Two Minute Warning (Next (DVD))

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Next (DVD)
Date:	19/12/07 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good idea, powers executed well

Disadvantages: Slow in places, jammy ending

If I happened to be driving along one day and a lorry containing radioactive sludge crashed and poured its contents on to me I hope that my superpower isn't seeing the future. Personally, I imagine knowing what's going to happen would be depressing as you can tell how everyone is going to die (in the case of being smothered in radioactive waste - probably pretty soon!). This is not even to mention the inherent impossibilities of seeing the future because as soon as you know what your future is you have the ability to change it. Surely by gaining this power I would cause the very fabric of times and space to tear? Then again maybe I have too much time on my hands and should instead be worrying about more pressing things like the rent. It's lucky for me that famed science fiction author Philip K. Dick has already thought of the idea anyway and his work has been adapted into the film 'Next'.

Nicholas Cage dons possibly his most dubious wig to date as Cris Johnson a stage magician who uses real magic powers to see the future. He earns a modest living by keeping his powers hidden and using them to make money in the Las Vegas casinos. He is limited to this because his powers only allow him to see two minutes forward and no more. Agent Ferris (Julianne Moore) is unaware of this when he crosses her radar and she believes that he could be a valuable tool in uncovering a terrorist plot. Cris is not interesting in helping her, but when the mysterious Liz (Jessica Biel) becomes involved he finds himself more powerful than ever and has a real chance of saving the USA.

'Next' is a very mixed bag of ideas and production; for every one thing that works well, there is another that really sucks. The basic premise is a great one and as a viewer you are intrigued to see how Cris' powers may be used throughout the film. It is when Cris is using these powers that the film is at its best. When trying to avoid Casino security Cris escapes using his power to see near events. This power is very short term so it makes the scene very electric, Cris must think fast and try and blend into the background at the right time. He knows a security man is coming around the corner in 5 seconds, so he ducks to tie a shoe lace. This is great fun and is different from the violent escapes in many action films.

As the film progresses so does the use of Cris' powers. The later part of the film is far more open and delves into the genre of action rather than sci-fi. However, there is one use of Cris' power that stands out towards the end that makes the sub par action scenes worthwhile. Due to the nature of the power on show in 'Next' there are fewer sections of special effects on than in most science fiction and I actually think this enhances the film. There were obviously some budget restrictions on this film, but I think they did well to mask them.

With an interesting concept and great execution of future seeing powers it is the shame that the rest of the film fails to meet the same standards. The direction by Tamahori is reasonable, but never great. He ranges from some interesting work in the special effects sections, to some cheesy awfulness in the action scenes. The acting can also only be seen as adequate. Cage has done little in the past few years to expect otherwise, but the usually reliable Moore also seems to be sleep walking a little (saying that, this is infinitely better than her awful 'The Forgotten').

Perhaps the worst part of the film in the way that the story peters out. To begin with we are given an idea that could open up huge areas to explore. Add to this the concept of terrorists and you are looking at cheesy action sci-fi gold. However, the relationship drama between Cage and Biel takes centre stage by the middle of the film and really slows the pace. The less said about the ending the better, as although it did not ruin the film completely it did feel a bit of a shame.

Despite its cheesy nature and slight sagging in the middle there can be no denying that I was surprised how decent this film was. Cage's name on any film is not the most inspiring of things at any time, but on a throwaway science fiction film? Despite this the concept and execution of a man who can only see 2 minutes into the future is intriguing enough to make it a worthwhile watch. 'Next' is not going to be the next big thing, but as popcorn companion - it's pretty good.

Director: Lee Tamahori
Year: 2007
Cert: 12
Starring: Nicolas Cage and Julianna Moore
Price: Amazon uk £8.98
Play.com £8.99


Extras

I can't remember any of the extras - I don't think there were any!

Summary: A decent action sci-fi film for a Saturday night