Knowing, a pre-apocalyptic Science Fiction film has all the best and worst qualities that can be expected from this type of film. The film takes a small, undeveloped look at faith versus science, mashes it together with numerology, throws in grief and a ton of alcohol, and then blows it all up with spectacular special effects. Nicolas Cage gives his par for the course attempt at playing John Koestler, an astronomy professor and single father, trying to save the world from certain doom, as he unravels the mystery of a set of numbers that foretell disastrous events. Underneath all this, John is tying to deal with the death of his wife, reconcile his lost faith, and avoid his father who is a pastor. Needless to say, the film has a few too many themes to handle adequately.
Truthfully, there isn’t a whole lot of science in the film. The numerology is not so much hard to swallow as it is unnecessary. Granted, there wouldn’t be a movie if it weren’t for the prophecy that John finds in a string of numbers written fifty years ago by a seriously disturbed little girl, but then maybe the writers could have found a more profound means of delivering it. Perhaps Koestler’s son, who is being haunted by seemingly deranged alien/angel men – that provide the film’s creepy qualities – could have delivered the prophecy himself. That would have taken care of at least one underdeveloped aspect. Or, perhaps he could have discovered it in some biblical reference, while trying to work out his lost faith. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how he came across the prophecy, as nothing can stop the sun from consuming the earth in a blaze of fire.