watching TV?

Oh and to answer one of your questions, I think Cage was looking for answers that ultimately weren't there. He had to understand to let his kid go and his experiencing the disasters was to develop his character.

Your Transformers comparison makes no sense.

What I was saying was I get that the film had a concept of "destiny" in that the numbers predicted each disaster and deaths etc. What I don't think was that there was a destiny of Nic Cage's character being able to decipher them etc. If that was supposed to be part of the plot I might have missed that (that's right because it didn't exist).

And "If Cage wasn't there..." exactly, the movie was terrible, I'd rather have watched the paper trail TV.

And furthermore if these are all to develop him as a character, why? He just dies in the end (in a cheesetastic way with his family I might add!).

I only read fragments of this but I will agree with whatever jeff is saying because he actually sounds intellectual and coherent, whereas BK is just throwing out curse words and sounds ignorant.

Thanks John. :p

I don't expect everyone to agree with whatever I write. It is part of writing an opinion piece, it is just that, an opinion, and like butts, everyone has one.

saw it on dvd, its was pretty good.

Chilling and scary and of course I love the homage to Hitchcock with the back grounds music


B+

My friend and I laughed this off screen. I've defended Nicolas Cage all the way through Next, but here he was clearly short on his heroin. Could he have seemed like he gave a shit less about that kid? Everything from his delivery (or lack thereof) to his fucking ridiculous truck just gave me a headache. Alex Proyas only ever seems to really get a kick out of showing people get obliterated - the plane crash was powerful enough to drive two of my friends out the theater. You may find fate vs. free will to be a fascinating lens to deconstruct this film's plot. I just couldn't take it seriously.

I've visited the cinema thousands of times and have still yet to see someone walk out. I'm going to the wrong theatres I think.

Did you happen to see any of the Final Destinaiton films with these friends? Did they march out in protest as well?

In all fairness, we had just driven from Arizona to Chicago the previous three days (with one day off in Oklahoma City. We saw Star Trek there, which they loved.) Before we saw Knowing, she had gotten a root canal, a new tire and axle, and had to get her contacts replaced. She'd have probably walked out of Watchmen, which I almost saw for a second time instead.

To this day I wish we had.

"WE MUST SAVE THE CHILDREN!!!!!"

I just watched it again and died laughing at that part.

I still think this movie is really good, though. Much better than it should have been. Some real balls with that ending.

I sound ignorant? Grow up and have your own opinion instead of trying to cater to please someone.
That's the only thing you ever do, find the middle road and stay there. My, you're certainly interesting.

His problem is that he can't understand why Cage character is coincidentally there.
Why does that even matter? That's the most idiotic problem I've ever heard in my life.
We might as well ask why were Jack and Rose on the Titanic? Couldn't we have focused on some random crew member?
Sheesh. How can you make a movie without having any characters in it?
So if we don't have Cage figuring it out, what are you watching? The world being destroyed?
It's coincidence but that happens all the time because it's a bloody storytelling device.
Romantic comedies wouldn't exist without coincidence.
Fantasy wouldn't exist without coincidence.
Really, now.

You missed the point of my review. But that's ok.

I thought it was ridiculously bad, and almost challenged The Wicker Man in the hilarity department, as far as Nicolas Cage genre flicks go. It's genuinely terrifying at points, but those moments, such as the plane crash, are totally ruined by Cage running around like a moron attempting to save people. It's not often a single actor can ruin an entire movie, but Cage manages to do.

Furthermore, the admittedly ballsy ending doesn't make much sense, and its clumsy attempts to tie science and religion together, while intriguing, are mostly a waste. It's sci-fi with all of the ideas and none of the craft.

I guess I shouldn't have expected any better, but it was still pretty disappointing.

Your comparisons don't make sense. Titanic is not a coincidence because that is what the film is about. Likewise Nic Cage's song going to the same school where the "numbers girl" went isn't really a coincidence so much as a plot point.

What I was criticizing is the following chain:

1. Nic Cage just happens to be an astrophysicist (someone with analytical knowledge to be able to understand a lot of the connections).

2. His son just happens to get the piece of paper with the numbers. (I could actually accept it if it was just these two, "fate" etc which was sort of what the film was implying)

But noooo

3. He just happens to set a glass with a water ring in the exact spot on a piece of paper (circling just ONE set of numbers that is recognizable to most people cognant during the 90's/2000's)

4. He just happens to be at exactly the site of the plane crash and just happens to look at his GPS at the exact moment and just happens to remember it being on the series of numbers (hell even I wouldn't remember those random numbers and I have a flashbulb memory).

Etc. That's my point. Stop making asinine analogies and accept that I was criticizing it. It isn't like you wrote the movie and I'm attacking your mother. Geez.

In Jeff's ideal sci-fi movie - - nothing happens.

Lay off Bradley.

Heh. Jeff has written 23 out of the 116 posts in this thread - - and I need to lay off?!?

Only because people think it is ok to trash the critic not the review

Contrary to what I may be seeing I'm not exactly trying to attack or criticize you.
Since we're still arguing though, the first three of your four points are redundant.
The movie would have focused on whichever kid received the piece of paper so that's your 2nd point.
Yes, it is coincidence that Cage is an astrophysicist but since he is the main actor of the movie he has to be there no matter his job. It's also easier to make his character an astrophysicist because of the way the world ends.
That's like saying that "Oh it's lame that Bruce Wayne has a company to finance his gadgets otherwise he wouldn't be able to do what he did"
The third point starts stretching it, yes, but it had to happen so Cage would take an interest and the numbers of 9/11 were there so the audience would have some knowledge. It's not like we remember many other disaster dates.
The last you have a point that he is there at the time and looks at the GPS. I liked it so I accepted it. You didn't like it so it stood out to you. But Cage's character would have recognized those numbers because those hadn't happened yet.

Like I said, the first two I could accept. Those could be considered just plot points. Tie in with the supposed "destiny" plot points of the film.

It was the #3 that bugged me. His glass just HAPPENED to highlight those numbers. It was so silly I actually laughed.

Anyway, I didn't like the ending either. Sure it was "gutsy" but like I pointed out earlier it didn't really have a "point". Like I could handle an end-of-the-world scenario if it provided like a moral of hope or a moral of some sort. This was just "nope, we're gonna take the kids and kill everyone else, sorry thanks for playing!!"

BK you're the one that can never say anything without just sounding like a cynical jerk who has to take out his personal qualms on the world. I'm sorry mommy didn't love you but it doesn't mean you have to go around here saying that 400m is a bad gross for TF2, it should have made 500m, and that every movie ever sucks because of a slight problem. Go back to loving michael bay, its where you belong.
Also, middle of the road? Who am I trying to please? I'll admit that I do sometimes shave my answers slightly to make loyal and yoshue love me, but I certainly don't change my opinion for anyone. I still insist that American Beauty is one of the best things I've ever seen and that Citizen Kane was good at best. And half the people here, especially the aforementioned think I'm a half-wit for saying so.

You've got the math wrong. It's 85% of the people here, and quarter-wit.

say what you will dear yosh, we all know that you love me deep down.

There's only so many times that you can call convenient plot points 'fate' before it becomes a paper shield. And there's no way I can see anyone defending Nicolas Cage's performance. Too bad he didn't die right after he finished filming Adaptation, his last noteworthy performance(s.) He'd be held in much higher esteem fifty years from now if he hadn't been working so hard to destroy his reputation.

Thank god somebody else has a brain.