Next (2007) Movie Review: Philip K. Dick’s Legacy, Nicolas Cage’s Hair, and Hollywood’s Latest Sin

Directed by Lee Tamahori| Written by Gary Goldman, Jonathan Hensleigh
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel
Release Date: April 27th, 2007

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Jump to: Premise · Twist · Trap · Verdict

Premise

Has any sci-fi writer been more abused by Hollywood than Philip K. Dick? For every Blade Runner or Minority Report, there’s a Paycheck or Impostor. Now comes Next—a loose, lobotomized take on Dick’s short story “The Golden Man.”

Nicolas Cage plays Cris Johnson, a Vegas lounge magician who can see two minutes into the future. He uses it to dodge hecklers and win at blackjack—until the FBI (Julianne Moore) and nuclear terrorists both want a piece of him.

If you want some good sci-fi, read my review of Minority Report, or how about Source Code from director Duncan Jones.

Twist

Enter Jessica Biel as Liz, the one woman who magically extends Cris’s visions beyond two minutes. Soulmate? Plot device? Both. Meanwhile, the FBI insists two-minute foresight can stop a nuke. (Spoiler: the logic collapses faster than Cage’s hairline.)

Director Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day, XXX: State of the Union) brings the same energy he allegedly brought to a 2006 drag-solicitation arrest—chaotic, desperate, and deeply unserious.

Trap

Cage sleepwalks through another paycheck role, rocking a tragic long-in-back, bald-in-front mullet-wig combo that deserves its own credit. Moore looks mortified—rightfully so. Biel, fresh off Stealth and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, settles comfortably into eye-candy autopilot.

“Philip K. Dick saw the future. Hollywood keeps burying it in dumb action schlock.”

Dick’s legacy—paranoia, identity, free will—gets flattened into a Criss Angel magic trick with explosions. The film’s one clever idea (branching timelines) is teased, then abandoned for a twist so cheap it should come with a refund.

Final Verdict

★½☆☆☆ A bald-faced assault on Philip K. Dick—and good taste.

Next? Hard pass.