Next - Nicholas Cage

directed by Lee Tamahori
USA 2007

Once upon a time, there was a great actor named Nicolas Cage who was daring and inventive enough to eat a cockroach for real in one of his movies. Cage was quirky and brilliant, and his peers admired him enough to give him an Oscar. He parlayed critical success into big paychecks in mega-productions like The Rock and Con Air. When he first started appearing in such fare, he invested his characters with as much conviction, energy, and uniqueness as he did as a character actor. However, he quickly became a monotone/monotonous somnambulant robot in junk like Snake Eyes, Gone in 60 Seconds, and National Treasure. Cage still appears in low-key dramas like Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and The Weather Man from time to time, but I feel that his last good movie was Face/Off, all the way back in 1997.

Next is yet another loud, stupid action movie with poorly-conceived ideas about being able to see the future. It also has the misfortune of featuring one of Cage’s worst haircuts ever. Like Minority Report and Paycheck, Next is based on a Philip K. Dick story, and like Paycheck, Next is so inept and unoriginal that it simply rips off Minority Report for its better ideas and visuals (such as the eyeball brace placed on Cage’s head). Fans of Jessica Biel will be disappointed to see that there’s no fan service at all. “Next!” is exactly what you’ll be saying after seeing this movie.

Yunda Eddie Feng

Posters

Theatrical Release: 25 April 2007 (Europe)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Yunda Eddie Feng for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Paramount Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	96 mins
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.43 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 surround French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles	Optional English, French, Spanish
Features	Release Information: Studio: Paramount Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Making the Best Next Thing • Visualizing the Next Move • The Next Grand Idea • Two Minutes in the Future With Jessica Biel • previews for other movies DVD Release Date: September 25th, 2007 keepcase Chapters 18

Comments:

Video:
The DVD boasts a strong 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image. The picture is about as sharp as one can expect with standard definition, though oddly, there are some relatively static scenes that are rather grainy.

Audio:
As to be expected with a recent big-budget action movie, the DD 5.1 English track is very aggressive and boomy with plenty of fun directionality effects. However, this isn’t a very subtle or artful mix, just an active one.

You can also watch the movie with DD 2.0 surround French, and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
“Making the Best Next Thing” is a promotional featurette. This piece begins with everyone talking about how great Cage is before the participants start talking about how great all the other actors and the director are.

“Visualizing the Next Move” examines the creation of the movie’s computer visual effects.

“The Next ‘Grand Idea’” takes a look at the shooting of a date with Cage and Jessica Biel’s characters.

“Two Minutes in the Future With Jessica Biel” is two minutes of Biel blathering about whether or not she wants to be able to see into the future.

Finally, there are previews for other Paramount releases but not for Next.

--Miscellaneous--
The only thing inside the keepcase is the DVD.