Such is the case for Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), or, as he calls himself in his Las Vegas magic act, Frank Cadillac. His ability to see up to two minutes into the future gives Cris the ability to dazzle and amaze an audience with his predictive prowess, as he can see how his actions would turn out before acting, and basically only act on the one that turns out best. This ability allows him to choose the most convincing arguments and side-step punches like a martial arts master. And, for that matter, know when this is not the best approach. This ability just might also make him capable of coming to the aid of his nation by preventing the detonation of a nuclear bomb on U.S. soil, if F.B.I. Special Agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) has anything to say about it.
Agent Ferris and her unit are on the fringe and are not necessarily looked up to by the rest of the F.B.I., but she knows that sometimes having the ability to do something is more important than having the ability to explain it. She hopes to put Cris Johnson's paranormal predictive abilities to good use in tracking down the location of a rogue nuke that is somewhere on U.S. soil. She tracks Cris down, but finds that he doesn't want to be caught and a man that can see two minutes into the future and changes his actions to change that future can be very elusive when he wants to be. When she does catch up to him, she tries to push him beyond his two minute window, but he's never been able to see anything beyond two minutes.
Well, that was until she arrived... or, well, was going to arrive. Liz Cooper (Jessica Biel), a young, beautiful school teacher who teaches on an Indian reservation. She's all that Cris can think about since he first "saw" her, but this one's much more than two minutes in the future; it's been day after day after day and he still has yet to actually meet her. He knows what time the clock reads and the location he meets her in, so he shows up at that location every twelve hours in hopes that this time will be the time. Liz Cooper somehow causes him to be able to see much "further," but can he figure out how to use that to his advantage? Can he help stop the detonation?
Actually, Cris Johnson is, despite his abilities and good nature, a reluctant hero. He just wants to try to live a normal life. With Liz Cooper. When the F.B.I. (well, and terrorists with a rogue nuclear device, I suppose) threaten his normalcy, his first reaction is to run away from the whole thing, even though it means that thousands or even millions could die. Eventually, he agrees to help so that he can save his love interest, Liz Cooper... but can he do it?
I really enjoyed the way the science fiction aspect was handled in Next. They didn't try to explain how Cris ended up with his ability or how it worked; instead, they focus on what it would feel like to have such an ability - what the ability to have multiple do-overs on every action would allow you to do. Specifically, the action sequences when Cris Johnson is spearheading Callie Ferris' team as they advance to rescue Liz Cooper and the way he clears all but one floor while the rest of the team clears only one feature some really neat choreography and special effects. It seems that timing is everything, and that's not a problem with Cris Johnson's ability.
I'm not one to watch movies several times, but I saw this movie on DVD and watched it again on Blu-ray and I can definitely see watching Next on Blu-ray again. The movie is beautiful in HD, and, while the special features are the same ones that are found on the DVD version, they are all in HD on the Blu-ray. Next has an exhilarating story with a nice treatment of the science fiction aspect, whose ending can leave you reeling with the possible ramifications and wanting to discuss what just happened with friends. And, if you want a little something to start the discussion, how about this: Next was loosely based on Phillip K. Dick's "The Golden Man," as was Total Recall and Minority Report... discuss.
