As of April 27, 2009, the Rotten Tomatoes website has this film rated around 34 percent. That's generally considered low by the website’s rating system. Out of the 22 of the so-called “Top Critic” reviews, only three critics give the film a “Certified Fresh” rating (in other words, they liked it). What a shame. This film deserves much more credit, for many reasons. Will film critics ever stop fearing the demise of their careers for giving a science fiction film a positive rating?
Film Critics Refuse to Recognize Science Fiction Films
Roger Ebert, perhaps the most notable film critic in the United States, is fearless with his ratings. According to his website, http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/, he gave Knowing four stars: a perfect rating by his system. Ebert isn’t a fussy one; if he enjoys a movie, he will give it due credit. It seems these days many film critics refuse to even acknowledge movies that are just plain spectacular on the big screen. Perhaps they feel that by doing so would somehow damage their credibility, since most Oscar-winning films in the past few decades tend to focus on doom and gloom, and therefore, in their minds, greatness.
Ebert used the word “awesome” to describe Knowing, and many of the visual effects are simply unbelievable. It’s difficult not to become even a little enthralled when climactic events seem to be magnified by a factor of a thousand. Director Alex Proyas uses visual effects carefully and intentionally, and they work. Very well. They are not only mind-blowing, but they are designed to deliberately pull the viewer into the action. Many effects-driven films these days are saturated with almost pointless CGI that really do nothing for the film except to show off a director's “skill” with a computer. Knowing is not one of those films.
Knowing is an Outstanding Film
While moviegoers seem to have mixed feelings about the film, it has raked in nearly $77 million in only six weeks according to http://www.boxofficemojo.com/. As they say, “not too shabby.” All-in-all, Knowing is a terrific sci-fi thriller, with so-called "twists" that are hard to see coming, even when film twists seem to be in just about every Hollywood film these days. The storyline can be occasionally convoluted, but after a while, the viewer stops caring. And the plot does hold up, despite of (or because of) its thorny logic. The film’s story delves deep into the philosophical realm, posing questions that cannot easily be answered. And that’s the point. Fate versus free will—can mankind (or God for that matter) control the destiny of the universe? And, incidentally, Nicolas Cage's performance is particularly good here, as he takes both the role and the movie seriously.
Proyas, who directed Dark City and I, Robot, has crafted a masterpiece of visual storytelling. It really will be a good day for moviegoers when critics finally decide to come out of the closet and recognize well-made science fiction films as worthy of the distinction so many of them deserve. At any rate, Knowing can stand on its own. Perhaps it is fate that critics panned the film; now the viewers have free will to make up their own minds.
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