Monday, April 30, 2007

Movie Review: Next

"Next" is another movie based on a Phillip K Dick story. I don't think I've read the original so I can't compare. But I can say that this seems to be more of a romance than the standard PK Dick story. The review here seems to make it clear that there's no actual relation between the story and the movie.

Nicholas Cage still isn't playing Superman, but he does get to play a guy with powers. Specifically, he has the ability to see two minutes into his own future. He uses this power in his Las Vegas stage show and for a bit of light gambling.
The FBI is aware that his tricks are real and want his help finding a nuclear bomb that has been stolen from the Russians.
The terrorists with the bomb must have a leak in the FBI because they know that the FBI is looking for Nick Cage. Thus, they're looking for him too because they figure the FBI thinks Cage can stop him.

The movie opens with his show, then to the casino. He stops a shooting, but security comes after him. There's a sequence of him navigating the crowded casino, stopping, going, ducking, changing clothes, and even walking right between two security guards because he can see what's going to happen well enough to dodge them all.
Cage has had a vision of several weeks in the future instead of a couple of minutes. This long term vision is of a girl he meets in a cafe. So twice a day he goes to this cafe and waits for the girl. When she finally shows he runs several scenarios where he gets rejected over and over again until one works.
Most of the first half of the movie is involved with him meeting this girl, travelling with her, and them falling in love. There's just the occasional aside about the FBI coming for him.
The second half of the movie is about him and the FBI trying to rescue the girl from the terrorists. Instead of running the scene over and over again you see dozens of possible Cages splitting off the main and searching the warehouse so he can find all the bombs and the girlfriend.
You're going to hate how they end the movie.

It was good for what it was but it needed another half hour or so. I know, usually I say they needed to end the movie 10-15 minutes earlier.

Not bad, but not great. Glad I saw it, wish I saw more. Not gonna get it on DVD.

Check the comments for the ending.

1 comment:

Ibid said...

Having saved the girl they focus their attention on finding the nuke. Right then the nuke goes off and the movie resets to half way through the movie when Nick and his new girl are waking up in a hotel room. Instead of waiting to get caught Nick calls the FBI and offers to help. Then the credits start to roll.