Who wouldn’t want the ability to see what’s going to happen next?
For Chris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) that dream is a reality.
In the new film “Next,” that is exactly what the main character knows. He has the ability to see the future. The catch is that he can only see two minutes ahead and only events linked to his own fate. Johnson keeps a low profile in Las Vegas where he exploits his talents of prediction working as a magician and making extra money from the casinos.
Although he tries not to attract attention, his gift finally catches up with him when he catches the eye of agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore), who begins to suspect his gift is real. The government decides that it wants to use him in order to stop a plot to set off a nuclear explosion in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, he knows exactly what the government and the terrorists will do before they do it.
Along the way Johnson runs into the beautiful Liz (Jessica Biel). The two must run from both the government and the terrorists.
One thing that is never really addressed is how Johnson’s ability presents itself to him. In order to show the audience how it works, filmmakers used different techniques such as showing him die and then having him re-do his action in a way that he avoids death, but there isn’t ever a clear explanation of why he is the way he is or a personal account of what it is like for him to have (and be burdened) by such a super power.
The acting from veteran Cage is far better than his last movie, “Ghost Rider.” He redeems himself by returning to his previous witty self and delivers some lines with the calm cool and sometimes humorous charm that his fans have come to know and appreciate.
Biel does a good job as Liz, who is thrown into an unfamiliar world when she gets involved with Johnson. She delivers believable emotion.
Unfortunately, the special effects disappoint. There is a large gap between the quality of the effects in this movie and those of the Hollywood blockbuster action flicks that have come out in recent years.
The worst scene is one where Johnson is running down a steep hill as massive objects careen down the mountain. He skillfully dodges each one with the use of his ability.
This wouldn’t be a problem except for the poor quality in which Cage is inputted into the scene. Many of the objects that are rolling down the hill, including logs and cars, look extremely animated. Sometimes it looks more like television than film.
This is not to say that there aren’t some visually interesting scenes. One scene in a maze-like warehouse helps audiences visualize how Johnson’s ability works by showing many different versions of him traversing the same space in different directions. The overall look of the effects, though, is not amazing.
“Next” has some redeeming qualities and has a fairly original core concept. Fans of Nicolas Cage and Jessica Biel will most likely enjoy the film, as will viewers who enjoy sci-fi thrillers.
