Netflix viewers rediscover 00s sci-fi thriller with ‘unexpected’ twist as it climbs the charts

Nicolas Cage stars in the epic disaster movie Knowing (Picture: Shutterstock)

The 2009 Nicolas Cage movie, Knowing, has climbed the charts this week to become the ninth most-watched film on Netflix in the UK.

Directed by The Crow filmmaker Alex Proyas, the film stars Cage as MIT professor John Koestler, who stumbles across a time capsule containing a seemingly prophetic string of numbers.

Discovering that these numbers correlate to major disasters over the past 50 years – including September 11 and Hurricane Katrina – John is quick to notice that the list is almost at an end.

With a devastating solar flare on the horizon, John realises that this impending cataclysm could be the world’s last – and he faces a race against time to get himself and his son (Chandler Canterbury) to safety before it’s too late.

Co-starring Rose Byrne and Andor star Ben Mendelsohn, Knowing has been largely forgotten by those not in the know… until now.

It has resonated with audiences since being added to Netflix on April 15, many of whom are discovering its wild twist ending for the first time.

Cage stars as Professor John Koestler (Picture: Shutterstock)

In some respects, Knowing was a film ahead of its time, having garnered a less-than-favourable score of 35 from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

While many highlighted its ‘cool’ ideas and tense aeroplane disaster sequence, most critics dismissed it as a missed opportunity.

With these caveats in mind, Nigel Floyd of Time Out described it as ‘compelling,’ while Advocate’s John Wirt called it ‘imperfect but effective.’

Meanwhile, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw had much praise for that ending, saying: ‘Some movies, however unpromising, can be saved by a great ending. Here is one.’

Rose Byrne stars opposite the Cage (Picture: Shutterstock)

Since its release, the film has achieved something of a renaissance, with fans on a Reddit thread discussing its undeserved bad reputation.

‘Neat ideas, some genuinely creepy sequences, and a quality Nic Cage performance,’ wrote Dottsterisk.

‘I appreciated that the film-makers stuck with what they established until the end,’ said Detroit_Cineaste of the film’s shocking ending.

‘This movie put the fear of death in me. Seriously, I never thought about it that hard before seeing this. Afterwards, thinking about dying makes me sick and terrified. Thinking about it too long is bound to send me into a panic attack,’ recalled snapthesacc.

‘The ending is a very good part of the movie imo,’ said batsofburden.

The Cage will star in upcoming horror film The Surfer (Picture: Getty Images)

In the 16 years since Knowing’s release, the film’s star has only grown more unpredictable in his old age.

Mocked at the time for his penchant for starring in silly sci-fi thrillers and straight-to-DVD action films, he’s gone on to dial up the craziness – appearing in the likes of Mandy, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Willy’s Wonderland and Renfield, to name but a few.

This month, he stars in the modern Ozploitation feature The Surfer, in which he stars as a man at the end of his tether, descending into madness and mania when he’s accosted by a gang of beach bros on an idyllic Australian beachfront.

Knowing is streaming on Netflix UK now.

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