alex proyas a director who have always provide me with movie that be at least interest . to me and anyway . he have also give me quite a few that i love ( dark city and the crow would be my top pick ) . so it be hearten to hear the praise that be heap on know when it be release and with some even go so far a to call it perhaps the great sci fi movie ever make . but let be clear just now and sweep away some of the hyperbole and it not the great sci fi movie ever make . it not even the great movie of the last few year . what it be be a great film that and a be all too rare nowadays and manages to mix visceral thrill and big bang with intelligence and some moment of quality drama . it run the gamut from mild chuckle to jump scare and from personal connection between character to eye searingly impressive disaster sequence . and it do it all quite brilliantly . thing kick off with an intriguing prologue . an elementary school bury a time capsule that feature drawing from all of the child in class and a page of number from young lucinda and who come up with the idea in the first place . move forward fifty year and the capsule be open and the child of today each get to see what their forerunner imagine the future to be . young caleb koestler ( a fine performance from chandler canterbury even if his name do sound like a quaint old world english town ) receive the page of number and begin to hear whispering voice . he show the number to his father and astrophysicist and widower john koestler ( play by nicolas cage ) and and it here that thing get interesting . after he stumble upon that most memorable of date when the twin tower be bring down he find that beside that date be write the number of people who die . some frantic googling soon show up most of the other number a date and bodycounts . . . . . although some have yet to happen and include something very and very big . it be up to the cage and along with rise byrne ( play the prophet daughter struggle to keep her own young daughter safe ) and to decipher the code and hopefully save life . meanwhile and the whispering grow more insistent but only to the child . a cracking and and often think provoke and plot be move forward by character that you really care about . of course and there be many people who dislike cage tic and twitch but he be both enjoyable and believable in the lead role . all of the child actor and rather surprisingly and do very well too and rise byrne prof to be a good partner for cage and alternately hinder development with a refusal to believe event and help out with the odd comment or input that clarify thing far for cage . despite all of the intelligence and idea woven throughout this movie it be an event film and and impressively and the film doesn not disappoint here either . the big scene be big and they really pin you back in your seat with some top quality fx work and design . in fact and it hard to find too many flaw in this film but i must say that i be want thing to wrap up a little quicker in the final half hour and already sense how thing would pan out and feel one step ahead of the protagonist . i be also leave a little cold by the sci fi trapping that be insert near the very end of the movie and feel almost disappointed and wish there have be some other and equally mysterious and impressive and way to resolve thing . but that be me and to others it may be the one and only end they be hop for so do not be put off . even if you do not like those last scene and the 90 minute run up to them be brilliantly entertaining . see this if you like represent the medusa touch and the day after tomorrow and terminator 3 rise of the machine .