I Wish More People Knew About This 2009 Sci-Fi Disaster Movie Starring Nicolas Cage

Do you KNOW about the 2009 sci-fi disaster movie, Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage? (Don’t mind me. I’m just getting my Dad jokes in for the day.) If not, I don’t blame you, because it’s neither Nic Cage’s best movie nor his worst.

When I think about the film, I put it more in that category (disaster films) rather than in one of my other favorite subgenres - movies where Nicolas Cage goes bananas. Because Knowing isn’t that kind of film, which is why I think a lot of people might have either forgotten about it, or haven’t even seen it.

This is a shame, because Knowing is a really interesting film for several reasons. Here are just a few.

Yes, there are spoilers ahead!

First Off, It’s Another Awesome Movie From The Director Of Dark City And The Crow

As a cineast, I’m always fascinated by the auteur. My favorite is Stanley Kubrick, but I’m also a devout viewer of Scorsese, Tarantino, and, quite recently, Nia DaCosta. Now, when I say I’m a devout viewer, I mean I’ll watch their entire filmography, with some of these being harder than others.

For example, Paul Thomas Anderson hasn’t been too difficult since he’s only directed ten feature-length films. Hitchcock has been a struggle, though, since he did somewhere in the range of 50 movies (though I am getting through them). Well, Australian director Alex Proyas is a perfect director to start with since he’s made a respectable 7 movies thus far, starting with 1989’s interesting sci-fi film Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds.

Proyas’ next film would be the one that would make him a household name: The Crow, which was followed by 1998’s hidden gem, Dark City, which is still referenced when it comes to intelligent science fiction. 2002’s Garage Days was a fascinating departure since it was a comedy-drama, and then we got what was probably Proyas’ biggest film, I, Robot, starring Will Smith.

At this point, Proyas mostly made a home for himself in the realm of sci-fi, which is why 2009’s Knowing felt like a natural progression. His most recent movie, 2016’s Gods of Egypt, wasn’t sci-fi…and also wasn’t very good. But, he’s apparently going back to the genre with an adaptation of the Czech play, R.U.R. All of this is to say that Proyas is a great sci-fi director, which really comes in handy with a movie like Knowing.

The Plot Is All Sorts Of Creepy

I know you’ve heard of Nostradamus, but have you ever heard of Baba Vanga? She was a blind clairvoyant, and some of her predictions apparently came true, such as 9/11, and Covid-19 (This year, she predicts World War III, and alien contact, so, um, look forward to that?). Anyway, the reason I bring her up is that in this movie, there’s sort of somebody similar.

In 1959, a little girl named Lucinda writes a paper full of ostensibly random numbers that is to be put into a time capsule. Lucinda hears whispers, and before she can put the final numbers on the paper, it’s taken away and put inside the capsule. Flash forward 50 years, and the capsule is opened. The paper is given to a little boy, and his dad, John (Nicolas Cage), who’s an MIT astrophysicist, sees it.

John studies the paper and realizes that the numbers represent locations, fatalities, and dates, which foretold events like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 (Just like Baba Vanga!). Well, there are more numbers on the paper, and they seem to foretell the future, which is when we get some of the disasters that I’ll mention in the next entry.

It’s all really creepy stuff, and I wish more disaster movies had an element of horror to them. It really works here.

The Disasters In This Movie Are Actually Horrific

Disaster movies aren’t usually all that scary. I mean, they’re big and bombastic, like San Andreas and 2012, but I wouldn’t say that most end-of-the-world scenarios put on film are really as dire or as distressing as one would think. I feel a main reason for this is that these films are usually centered around specific characters who keep avoiding near-death experiences as the world collapses.

This might be why I’m usually not a fan of the genre. However, what makes Knowing different is that it truly does make these events terrifying, almost in a Final Destination sort of way. Take, for example, the plane crash scene, which is the first major disaster in the movie. Sure, it’s not one of the best plane crashes in film I’ve ever seen, such as the one in The Grey, but that’s only because Nicolas Cage’s character is not physically ON the plane.

That said, the sight of the plane crashing is truly horrific, as it doesn’t turn away from the disaster. Or, what about the train crash scene, which is also quite terrifying? I never really even thought about a train derailment until I watched this movie, and this scene alone makes me a bit queasy to get on subways now.

Knowing is a disaster movie done right, and I wish more people were aware of this film, because I feel like barely anybody talks about it.

It’s Nice To See Nic Cage Just Playing A Normal Dude

I know a lot of people who say, “Nic Cage can’t act” (It’s like they’ve never seen Leaving Las Vegas before), and the thing is, that’s not true in the slightest. Nic Cage is a phenomenal actor. It’s just that he really, REALLY loves to play weirdos. For a lot of people, outside of movies like National Treasure, Nic Cage ONLY plays weirdos. However, there are occasionally films where Nic Cage just plays regular dudes, and Knowing is one such film.

Playing an MIT astrophysicist professor in this movie, Cage feels more like a regular guy (A regular guy with a PhD, that is) who is just in a very strange situation. When he gets the numbers and puts two and two together, that they represent facts and figures, it puts him on a quest to try to put a stop to fate, which is overall impossible. Throughout the film, he learns about extraterrestrial beings that whisper, and he laments that he can’t hear them.

Throughout the film, his character is just a guy trying to make sense of the world around him, and it’s nice to see Nic Cage just play a normal dude.

This is a disaster movie after all, and the main attraction is the plot itself, not the actor. That said, it’s better with Cage in it, since he plays a believable genius. It’s good stuff.

In The End, Knowing Is One Of The Better Disaster Movies That You May Not Know About

Is Knowing a perfect movie? No. In fact, the ending is kind of ridiculous, and probably the worst thing about the film. That said, up to that point, it’s a really good disaster flick, and one I don’t hear about nearly enough.

It’s a Nic Cage movie (With Rose Byrne! I forgot to mention Rose Byrne!), but not a popular one. It’s an Alex Proyas film, but not Dark City, and it’s a disaster movie, but more sci-fi than anything else.

But, in the end, it’s just a good movie overall (even though the critics didn’t love it), and it’s definitely worth a watch if you like the genre or the actors.