Next

Next follows Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), a Las Vegas showman who can see the future—well, only two minutes ahead—and has the power to change it at will. His abilities, though not lucrative on stage, have attracted casino security as well as an FBI agent (Julianne Moore) who thinks Cris can save Los Angeles. It turns out terrorists have gotten hold of a nuclear bomb and Moore’s character, Callie Ferris, wants Cris to help her find them before they detonate it. Cris, not wanting to be the FBI’s permanent freakshow, uses his abilities to elude Callie, while pursuing the woman of his dreams (Jessica Biel). Cage plays his same old self—kind of sad, reluctantly handsome, quick with the kicks to the head. Pairing him with the much younger Biel is unlikely and forced, at least on her part. The mediocre performances complement a mediocre plot that starts out strong and engaging, with the story whipping us back and forth between the present and possible future. After the novelty wears off, though, the film fizzles into conventional territory with an ending that leaves us guessing the answers to the big questions.