Box Office Review - Knowing

I have been a fan of Old Time Radio shows for as long as I can remember. One of my all time favourite shows is X-Minus One (originally called Dimension X). This show was a half an hour of amazing science fiction stories written by such authors as Ray Bradbury, Phillip K Dick, and Theodre Sturgeon. As with most science fiction stories of the 1950s, the stories were fantastical portrayals of the future and what situations the human race, or extraterrestrials would have to face. These stories would usually be based off real world issues such as equality, atomic war, and humanities reliance on technology. 50s science fiction stories would make their audience ponder the world that surrounds them, and question things that were happening. This made science fiction one of the most important mediums to teach an audience. I feel that over the past decades Sci-Fi has lost respect as a serious way to tell a thought provoking story. There have of course been exceptions with films such as Blade Runner, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Gattaca, Donnie Darko, Children of Men, and of course Dark City. The director of Dark City Alex Proyas directs Knowing, another masterpiece on par with Dark City. This movie has had me thinking about it since the moment I stopped watching it. I wish that I could have just sat in my seat until the next screening, because there is so much going on in the movie. First off to put the casual film goers mind at ease, this film has amazing visuals and some of the best disasters scenes I have ever seen. So if you have no desire to think during the movies than this film should (emphasis on should) still work for you. As for those who prefer their science fiction in the thinking man’s vein, this film is meant for you. The directing by Alex Proyas is comparable to what he did in Dark City, and he has definitely redeemed himself after I Robot. It appears that he was given free reign to take the story, written by Ryne Pearson the direction that he wanted, and I applaud Summit Entertainment for allowing this. Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury (Benjamin Button at age Eight), and Lara Robinson (pulling double duty) are all fantastic in creating their individual characters. As for the story like I said before there is so much going on in this film that it would be impossible to touch on every thought provoking issue that it brings up, so I’m not going to try. I hope that audiences will give this movie a chance as it is a very smart and sophisticated science fiction film, and nowadays these films are hard too come by. (As a final note the trailer does not do justice to the film)

A Golden Banana