Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
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.
Next has an intriguing premise drawn from Philip K. Dick's short story 'The Golden Man,' and the mechanics of Cris's limited precognition offer some genuinely inventive action sequences. However, the film squanders its potential with a muddled, generic thriller plot, underdeveloped characters, and a romantic subplot that strains credulity. Nicolas Cage sleepwalks through the lead role, and Jessica Biel is given little to work with. The cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable action-movie fare. The ending is a notorious cheat — a reset button that retroactively voids the entire third act, leaving audiences feeling manipulated rather than surprised. The precognition concept provides modest novelty points, but the execution is too conventional to rank highly.