07-05-16 Next (2007)

Seen: May 12th, 2007
Format: Theater
Rating: 7

I think Philip K. Dick was a brilliant author. Psychotic, deranged and unstable perhaps, but brilliant none the less.

Unfortunately, this does not mean that his works make good films. The very nature of his writing often doesn't translate well, if at all, to film. The concepts are often difficult to covey, and even if that's done well, it's difficult to digest them in two weeks, much less two hours.

But they are unique, something that Hollywood stories generally aren't, so Hollywood keeps going back to the well, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It's picked up pace lately, though the general quality of realization has dropped off as well.

I see 'em all regardless.

This one succeeds. Not wildly, by any means, but solidly. I have no idea how much of the story here is true to Dick's work as this is a "based on", but the premise is interesting and the story fleshed out around it serviceable. The concepts are not to difficult in themselves, and the film doesn't go down a rat hole in the effort to explore them in minute detail. We're left with something not too deep, but not quite superficial and shallow either. It's a nice balance.

There's Romance here, with the capital "R". I'm a sucker for that, so for me it plays nicely. It's not completely effortless, and therefor fated, which I find a nice touch.

There's action aplenty here. The stunts are almost Bay-sian in their magnitude and creativity. Tamahori is an action director and it shows. But the interesting thing here is that due to the fundamental conceit of the film, they take on a new flavor. When the hero knows what is going to happen, it becomes less about what will happen as how it will happen. This measure of implied control creates an interesting tang.

The roles are well played. Cage is born to play weird guys in weird situations, the fit is a no brainer. Biel, always the stunner, is downplayed a bit here. She's not the center of action for a change. She's not the tough girl, but the vulnerable and confused one. She does a decent job, though I found the character a little thin and wanted to know more about her. I've given Julianne Moore a permanent pass a long time ago, I'll watch anything she does. It's kind of strange to see her in a strong woman role in two Science Fiction films in the span of a year. Maybe she's a closet geek.

I was particularly surprised at the film's ending. It was a bit startling, and took me a second to recover from. But with a few seconds reflection, it was ultimately fitting and actually brave of the film makers. I left with a grin.

The Good: Philip K. Dick done justice once again. Oh, and Jessica Biel.

The Bad: The seedy side of Las Vegas.

The Ugly: Multi-national terrorist squad with a stolen Soviet nuclear weapon? Please.