Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret: he can see two minutes into the future. Sick of the government and scientific interest in his gift, he lies low in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings." But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.

The weirdness of actor Nicolas Cage and the weirdness of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick seem like a natural fit. The premise, taken from a short story by Dick, is a good one: A mediocre Las Vegas magician named Chris Johnson (Cage) can see into the future--but only about two minutes at the most. Just enough to pull off his act and to make some money at the gambling tables, so long as he's discreet. Unfortunately, he hasn't been discreet enough; a government agent (Julianne Moore) has sussed out his precognitive talent and wants to use him to track down terrorists. But all Johnson cares about is a beautiful young woman (Jessica Biel, The Illusionist) that he can see in his future--much further in his future than he's ever seen before. Next has flashes that point to a much, much better movie than it turned out to be. A sequence in which Johnson, clairvoyantly explores all the different permutations of how he might approach his mystery woman is both funny and thought-provoking, and when Johnson avoids pursuers by knowing just the right moment to turn a corner or duck his head, it's smart and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the terrorist part of the plot is utterly perfunctory and precognition is reduced to an action movie gimmick. Somewhere in there is the kernel of a romantic comedy about precognition that's just waiting to be made. Cage gives a solid if unsurprising performance, Moore is basically earning a paycheck, but Biel is unexpectedly good (and her part is considerably better-written than your usual romantic interest); her performance suggests a better future than anyone might have predicted. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond Next

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User Comments About Next

Starts off good, then goes nowhere

Next falls somewhere in between, with Nicolas Cage starring as Cris Johnson: a two-bit Vegas magician who can see two minutes into the future. Now and then, you'll get genre classics like Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, and to a lesser extent Total Recall. Other times, you'll get Paycheck. Dick tales, and as a stand-alone sci-fi/actioner, just doesn't offer enough to keep you interested.

All in all, Next is a disappointment in terms of being a fan of Philip K. Still, Cage is actually pretty good, and Biel is surprisingly good as well, but neither can manage to save this flick. Using this ability to get by via gambling, Cris soon learns that a government agent (Julianne Moore) is after him to use him to track down terrorists and a stolen weapon, but all Cris has on his mind is a mysterious woman (Jessica Biel) whom he keeps seeing visions of. The villains (featuring the talented Thomas Kretschmann) get no depth at all, nor do many of the other characters besides Cris, and the film's ending will just leave you infuriated.

Dick adaptations are a tricky science. Philip K. Next does get off to a great start with some inventive storytelling that actually manages to echo Dick's "The Golden Man" story of which the film is based, but it sadly veers into a pretty predictable, glossy action yarn that doesn't suit the talents of the otherwise solid director Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day).

A different twist.

Biel had important roles, however, were shadowed by Mr. Supporting cast adequate. The story moves easily from start to finish. Both Ms. Cage (and I'm not a fan).

Fast moving - action - kept my interest throughout.

Excellent acting by Mr.

Cage who was really in his element.

A good story line.

Moore and Ms.

This genre of film is right up my alley.

Right off, I liked it - a lot.

The theme: time, and ones ability to see ahead - not really unique, however, with a "different twist", which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Interesting Premise--Makes the Book Appealing

To add to the whole adventure, Nicholas' character can see farther than 2 minutes in the future with regards to one individual (Jessica Biel's character). The ending was a little shocking, and actually left me wanting more. He, of course, uses this to his advantage during his magic shows. This come to the attention of an FBI agent (Julianne Moore) who is trying to discover where a terrorist group is hiding a nuclear bomb. The movie is essentially about a Vegas magician (Nicholas Cage) that can see 2 minutes into the future. All in all, definitely a movie worth watching, especially for those that enjoy movies along these lines. In my case, I felt like it wasn't.

whether that is a good thing or not you can decide. I'm not sure how I became aware of it, but I saw it, read about it, and the premise intrigued me. I had completely missed Next when it was in the theaters and even when it hit DVD. The plot was very good, and I enjoyed the movie completely throughout.

Mind Bending

Well acted, of course, with Nicolas Cage in the lead. Larry This film was on par with the Matrix and others of the genre. I can't understand why we didn't see anything about the film when it was released.

NEXT time....

For both Cage and for Biel. A cool twist to time travel. Keeps you stuck to the story and hopeful all the way to the end.

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