Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 290 Ratings

  • Starring: Chandler Canterbury, Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne
  • Summary: 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, 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 Ted 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 Ted and his son. When Ted's attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place. (Summit Entertainment) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 27
  2. Negative: 11 out of 27
  1. 100
    Knowing is among the best science-fiction films I've seen -- frightening, suspenseful, intelligent and, when it needs to be, rather awesome.
  2. Reviewed by: Scott Mendelson
    70
    This is a severely flawed, but also a fascinating and engrossing science fiction film, a picture that offers far more than surface thrills.
  3. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    Genre fans always looking for something new and awesome may feel like they've seen most of this before, but the conceptual and emotional strength of Summit's Nicolas Cage starrer largely carries the day.
  4. 38
    UH-UH. Non. Nein. Negative. Sept. 11 is not to be used as the setup for a cheesy disaster prophecy flick.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 44 out of 179
  1. 10
    I thought this movie was amazing, the best I've seen in a while. The plotline was cool and the special effects were amazing. Nicolas cage and Rose Byrne were awesome in it. I can't believe how some people didn't like this movie. Expand
  2. Knowing is smart and suspenseful. It keeps you guessing and it is scary when it needs to be. One of the most important things about this movie is that it will make sense once you understand the mystery of it all. Expand
  3. 7
    This review contains spoilers. Knowing's writer needs to have an IQ check. While the film was enjoyable, the logic was just horrible. if your going to make aliens come to preserve the human race, then they either shouldn't predict the future, except maybe the solar flare, or they just shouldn't be aliens. The aliens were a little bit unexpected after you see the pictures of God and the sun or the priest dad. Otherwise, great film. Collapse
  4. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. okay, the film was nicely made and the story worked for itself and it was quite simple but catching and tense. but there is one big problem. why on earth would the aliens play with people by giving them cryptic messages, being mysterious weirdos and throwing black stones around for fifty years, if they can simply come, take the kids and go away?! ah, i know, then there wouldn't be any movie... Expand

See all 179 User Reviews

Trailers