Everyone has an expiration date.

For some it looms right around the corner, while for

others it is a long ways ahead. But sooner or later, that day always comes. Everyone knows it

will happen; there is absolutely no doubt about it. Yet people are still afraid – afraid of the

sinister figure that whisks us away with its gnarled hands. People live their lives knowing that

death is lurking in the shadows, but most only catch glimpses of its fiery red glare. However, a

select few do know exactly when it is going to happen. They know exactly where it is going to

happen. They know that mankind is closing in on its expiration date. Starring Nicolas Cage and

directed by Alex Proyas, Knowing is a one way catapult through a mind-blowing venture until

the very end.

The film opens in 1959 with a seemingly schizophrenic girl named Lucinda (Lara

Robinson) who scrawls down numbers on a piece of paper and puts them into her elementary

school’s time capsule. Fifty years later, Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) and his father, John

(Nicholas Cage), receive Lucinda’s “message” during the opening of the time capsule. John soon

makes a horrifying discovery; the numbers reveal the precise location, date, and death toll of

every single disaster in the past five decades. He realizes that there are exactly two disasters

left on the list, but for the final catastrophe, the death toll is replaced with the mysterious

letters EE. In a desperate attempt to figure out the big picture, he tracks down Lucinda’s

daughter Diana (Rose Byrne) and granddaughter Abby. Further into the film, Diana asks John,

“What happens when the numbers run out?” Soon, John figures out the answer, “EE doesn't

stand for just one person.” It means everybody else.

 Of course, a disaster movie is not complete without fast-paced, heart pounding thrill

scenes. Aptly, Knowing is filled to the brim with invigorating incidents, enriched with

breathtaking special effects. Probably the most memorable of these is when John witnesses a

plane fall from flight and crash into a field beside the road. The emotions that poured out of

John and the victims of the crash were so realistic that tears would well up in the eyes of even

the most austere audiences. The sense of desperation, not only for survival, but for the chance

for Lucinda’s numbers to be just a big fat coincidence twists the danger into a sharp point that

glints evilly like moonlight reflecting off a dagger. The pain is so real – the sorrow so heavy. “I

keep seeing their faces… burning,” John says afterwards, reflecting upon the experience. And

because of the magnificent work of the actors and producers, the audience will never forget the

blazes either.

“You and me… Together, forever.” With every passing moment, the love that John has

for Caleb as his only parent after his mother died is revealed with the developing relationship

that bonds the father and the son. At the exposition, John is slightly over-protective of Caleb.

Although it is vaguely presented when John refuses to send Caleb to a sleepover, this fear for

Caleb continues to solidify as John suppresses his discoveries about Lucinda’s numbers despite

Caleb’s constant importuning for an explanation. Eventually, Caleb is unable to muffle his

disappointment, “I can ask questions when you tell me to do things that don’t make sense, and

now you won’t tell me what’s going on and why you are acting so weird all the time. I’m not a

kid anymore!” The situation is vividly familiar for parents and children alike. Often times,

parents try to forget that their children are growing up. Rather than loosening their grips, they

squeeze tighter and tighter as a voice from inside of them reminds them of the growing
distance between their sons and daughters. The film reminds viewers that relationships are not

meant to be perfect, but rough times strengthen the ties that keep a family together. But more

precisely, Knowing reminds parents that letting go of that hand does not mean that they are

leaving that love behind. This unforgettable father-son connection, is a beautiful finishing touch

that shows us what it means to be family.

Despite the down to earth lessons Proyas presents us, the insinuating plot swerves out

of control. In fact, as the story progresses, many unusual events pop out of nowhere, leaving

the viewer momentarily confused. For example, Caleb hears voices of people whispering in his

ear, whom he often sees off in the distance. These men, who Caleb dubs as the “Whisper

People,” actually turn out to be some sort of extraterrestrial humanoids that try to salvage

select children of the population in order to preserve the human race after the disaster. The

principle behind the ending is so utterly preposterous that it resembles the second law of

thermodynamics: Without an input of energy, all systems tend to increase in entropy over time.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the writers were just plain lackadaisical when it came to

ending the movie with a bang. Rather than serving its intended purpose, the vacillating plot

leaves the audience with the paradoxical decision of guffawing at the nonsense or crying

because of the moving scenes inserted intermittently between segments of drivel.

Consequently, Proyas and the rest of his crew defiled nearly the entire movie within the final

fifteen minutes.

Overall, Knowing presents a portent plot of planet Earth’s peril. The exhilarating story-

line is like a roller-coaster ride, with unexpected bumps and abrupt turns that will definitely
pump adrenaline into the blood stream. Although the culmination might be “below average,”

the rest of the movie is still spectacular and memorable. John knows that life of Earth is about

to disintegrate, but of course, nothing ever truly disappears.

John’s father: This isn’t the end, son.

John: I know.