Next

Next is something of a puzzler. Cris Johnson (Nicholas Cage) was born with the ability to see into the future. It's only by two minutes, and he can only see things that are going to directly effect him, but he can do it, and he's using it to eke a meager living as a stage magician in Las Vegas, and also a quite handsome living cheating at blackjack. We meet Cris as he's obsessing over the one time he was able to see further, which was a vision of a mystery woman who turns out to be smokin' hot Liz (Jessica Biel), months before they meet.

Enter Special Agent Callie Fields (Julianne Moore) who wants his help finding a nuke that the Ruskies lost. Now, quite what the FBI think they are going to do with two minutes warning that a nuke is about to go off is anyone's guess, but she wants him to help. What follows is a fairly straightforward story about one of the most difficult concepts to grasp. Seeing the future and then changing it. If you changed it, won't you now have then seen the new changed future that is actually happening, as opposed to the future that you changed which was going to be happening?

Cue some interesting effects, some funny Groundhog Day style "trial and error" scenes, a scene which is totally unnecessary for those members of the audience not in possession of a penis (Biel, fresh from the shower, clad only in a towel), and some seriously cool scenes where we get an inkling of exactly how useful it would be to be able to see even a little way into the future.

All in all, this film is not great. I've seen the whole "future sight" thing handled much more expertly. But this film is good entertainment, fuel for discussions for the technically minded, and fun filled eye candy.

Not too shabby.

Doombreed Rating: * * * *