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Next
Nicolas Cage, a rather far-fetched premise and an action bent - this one could go either way.
All in all, Next is way better than I expected it to be - even if the ending is poor and the overriding feel isn't quite as deep as it could be. For once, it's an action film that will appeal less to action fans and more to the cerebral types, and that's not what it says on the tin. I enjoyed this film: I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: - quite a few exciting bits. To enjoy this film you should be: less of an action fan, surprisingly.
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Cage stars as Cris Johnson, a stage magician who can actually see two minutes into his own future and thus react
accordingly. If he sees something bad happen, he acts in a way to prevent that thing happening - a remarkably useful
skill to have. In fact, rather shrewdly, Cage explains early on that he has to hide his skill by winning only small amounts
at the blackjack table and pretending he's actually a cornball stage magician. I really liked this set-up, and it showed
a vastly greater intelligence than I was expecting. It's the sort of set-up that has the viewer wandering off in his own
head, exploring the possibilities and losing concentration - at least that's what happened to me. The way Cage uses his
skill is almost as if he can undo the last two minutes if he needs to - but he doesn't have to wait for it to happen. So if
he gets shot, he can tell he's been shot in the future, and adjusts his position slightly in the present to miss
the bullet. This gives rise to problem number one with the plot - the baddies know he can do this, but guess how they try
and kill him anyway? Do they catch him in his sleep so he can't use his advantage? No, of course not, they try and shoot
him - and are surprised when he ducks. Duh.
Problem number two with the plot is the ending - but I shan't tell you what it is. Suffice to say it's a cop-out of the
highest order and a massive unnecessary disappointment after the sharpness of the lead-up. Happily the journey to the
climax is well worth the effort, with the graphic representation of Cage's future visions being wonderfully well realised -
you'd think it would be difficult to tell his future visions from reality but no, the director has handled this problem
superbly so that the visionary moments stand out exactly as they should. Top marks for that. Cage himself is as distant
as ever, but that isn't an issue in this role, and love interest Jessica Biel shows more sensitivity than I'd previously
given her credit for. The special effects are exciting and innovative, with Cage ducking and diving with split-second
accuracy to avoid all the flying debris - for once supported by a plot that explains how he can do that!
