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Written by Connie Ogle, McClatchy-Tribune
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Friday, 27 April 2007 |
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NEXT
2 stars
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel.
Director: Lee Tamahori.
Screenwriters: Gary Goldman, Jonathan Hensleigh, Paul Bernbaum. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick.
Producers: Nicolas Cage, Todd Gardner, Norman Golightly, Graham King, Arne Schmidt.
A Paramount release. Running time: 96 minutes.
Rated PG-13: Intense sequences of violent action, language.
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When will our collective patience run out with Nicolas Cage? When does the good will, fostered by fond memories of "Valley Girl," "Moonstruck," "Raising Arizona," even "Wild at Heart," evaporate? Does "The Rock" plus "The Wicker Man" negate the intrinsic value of comic gems like "The Weather Man" and "Adaptation"? And can anything erase traces of "Ghost Rider" from our minds?
A bracing dose of advanced mathematics might provide an answer, but all we have to go on for the moment is "Next," Cage's latest silly action movie, pleasantly but not competently shaded with sci-fi potential. "Next" is based on a story by Philip K. Dick, whose work inspired "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report," but "Next" is proof that breeding isn't everything, especially in the hands of a director who spent about 12 bucks on his special effects budget and a couple of stars who don't seem to be working up much of a sweat.
The premise, stuck as it is amid increasingly foolish predicaments, is still a decent one, though.
Cage plays Cris Johnson, stage name Frank Cadillac, a cheesy Vegas showman whose magic is more than sleight of hand. He can see precisely two minutes into the future, an interesting sort of curse that allows him to win steadily but unobtrusively at the blackjack table but not to majorly affect circumstances in the world at large.
Cris makes the most of his two-minute head start in life — he foils a crime and then leads cops on a merry chase through a casino in a well-choreographed early sequence that's the most engaging moment in the film — but there's one image in his head that he can't shake. This persistent vision involves Jessica Biel, and for that, who could blame him?
But before he can figure out why he's being drawn to her, a tough FBI agent (Julianne Moore) gives chase, demanding that Cris help her track down a missing bomb. It's hard to say how much help a two-minute head start would be if you had to search the entire country for an errant nuke; even Jack Bauer would probably call you a moron for trying. There are also some French bad guys milling around in the background, muttering vague threats against Cris' continued health and well-being.
It's pretty much at this point that "Next" starts to sink, losing any internal logic it might have been building toward. The FBI agent bases her theory that Cris can help on some mighty flimsy evidence; it's tough to figure out precisely how she even intends to take advantage of his gift. And there's no explanation on how the bad guys realize Cris' power to derail them. Could it be ... magic?
"Next" begins to seriously embarrass itself and its stars — except for Biel, surprisingly, who manages to escape with a shred of dignity, possibly because her role requires little beyond looking gorgeous — once it rolls to its climax, during which Cris leads the feds through the maze of an empty ship, dodging death at every turn. At one hilarious point, he splits into several men, as Cris furrows his brow and imagines all the possible outcomes that might occur in the next 120 seconds. The sight of Cage splitting into many different Cages, all potentially heading off to make more bad movies for big fat paychecks, is profoundly disturbing.
We can only hope the next Cage sighting is as inspired as his cameo in "Grindhouse": funny, unexpected and exceedingly welcome. What are the odds? | Only registered users can write comments.
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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