NEXT

2 Stars - Shallow

Cris Johnson (Nicholas Cage) knows the future.  At least he knows two minutes into the future only as it pertains to what is going to happen to him personally.  This oddity of perception is therefore so limited that it leaves Cris using his prophetic skill to perform a Vegas magic act and to win against the casinos.

But one day he receives a vision that is further into the future than 2 minutes.  He sees a beautiful woman in a diner who he realizes is connected to his own destiny in some significant manner.  This vision compels him to go to that diner daily until he meets Liz (Jessica Biel).  But what he and Liz do not realize is that this meeting is going to be a part of a far greater moment in history in which they must both play a part in a larger destiny.

Also brought into this historic moment is FBI agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore).  Having been given the video-tapes of Cris’ abilities to both win at blackjack and stop two murders, she realizes that he is a valuable person to help her and the agency stop a plan to commit a catastrophic act of terrorism.  She therefore attempts to force Cris to use his skills to help her and our nation.

Though we won’t reveal all the twists of the story, since that is a major part of the enjoyment of the film, it is clear that “Next” provides little insight into either our understanding of time or reality.  Though it provides plenty of suspense and action, it leaves many loose threads untied and therefore feels unsatisfying and incomplete for most who view it.

Joining a long line of science fiction films fascinated with time, Lee Tamahori’s “Next” scratches the surface of two fascinating implications. The first is that if one had the ability to see the future, does that seeing change it? Tamahori answers this in the affirmative. The second is if one can see the future and behave in a way that changes it, does that change imply that existence is real rather than a dream or a vision? Tamahori’s film ignores this question completely.

This last question has been answered by several religious traditions, both ancient and modern, by theorizing the only reality is that which is dreamed, envisioned or thought.  For example, the ancient Buddhist faith suggested that time is an illusion used by our minds to order the distinct experiences we envision into past, present and future.  However, the Buddhist would also say that there really is nothing real other than that which we are experiencing now and past and future are only mental constructs.  This would be similar to the view of ancient Gnostics, modern Religious Scientists and New Age believers in which they suggest that time is an illusion that needs to be seen through in order to understand both ourselves and others.  In a similar manner, such writers as physicist Julian Barbour suggest that new understandings of science are putting The End to Time, a development which he then titled his 1999 book on the subject.

This ancient religious and modern scientific dilemma is one which other religious traditions such as Judaism and Christianity answer in the affirmative by explaining that time and space, creation and relationships really do exist outside of human thought and therefore there is a real past, present and future just as we experience it. The film could have woven a whole other layer into the film but as it is, it feels shallow and incomplete.  Instead the focus is entirely on the first question, whether we can change the future if we know what is going to happen.  Even though the film answers in the affirmative, there is no conversation as to why this might be true.  Instead we are left with a shallow version of a fascinating possible film.

 

 

Discussion:                                   

1.       It could be argued that this film is not concerned with the millennia-old question of what is real and therefore it is inappropriate to raise the critique.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?

 

2.       The connection which Cris has with Liz allows him to see hours into the future.  Yet when he chooses to help, he leaves Liz behind.  Do you believe the film is saying that he doesn’t need her now because his abilities have changed or that he can still change the future by only knowing 2 minutes into it, or is there some other reason, such as Cris is simply wanting to protect Liz from danger?

 

3.       The fact that “destiny” brought Cris and Liz and Callie together in this historic moment implies that there is an even greater force working on all of our lives.  Do you believe that?  If so, what is this force?  Is there a Deity who is working behind the scenes through people or do you believe in an impersonal force?

 

4.       The expectation that a person would use their unique gifts for the good of others is raised by this film.  Do you believe Cris felt such a responsibility?  Do you use your unique gifts for the good of others?

 

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Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.  Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is pastor of the Free Methodist Church. For more reviews: http://www.cinemainfocus.com.