Nextby Jennifer M. ContinoReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 7 Nicolas Cage never seems to do the same role twice. In Next, he's a magician who is really a psychic able to see a few minutes into his own future. He's used the skill for hook or crook a few times, but never against the little guy. However, his abilities become of interest when terrorists threaten to detonate a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles and they feel he might be able to help them save the city. It sounds far fetched, but it kind of worked the way they presented it in Next. You have to let your imagination wander and believe in the impossible to enjoy Next. I know it might be confusing in a few parts if you aren't used to things like this, where you can alter reality by doing one or two things different. Growing up reading comic books, this was like old home to me.I thought it was an exciting film and, although I could predict a few of the things that happened, I didn't see some of the twists and turns, which made this film all the more fun. I hate being able to predict every little thing in a movie. I like being surprised. The previews were pretty much true to form for Next, meaning if you like what you see in those snippets, you're going to be on the edge of your seat for this film. Cage isn't my favorite actor of all time, but I thought he did quite well as the torn psychic. Aside from the terrorist plot, the story was also one of winning the woman of your dreams -- someone who, when she was with Cage, allowed him to see more than just a few minutes into his future. So, along with the threat of this terrorist attack and both sides trying to manipulate Cage for their own bidding, you had this kind of love at first sight story. It added a lot of depth to what could have been just a straight action oriented tale. All in all, I liked Next and would watch it again, which is more than I can say for a lot of the recent new movies on the shelf. Written: October 15, 2007
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