Film: "Knowing" - Can someone explain what I just watched?

[Neil]

Ummm... Help! Enjoyed the first 1/2 or 2/3rds of the film, but they my brain just kept repeat, "huh?"

[LouCipherr]

Can someone explain what I just watched? Nope, 'cause I didn't 'get it' either.

[rightwing401]

You just watched what could, in my opinion, be considered two seperate films rolled into one movie. The first part is essentially a story of a single dad trying to find meaning in the world while raising his son after his wife's death. Then stumbling upon the jumbled bits of numbers on a piece of paper that really mean nothing at first. I did enjoy how he caught on to it by recognizing the '911' date. Then we're thrusted into a race against time for him to try and stop the next tragedies before they even happen. Then comes the second part, which appeared that the writers were trying to find some sort of meaning to the whole thing and decided to just whip up an alien angle. With the sudden introduction of the Albino Boys, and the realization that the whole world's going to end, it all comes in at roughly the last 30-45 min. of the film, which gives you no time at all to really process everything that comes about because of this and makes everything that happened before then (even Cage risking his life to save a woman and her newborn infant) meaningless. And somehow, we're left to assume, in this maddening rush of discovering the alien's future predicting calander, he finds his faith again before sending his son off with the Albino Boy aliens to forever summer camp on an alien world. Problem here is, lots of things are happening in each of these halves that are supposed to tie together to make some sense in the movie, but they don't really do it that well. One being the kids which suddenly go totally in the zone and start scratching off numbers at speeds that would leave even mathamaticians stunned. We're left to understand that these kids are somehow picked out by the aliens to recieve this message via some sort of brain wireless and be picked up by them at a pre-designated location to be whisked away to safety. But again, no explanation is given as to why this handful of children across the globe are chosen, and not hundreds, or at the very least, dozens more to ensure enough genetic diversity to rebuild a decimated population. Again, no explaination as to how these highly evolved aliens expect 8-10 year olds to decifer a complex series of numbers that give out dates, time, and GPS location in code, or even why they would want to be at the last location when bad crap happened at all the previous ones. There's plenty of other things to ponder here, but quiet frankly, it's just too much. The two seperate directions this movie took really don't tie in very well.

[Neil]

You just watched what could, in my opinion, be considered two seperate films rolled into one movie. The first part is essentially a story of a single dad trying to find meaning in the world while raising his son after his wife's death. Then stumbling upon the jumbled bits of numbers on a piece of paper that really mean nothing at first. I did enjoy how he caught on to it by recognizing the '911' date. Then we're thrusted into a race against time for him to try and stop the next tragedies before they even happen. Then comes the second part, which appeared that the writers were trying to find some sort of meaning to the whole thing and decided to just whip up an alien angle. With the sudden introduction of the Albino Boys, and the realization that the whole world's going to end, it all comes in at roughly the last 30-45 min. of the film, which gives you no time at all to really process everything that comes about because of this and makes everything that happened before then (even Cage risking his life to save a woman and her newborn infant) meaningless. And somehow, we're left to assume, in this maddening rush of discovering the alien's future predicting calander, he finds his faith again before sending his son off with the Albino Boy aliens to forever summer camp on an alien world. Problem here is, lots of things are happening in each of these halves that are supposed to tie together to make some sense in the movie, but they don't really do it that well. One being the kids which suddenly go totally in the zone and start scratching off numbers at speeds that would leave even mathamaticians stunned. We're left to understand that these kids are somehow picked out by the aliens to recieve this message via some sort of brain wireless and be picked up by them at a pre-designated location to be whisked away to safety. But again, no explanation is given as to why this handful of children across the globe are chosen, and not hundreds, or at the very least, dozens more to ensure enough genetic diversity to rebuild a decimated population. Again, no explaination as to how these highly evolved aliens expect 8-10 year olds to decifer a complex series of numbers that give out dates, time, and GPS location in code, or even why they would want to be at the last location when bad crap happened at all the previous ones. There's plenty of other things to ponder here, but quiet frankly, it's just too much. The two seperate directions this movie took really don't tie in very well. Yes, it did seem a film of two halves! The biggest thing for me is what was the meaning/point of the sheet of paper that formed the entire backbone of the film? If it was generated with the help of the aliens, when how on earth could they predict the future? And if the aliens were responsible, then why on earth go through 50yrs of nonsense, when they can just turn up the night before d-day and take the children then? ps: WTF was with the pebbles?

[rightwing401]

And if the aliens were responsible, then why on earth go through 50yrs of nonsense, when they can just turn up the night before d-day and take the children then? Don't know there, Neil. It makes about as much sense as bothering to carve 'Aaarrrggghhh' into a wall while you're dying. Got nothing on the pebbles either. Whatever the director/writers were trying to convey with it, they failed to get the point across.

[blind2d]

I think it's for people who want to think they're smart but aren't really. You know, to make them feel like, "oh, math... I know that! Hey look, dates of stuff... with other numbers! Neat!" and of course, "ooh aliens! Oh, conspiracy! Hey look, action and creepy suspense!" Not so much of a story as... various scenes with some decent effects thrown together just for drama. Not a good "story" by any means, but a fun "ride", if that's the kind of movie you're into. You just have to go with it and take everything that happens at face value... er, whatever. Saw it once, thought "meh", end. It's kinda unique, I s'pose, but not... great. Don't buy it, but rent if curious. Is Blockbuster really going out of business?

[DjfunkmasterG]

Ummm... Help! Can someone explain what i just watched? My pleasure.... Garbage, that is what you just watched.

[blind2d]

Yes... I thought the title was also somewhat ironic. "Knowing"? More like, "Figuring some stuff out for no apparent reason at the end of the film".

[Neil]

My pleasure.... Garbage, that is what you just watched. Although the ending was loose and rather unsatisfying, the first 2/3rd of the film I quite enjoyed. I'd give it a 6/10.