Review: Next

Cris Johnson, a small time Vegas magician, has the unusual ability of seeing two minutes into his own future. He tries to stay under the radar and use his abilities to win small stakes in the local casinos, but his entire world is turned upside down when the FBI “recruits” him for his unique ability and asks that he help locate a nuclear device that’s going to be detonated in the L.A area. Action, a very hot Jessica Biel and two minutes into the future ensues!

I liked this film as much as I liked DEJA VU. It’s pretty much the same movie, concept-wise, but NEXT is much simpler and the action starts right away. It felt more like I was watching something on the Sci-Fi channel though. In fact, this could make for a pretty good series on TV for about two solid seasons. The characters were decent and breathed life into the storyline, but the plot was only semi-interesting and ultimately, fell short.

Nicolas Cage plays Cris Johnson, the guy who can see into his own future. I’m not sure what his fascination was with this movie considering that he starred and produced it, but hey…to each his own, I guess! This just doesn’t seem like the type of movie where you get the script and think…I gotta make this!! Cage has been making some weird acting choices lately; he’s never really bad in anything, but I don’t know what he saw in this particular character or story. Even his chemistry with Biel’s character — who was good, by the way (plus the fact that she’s smoking hot doesn’t hurt either) — was a little off. I just couldn’t see these two together. It was a funny segment when he was re-playing the time sequence on how he meets her. Wish all of us men could do that in reality! Play it out until it works and we get the girl!

It’s funny how a couple more zeroes added on the end of a check can sway anybody to be in a movie. This is the only reason why I can think that Julianne Moore was in this as well. She played Special Agent Callie Ferris and while Moore can’t ever really be “bad”, it didn’t really look like she wanted to be there either. Again, I feel something is a little off with her choice of script because it seemed that she had to lower her standards to be in this kind of film.

The movie wasn’t hard to follow though, had a good build-up, a few laughs and there weren’t any crazy special effects aside from a good car chase and a cool avalanche scene with wagons and trees falling down the hill. The time sequence was really nothing special unless you think seeing ten Nic Cages on the screen at once is cool. But the one thing that really pissed me off was the film’s ending! It was a BULLSHIT conclusion and I really felt ripped off. Maybe fifteen years ago you could get away with an ending like that, but not today folks!

I dunno know what to tell you guys. Wait for video? Go see the matinee…it’s cheaper during the day? See it if you have a coupon? If someone else is paying? Sure why not, it barely makes the standard to go see it on the big screen.

— by Tim
Goernert