Knowing (2009) Review

Knowing (2009)

Knowing follows John Koestler, who, after his son is given a strange piece of paper from a school time capsule, soon discovers that the seemingly random numbers are predictions for every mass disaster in the last 50 years..and there’s only a few numbers left. 

Knowing may very well be one of the most intense and underrated science fiction horrors of the 21st Century, involving the most fundamental of all philosophical debates: Is the universe deterministic or random? Is everything in some way preordained or does it happen by chance? It’s unique in this regard and it’s approach to the apocalypse because the ironic thing is that what would bring about the end of the world has nothing whatsoever to do with our behavior environmentally or with any mad, selfish act. No, it's the arbitrary whim of nature itself and the frightening thing is that knowing when or how it all ends isn't going to help mankind one single bit. Which when put into context of the film, makes the spiritual journey all the more interesting as we follows the spiraling paths of John, Diana, and their kids, and that evolution of belief toward higher beings that it simultaneously linked with the extraterrestrials and the Bible. 

It begets a kind of Old Testament horror (making this creepier knowing I watched this as a kid), that is impossible to escape, with only those hearing the call allowed to “rise” and begin the next iteration of life elsewhere. And while the last half-third of the film gets somewhat muddy, clashing the preordained nature of life with the Book of Revelations essentially and introducing aliens and spaceships into the fold, it never really feels too out of place, just changes the meaning of the movie from a cosmic horror to more of an awakening. 

We also get a terrific cast in Nadia Townsend, Lara Robinson, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, and Nicolas Cage. Cage, rightfully, carries this film with an uneasy sense of fear and paranoia that surprisingly never goes too overboard, tip-toeing that line between crazy and concerned, crafting a natural relationship with Canterbury’s Caleb that obviously is born out of lineage but feels rooted in a sympathetic respect. 

Knowing, directed by Alex Proyas, is a creepy, darkly suspenseful film all about hearing and listening when you are called, as when the world ends and with it us, who will be called to keep us progressing? And if not the case, we all die in the end anyways, so what’s it matter, really?

8.8/10