Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Tory Kittles
Director: Lee Tamahori
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Release date: April 27, 2007
You know the movies that do not really have an ending?. I mean you watch a film, it is suspenseful it is intriguing, it is keeping you enticed and all of a sudden it just stops. And the credits start rolling, leaves you thinking “What a hell?..What just happened??” Especially films with that whole psychological, power of the mind sort of plot. Like you were suppose to really concentrate and truly pay attention, as it was homework, and we, the viewers are suppose to write the ending!
Here comes “Next”, a film that exhausts the idea of telepathy, the ability to see into the future. The storyline: Nicholas Cage plays Cris Johnson, a Las Vegas magician who is wanted by the FBI to help protect California, by predicting where and when will a nuclear bomb be triggered by the antagonist. How he does this? He has 2 minutes. His gift and a curse at the same time, is the ability to see into the future for the following two minutes. Now, the question stands, how can he concentrate harder in order to see days in to the future. I guess Jessica Biel, which plays, Cage’s hot new girlfriend, will keep him concentrated. Yeah Right!!! Now, we see Mr. Cage in “Snake Eyes”, we see him in “Lord of War” “Gone in 60 Seconds” maybe, but not in a mind boggling futuristic story. Its not his style. He does not fit the character.
Casting is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking, and this film lacked that importance. As a whole , “Next” is an entertaining film, for the most part, for, it keeps you watchin, wondering , and questioning, however , the ending, is extremely dissapointing. Now, some films can pull open endings, this one could’ve too, but it didn’t. And so much for the action, it was intertaining as well. Car crashes, explosions, awkward chases, and so on… Your typical “Die Hard” movie! I mean nothing too extreme to throw a party for, I guess.