A glossy, high-concept action thriller with a fun Nicolas Cage premise and a few genuinely memorable moments, but it’s also uneven, rushed, and often more ridiculous than suspenseful. The future-sight gimmick is the main attraction; the plotting and CGI-heavy action are the weak points.
7% ☆☆☆☆☆ (239,285)
Next
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Science Fiction · PG-13
2007 · 1h 36m · ★ 7% (239.3K)
If you can see the future, you can save it.
Director: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel
Overview
Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings." But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.
Director
Lee Tamahori
Production
Virtual Studios, Revolution Studios, Saturn Films, Broken Road Productions, Initial Entertainment Group
Cast
Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Jim Beaver, Tory Kittles, Peter Falk, Enzo Cilenti, José Zúñiga, Jason Butler Harner, Sergej Trifunović, Nicolas Pajon, Michael Trucco, Charles Rahi Chun, Patricia Miller, Jon Hughes, Jack Ong, Edith Fields, Lorilynn Failor, Jessica Barth
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, high-concept action thriller with a fun Nicolas Cage premise and a few genuinely memorable moments, but it’s also uneven, rushed, and often more ridiculous than suspenseful. The future-sight gimmick is the main attraction; the plotting and CGI-heavy action are the weak points.
Best for
Nicolas Cage completists
fans of pulpy early-2000s studio thrillers
viewers who enjoy high-concept sci-fi premises more than airtight plotting
people in the mood for an unintentionally funny blockbuster
Skip if
you want a smart, tightly constructed thriller
you’re allergic to cheesy CGI and studio-era action excess
you need strong romantic chemistry or polished performances
you prefer sci-fi with deeper worldbuilding or emotional payoff
Overview
Next is a very 2007 kind of movie: a slick, overcooked studio thriller built around one irresistible hook and then stretched until it starts to wobble. Nicolas Cage’s clairvoyant magician is a perfect premise for a better film, and the movie knows it, repeatedly turning his power into a visual game of near-misses, improvisation, and self-preservation.
Worth noting
The appeal is less suspense than spectacle. There are flashes of cleverness, a few absurdly enjoyable Cage moments, and enough momentum to keep it moving, but the story keeps undercutting itself with thin characterization, awkward romance, and action that feels more synthetic than thrilling. Julianne Moore brings professionalism, while Jessica Biel is mostly asked to function as a plot device.
Bottom line
What lingers is the movie’s sheer commitment to its own nonsense. It’s not a good thriller in the traditional sense, but it is an easy watch if you like high-concept genre films that lean into their own absurdity. As a piece of mid-2000s blockbuster detritus, it has a kind of accidental charm.
Top Letterboxd reviews
semiinteresting (1★) · 992 likes
this is the definition of a movie you watch at your cousins house
Josh Lewis (2★) · 403 likes
A nuclear warhead has been smuggled into the United States by the French and there's only one man who can stop it: Criss Angel Mind Freak. I always wondered what Deja Vu or Minority Report would look like if they had been repeatedly dropped on their head as a child. Not to spoil this heater for anyone but there's an incredible twist to it where they literally just erase half the movie and then roll the credits immediately.
Mychal Stanley (2★) · 367 likes
The shot of Nic Cage looking at Jessica Biel when the kid says, “he looks at you the way my brother looks at his girlfriend” belongs in the Louvre. Throw out the Mona Lisa. Throw it all out. We have reached the top.
Matt Singer (5★) · 232 likes
I'm just glad Nicolas Cage couldn't see into the future to observe the finished product when he signed on for this hilarious monstrosity. So so much more on this masterpiece here: screencrush.com/nicolas-cage-gifs-next/
Allison M. 🌱 (2.5★) · 183 likes
”What about intel?” “We don't need them.” Jessica Biel can't act.Julianne Moore can.Nicolas Cage is a wildcard. He looks 11 years younger, because it's 2007. But the hair!! What.......? The story was interesting at times. The action was alright. It was set up for a sequel, but at this rate, I don't think there'll be one. Oftentimes, it was unintentionally funny. Vegan alert:There is a hot dog reference.
1997 · Action, Crime, Science Fiction · 2h 19m · R · ★ 62% (728.5K) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A better showcase for big, operatic Nicolas Cage energy in a wildly implausible action framework.