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KNOWINGMovie Reviews
Sci-fi thriller about a concerned father on a race to prevent horrific events after finding a time capsule containing a cryptic message predicting apocalypse. Cast:Nicolas Cage, Chandler CanterburyDirector:Alex ProyasRelease Date:March 20, 2009DVD Release:July 7, 2009From:Summit EntertainmentRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 1 min
Knowing played to weak reviews. • Michael Sragow wrote in the Baltimore Sun, "...a thick, lumpy stew of devices from the sci-fi/fantasy mainstream and the lunatic fringe." • And Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "It's hard to place much faith in a thriller where police search for a lost child in a schoolhouse by flashlight when they could just turn on the lights." More Reviews Below...
Jason Lynch, People: MODERATE(cg) "The jumbled 'Knowing' raises intriguing notions about fate vs free will, but as-fun with numbers goes, you're better off sticking to Sudoku."(See all of Jason Lynch's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 92 words, 03/26/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: POOR(cg) "...raises some thought-provoking, philosophical questions about randomness vs. determination, only to abandon them for biblical mumbo-jumbo and cheap scares."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 03/19/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "Clichés abound. And when all else fails in this by-the-numbers numerological thriller, director Alex Proyas turns up the volume of the bombastic score to 11."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 03/20/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...it's probably not a good sign when spectacles of mass death and intimations of planetary destruction are met with hoots and giggles."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 03/20/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...among the best science-fiction films I've seen -- frightening, suspenseful, intelligent and, when it needs to be, rather awesome."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 03/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Alex Proyas has created an ending that is sure to divide audiences into camps of love it or hate it... For me, it doesn't quite work; still I'm glad he took the risk."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 03/20/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "Sept. 11 is not to be used as the setup for a cheesy disaster prophecy flick.... fiercely ridiculous.... The movie begins shameless, grows stupid and winds up silly."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 03/20/09
Jim Ridley, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a lugubrious thriller... By the time winged messengers arrive from on high, one longs for the hard-headed heresy of Michael Tolkin's 'The Rapture.' "(See all of Jim Ridley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 03/18/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "There's a decent premise in this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, but it's highjacked by lazy writing.... if the world might end, let's have a few more subplots that make us care."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 03/19/09
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: FAIR(cg) "...the narrative corner into which this movie, directed by Alex Proyas ('I, Robot'), paints itself is a simultaneously silly and morbidly depressing one."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 340 words, 03/20/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...doesn't blend genres so much as partition them and present them separately... an odd film that becomes less effective every time it shifts gears."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 03/20/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "It borrows from L. Ron Hubbard, the Rapture Index, and a mess of apocalyptic sci-fi movies - quite a few of which are vastly more interesting, and more fun."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 03/20/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...starts off mildly ridiculous, ascends to the full-blown ludicrous, and finally sails boldly off the edge of the absolutely preposterous."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 03/20/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "It's hard to place much faith in a thriller where police search for a lost child in a schoolhouse by flashlight when they could just turn on the lights."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 430 words, 03/20/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...overlong... far too solemn for its own good. A little levity, applied at key moments, might have helped it make its points and lend plausibility to its characters."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 03/20/09
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...criticisms of story and acting seem nitpicky in the face of the special effects, which are awesome... Proyas gives the film's handful of disaster sequences great impact."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 03/20/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...devolves into a cartoonishly stupid collision between 'Independence Day' and 'Close Encounters -- with, I kid you not, two fluffy bunny rabbits trapped in the inferno."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 03/20/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: POOR(cg) "...an apocalyptic blend of sci-fi, horror and faith that is almost certain to be the most harrowing hooey you see in a theater this year."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 03/20/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: MODERATE(cg) "...offers mumbo jumbo on an apocalyptic scale. It's a thick, lumpy stew of devices from the sci-fi/fantasy mainstream and the lunatic fringe."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 03/20/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Jim Ridley, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a lugubrious thriller... By the time winged messengers arrive from on high, one longs for the hard-headed heresy of Michael Tolkin's 'The Rapture.' "(See all of Jim Ridley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 03/18/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "The plot is a sham (shades of 'Signs' and 'Close Encounters'), and Alex Proyas's slick visuals do little to dress it up."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 03/19/09
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "There's a decent premise in this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, but it's highjacked by lazy writing.... if the world might end, let's have a few more subplots that make us care."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 03/19/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...it's probably not a good sign when spectacles of mass death and intimations of planetary destruction are met with hoots and giggles."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 03/20/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Alex Proyas has created an ending that is sure to divide audiences into camps of love it or hate it... For me, it doesn't quite work; still I'm glad he took the risk."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 03/20/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Genre fans always looking for something new and awesome may feel like they've seen most of this before but the conceptual and emotional strength largely carries the day..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 930 words, 03/20/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "...mixes sci-fi, horror and religious elements into an unstable stew... The premise is undeniably intriguing, but you keep thinking: Where the hell is this heading?"(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 749 words, 03/20/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Alex Proyas has created an ending that is sure to divide audiences into camps of love it or hate it... For me, it doesn't quite work; still I'm glad he took the risk."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 03/20/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...it's probably not a good sign when spectacles of mass death and intimations of planetary destruction are met with hoots and giggles."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 03/20/09
18.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Knowing's reviews are separated by an average 18.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Knowing (31 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Knowing's reviews cover 57.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 13,397 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 432 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 30.6 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Knowing's reviews on average broke 30.6 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Knowing's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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