M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.
- Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations
- Stacey
- (as Lesley-Anne Mitchell)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe school in the movie is William Dawes Elementary. William Dawes was one of the riders who, like Paul Revere, warned the minutemen that British troops were coming, just as a child at his namesake school was trying to warn people what was coming.
- GoofsWhen the police and teachers go searching for Lucinda in the school at night, they all use flashlights. They could have easily put the lights on instead, as nothing indicates a power outage.
- Quotes
John Koestler: I found evidence of a series of super-flares from a star in the outer-Pleiades's region.
Phil Bergman: Right. Ratings were off the chart.
John Koestler: We were both wrong. The numbers are a warning, but not just to me or any random group. They're a warning to everyone.
Phil Bergman: Okay. You're officially scaring the shit out of me right now.
John Koestler: The super-flare, in our own solar system. A 100 microtesla wave of radiation that would destroy our ozone layer, killing every living organism on the planet.
Phil Bergman: We have to let everyone know. We have to call the NOAA.
John Koestler: They already know. The announcement will come anytime now. I thought there was some purpose to all this. Why did I get this prediction if there's nothing I can do about it? How am I supposed to stop the end of the world?
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits start with numbers which become/decode into words and names.
- SoundtracksThe Planets: Op. 43: IV Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity
Written by Gustav Holst
Cage is also well known for his own brand of 'over-acting' which can be anything from comical to cringe-worthy. Here, director Alex Proyas seems to be able to reel him in enough to capitalise on his talent, while at the same time keep him grounded. Cage plays a school teacher who, along with his young son, stumbles on a code back from the fifties which accurately depicts all the major disasters of the last few decades. If this wasn't creepy enough, some are set to occur in the next few days and there are some odd-looking men lurking around his family.
I won't go into the plot too much for fear of spoilers because, I really do think that if you're into science-fiction then you'll really enjoy this one. It's got some nice ideas and isn't afraid to go in directions that you might not see coming.
Cage is still great as a leading man and I've been a fan of director Alex Proyas' work ever since he did 'The Crow.' This may not have the visual flare of some of his early work, but he deserves props for getting a really good performance out of his leading man.
If the film has a weakness I'd say its special effects are a little uneven. I was actually really impressed with some of them and they left me pretty creeped out. However, it looks like the 'effects budget' was spent on the big set pieces and when it came to some of the 'lesser' effects (mainly involving fire) they look very 'computery' - if you know what I mean.
There's another 'forgotten' sci-fi film called 'The Box,' starring Cameron Diaz and directed by 'Donnie Darko's' Richard Kelly which feels like it could be set in 'the same universe' as 'Knowing.' So, if you have seen 'The Box' (and again - don't believe the negative reviews - it's actually pretty good for some dark sci-fi drama) and you liked it, definitely give 'Knowing' a try. It may not be a 'feel-good' movie, but if you're in the mood for some dark sci-fi, or just a Cage fan, give it a go.
- bowmanblue
- Jan 25, 2021
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Presagio
- Filming locations
- Camberwell High School, Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia(William Dawes Elementary)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $79,957,634
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $24,604,751
- Mar 22, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $183,658,498
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1