MovieBuff801
04-28-2007, 05:45 PM
Next, Please
I'm often asked how it is that I am able to enjoy the majority of the movies I see on a regular basis, and my answer is I try to go into each of them with an open mind with my "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" turned fully on. But near the halfway mark of "Next", I realized that this movie is so convoluted and sloppy, that even with the weapon of enjoyment inside my head switched on, I could not believe a single moment of the ludicrous action sequences. And since "Next" is meant to be a sci-fi action thriller, that is definitely not a good thing.
Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors and can normally be good in almost any role he inhabits, but here he is reduced to just being a mildly interesting character with a few infinitesimal moments of amusement. Julianne Moore is nothing more than a cookie-cutter character in the movie just to offer minor complications for our so-called "hero" of the story. Jessica Biel, who proved that she can most certainly act in last year's mesmerising mystery "The Illusionist", plays the worrisome love-interest who constantly runs from the bad guys, trying not to get shot.
"Next" is based on a short story from famous sci-fi writer Phillip K. Dick entitled "The Golden Man". It is reported that "Next" has an entirely different storyline, but the same interesting detail for its main character. Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) is a man who has the ability to see precisely two minutes into the future and alter it without much of a consequence. Cris's day job is a stage magician in Las Vegas, and he spends his spare time gambling at poker tables. But this unique ability has attracted the attention of Federal Agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore); she wishes to use Cris's power to see as far ahead as possible into the future so that they can locate and disarm a nuclear bomb that has been smuggled into Los Angeles by ruthless terrorists. Now at this point, if you are reminded of the hit TV show "24", then you are not alone.
Cris tries to evade Ferris and her agents and spend some time with his new girlfriend Liz (Jessica Biel), because he knows that the FBI will never let him go if he complies with their wishes. Recently, Liz has been appearing in some of Cris's visions, however he cannot figure out why. But, unfortuneately, that specific plot point is never fully explained and that is just one of my many, many problems with this movie.
The whole movie seems to be made up of mindless, over-the-top action sequences that are just there for the sake of the movie. And all of this leads up to a "twist" that is what I consider the worst pay-off in the history of film every time it is used.
Nicolas Cage appears bored in this movie as Cris Johnson. He is able to convince you up to a point, but mainly he lulls through each scene as if he is waiting to be offered a better movie. But I admit, Cage does deliver some trademark moments of quirkiness that only Nicolas Cage can pull off. Julianne Moore's Callie Ferris is just like Jack Bauer, only with longer hair and a more petite body. Her character never really serves any purpose, other than act as an emcumbrance to the main character. Jessica Biel is a beautiful actress, but having looks is simply not enough in Hollywood; you have to have both looks and talent, something Biel has seemed to have forgotten since "The Illusionist". In "Next", she is nothing more than the damsel in distress.
Director Lee Tamahori's CGI abilities once again seem to be taken directly out of a video game, as they do not look realistic in any way. One scene in particular where Cris tries to escape the FBI on a rocky hill had me rolling my eyes at the ceiling, wishing Denzel Washington's character from "Deja Vu" could come over from that particular movie, and give Cris Johnson a lesson in how to survive action movies where the prospect of changing the future is an important thing. Not only was I expecting Denzel Washington to show up in "Next", I also half-expected Kiefer Sutherland to turn up and tell Nicolas Cage off for trying to rip off his TV show due to all the talk of a nuclear bomb threat.
"Deja Vu", another future-altering thriller, is a much better and watchable movie than "Next". This movie turned out to be a waste of potential, and I mean a waste. All I have to say is, next movie, please.
And if you are reading this review and can actually see ahead two minutes into the future, I apologize for taking so long. After all, you could have just looked ahead two minutes and seen me say that this movie is bad.
MY RATING: *1/2 (out of four stars.)
I'm often asked how it is that I am able to enjoy the majority of the movies I see on a regular basis, and my answer is I try to go into each of them with an open mind with my "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" turned fully on. But near the halfway mark of "Next", I realized that this movie is so convoluted and sloppy, that even with the weapon of enjoyment inside my head switched on, I could not believe a single moment of the ludicrous action sequences. And since "Next" is meant to be a sci-fi action thriller, that is definitely not a good thing.
Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors and can normally be good in almost any role he inhabits, but here he is reduced to just being a mildly interesting character with a few infinitesimal moments of amusement. Julianne Moore is nothing more than a cookie-cutter character in the movie just to offer minor complications for our so-called "hero" of the story. Jessica Biel, who proved that she can most certainly act in last year's mesmerising mystery "The Illusionist", plays the worrisome love-interest who constantly runs from the bad guys, trying not to get shot.
"Next" is based on a short story from famous sci-fi writer Phillip K. Dick entitled "The Golden Man". It is reported that "Next" has an entirely different storyline, but the same interesting detail for its main character. Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) is a man who has the ability to see precisely two minutes into the future and alter it without much of a consequence. Cris's day job is a stage magician in Las Vegas, and he spends his spare time gambling at poker tables. But this unique ability has attracted the attention of Federal Agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore); she wishes to use Cris's power to see as far ahead as possible into the future so that they can locate and disarm a nuclear bomb that has been smuggled into Los Angeles by ruthless terrorists. Now at this point, if you are reminded of the hit TV show "24", then you are not alone.
Cris tries to evade Ferris and her agents and spend some time with his new girlfriend Liz (Jessica Biel), because he knows that the FBI will never let him go if he complies with their wishes. Recently, Liz has been appearing in some of Cris's visions, however he cannot figure out why. But, unfortuneately, that specific plot point is never fully explained and that is just one of my many, many problems with this movie.
The whole movie seems to be made up of mindless, over-the-top action sequences that are just there for the sake of the movie. And all of this leads up to a "twist" that is what I consider the worst pay-off in the history of film every time it is used.
Nicolas Cage appears bored in this movie as Cris Johnson. He is able to convince you up to a point, but mainly he lulls through each scene as if he is waiting to be offered a better movie. But I admit, Cage does deliver some trademark moments of quirkiness that only Nicolas Cage can pull off. Julianne Moore's Callie Ferris is just like Jack Bauer, only with longer hair and a more petite body. Her character never really serves any purpose, other than act as an emcumbrance to the main character. Jessica Biel is a beautiful actress, but having looks is simply not enough in Hollywood; you have to have both looks and talent, something Biel has seemed to have forgotten since "The Illusionist". In "Next", she is nothing more than the damsel in distress.
Director Lee Tamahori's CGI abilities once again seem to be taken directly out of a video game, as they do not look realistic in any way. One scene in particular where Cris tries to escape the FBI on a rocky hill had me rolling my eyes at the ceiling, wishing Denzel Washington's character from "Deja Vu" could come over from that particular movie, and give Cris Johnson a lesson in how to survive action movies where the prospect of changing the future is an important thing. Not only was I expecting Denzel Washington to show up in "Next", I also half-expected Kiefer Sutherland to turn up and tell Nicolas Cage off for trying to rip off his TV show due to all the talk of a nuclear bomb threat.
"Deja Vu", another future-altering thriller, is a much better and watchable movie than "Next". This movie turned out to be a waste of potential, and I mean a waste. All I have to say is, next movie, please.
And if you are reading this review and can actually see ahead two minutes into the future, I apologize for taking so long. After all, you could have just looked ahead two minutes and seen me say that this movie is bad.
MY RATING: *1/2 (out of four stars.)