Next
Directed by Lee Tamahori
Starring Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, and Jose Zuniga.
Backstory
So, my boss won a contest in the Edmonton Sun. The prize was a pair of tickets to the special advance screening of Next. Boss didn’t want to go, so she gave the tickets to me and my co-worker. I was all like, “Cool! I’ve never been to one of these special advance screenings!” Of course, all the Edmonton media was there to review the film, and I got to sit next to CBC Edmonton legend Colin McLean. I was all like, “Dude! It’s Colin McLean!” and my co-worker was embarrassed.
Plot
Chris Johnson is a man with a unique ability. He can see two minutes into the future. He had some bad experiences in regards to being “studied” as a kid, so he leads a low-key existence in Las Vegas, where he uses his power to make his living as a mentalist and occasionally make a few bucks at the blackjack table. But then, his ability catches the eye of the FBI, who want to use him and his powers to track down a nuclear weapon that’s been hijacked by some French terrorists. But Chris, well, he wants none of that. See, he’s started seeing farther into the future, but only when he’s with a woman named Liz. Well, he finds Liz, and wants to settle into happily ever after, but the terrorists and the FBI are in hot pursuit! Will he live happily ever after? Will he save the day?
What I Liked
It’s an interesting premise. There’s some good special effects and some really good action scenes.
What I Didn’t Like
I have a whole bunch of logic problems when it comes to the power of seeing two minutes into the future. Like when everyone says, “Let’s just wait two minutes before we do anything, so then he won’t know!” Yeah…that won’t work. And French terrorists? WTF? Plus, I won’t give it away, but there is a twist ending that really, really ruins the film.
Final Assessment
This movie is just not very good. I’m glad I saw it for free.