RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Knowing
Knowing

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Knowing (2009)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
33 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:160

Fresh:52

Rotten:108

Average Rating:4.7/10

Consensus: Knowing has some interesting ideas and a couple good scenes, but it's weighted down by its absurd plot and over-seriousness.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:25-03-2009

Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming... Nicolas Cage stars in Knowing, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future—and sets out to prevent them from coming true.

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB KOESTLER. But it is Caleb’s father, professor JOHN KOESTLER (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document’s chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son. When John’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.

With the reluctant help of DIANA WAYLAND (Rose Byrne) and ABBY WAYLAND, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, John’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster—and the ultimate sacrifice. --© Summit Entertainment [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Terry Camilleri

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Terry Camilleri

Director: Alex Proyas

Director: Alex Proyas
Studio: Summit Entertainment

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    "Message" TV Spot
    >
    "Warning" TV Spot
    >
    RT Review Revue - Knowing, I Love You, Man, Duplicity
    >
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Knowing

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

If you want to know how inept the movie is...well, it's so inept that you may wish you were watching an M. Night Shyamalan version of the very same premise.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment 8 Comments
03/23/09
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

...is better than THE WICKER MAN remake. But not by much.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment 3 Comments
03/22/09
JimmyO
JimmyO
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

the words "trite" and "ludicrous" come to mind and lodge there.

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/22/09
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Knowing's path is so far fetched, disturbing and down right awful that I would expect to find very few people who enjoyed this film.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment 3 Comments
03/22/09
Jolene Mendez
Jolene Mendez
Entertainment Spectrum

It's the movie Keanu Reeves' Day the Earth Stood Still remake wished it could have been.

Full Review Source: Giant Freakin Robot | comment 3 Comments
03/22/09
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
Giant Freakin Robot

An anticlimactic, idiotic leap into low-end Shyamalan-ian insanity with a touch of moderate fundamentalism. Nicolas Cage's performance is deserving of another YouTube ode to awfulness, and only disaster scenes elevate it above straight-to-DVD status.

Full Review Source: Suite101.com | comment 2 Comments
03/22/09
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
Suite101.com

A few may find revelation in this awkward fusion of 'Left Behind' meets 'Close Encounters', but most will simply find grave disappointment

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment 1 Comment
03/21/09
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

I started out loathing this movie. I thought the director had flipped out and was taking the long way 'round to get to the point. By the time it was over, and I had gasped out loud at its amazing finale, I knew I wanted to see it again.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment 14 Comments
03/21/09
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Nicolas Cage finally has an excuse for his Joey Tribiani 'smell the fart' acting style. The movie stinks.

Full Review Source: Film Experience | comment 1 Comment
03/21/09
Nathaniel Rogers
Nathaniel Rogers
Film Experience

"Front-loaded with a pervasive sense of unease ... but once the plot's wheels start grinding in earnest, [it] follows that runaway subway train off the rails."

Full Review Source: Miss FlickChick | comment 1 Comment
03/21/09
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
Miss FlickChick

So silly that it not only strains credulity--it shatters it and then stomps it into infinitesimal pieces.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 1 Comment
03/21/09
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

An exciting , if not entirely plausible, sci-fi thriller. After this one, 'Next' and the 'National Treasure' movies star Nicolas Cage clearly likes 'Knowing' things before the rest of us.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment 1 Comment
03/20/09
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Hollywood.com

Chaos -- and a bad script -- threaten the human race.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
03/20/09
Renee Schonfeld
Renee Schonfeld
Common Sense Media

Knowing is a complex movie that is waaaaay out there. Sure, these ideas are pretty far on the fringe, but they make for some pretty exciting movie watching.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment 1 Comment
03/20/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Apocalyptic sci-fi thrillers are supposed to be thought-provoking and supernaturally suspenseful, but this is just paranormally dopey.

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment 3 Comments
03/20/09
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

Imagine that the nitwits who wrote those preposterous Left Behind apocalyptic end-times fantasies decided to try their pens at something X-Files-y...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment 6 Comments
03/20/09
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

A big creepy sci-fi thriller -- or two-thirds of one, anyway.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment 1 Comment
03/20/09
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

Feels like the sort of poorly defined spiritual salve that M. Night Shyamalan concocts in between preening sessions in front of the mirror.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment 1 Comment
03/20/09
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

This is a strange, scatterbrained hybrid of disaster movie and theologically minded science fiction. It’s like The Happening with math.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment 1 Comment
03/20/09
Loey Lockerby
Loey Lockerby
Kansas City Star

The movie dissolves into Cage running around trying to warn people about the numbers, but he doesn't know exactly what is going to happen or where it's coming from, so we get the crazy doomsayer routine by day and boozing while lamenting by night.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment 2 Comments
03/20/09
Uncle Creepy
Uncle Creepy
Dread Central
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for Knowing

July 06, 2009: RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
It's a genre lover's feast this week on DVD, but don't say we didn't warn you about those pesky rotten Tomatometers. First up? Alex Proyas's latest science fiction thriller,... More...

March 22, 2009: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Power Knowing To # 1
This weekend Moviegoers still love Nicolas Cage action flicks as the actor's latest film, the doomsday thriller Knowing, easily beat out two other new releases to capture the... More...

March 19, 2009: Critics Consensus: I Love You, Man Is A Fine Bromance
This week at the movies, we've got a bromantic comedy (I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel), ominous numerology (Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne),... More...

March 19, 2009: Box Office Guru Preview: Cage, Roberts, and Rudd Battle For #1 Spot
Three new films roll into North American multiplexes and for the first time in ages, all three have a realistic chance of claiming the number one spot. Comedies have been... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

arrow arrow Show more Show less

100% 100% The Red Shoes 11/12
88% 88% Unmade Beds 11/12
72% 72% Where the Wild Things Are 11/12
67% 67% Carriers 11/12
40% 40% The Limits of Control 11/12
11% 11% The Stepfather 11/12
— Mascarades 11/12

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
14
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
16
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
21
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
40
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
101
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
55
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
39
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
36
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
20
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
7
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Knowing at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Knowing at IGN
  • Knowing at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.