Movie Review #7: Next

Next
Overall: 8/10
Pros: Great story, great action, great movie overall.
Cons: Some bad writing and horrible special effects.

Please don't take this score wrong. This has absolutely become one of my favorite movies ever. Based on a short story by one of my favorite authors Philip K. Dick, the movie plays out the basic idea of the story in a grand fashion, showing off all of the smarts and style that Mr. Dick had while changing the setting and making it more relatable to the viewer.
My favorite parts of the movie were those involving looking ahead. There was just something about those sequences that made you feel like you knew something special. You knew that everyone else who was watching the movie knew the exact same thing, but for some reason, you just felt like you knew the main character's secret, and then when you found out that you didn't know the secret, that you didn't really know what was going on, you weren't mad or anything like that, you were amazed and enthused at the new direction the movie was going. The acting was pretty good, and that combined with the story and script just made the whole thing a joy to watch. However, it wasn't without it's faults.
The writing, while good on a technical and story level, was at times a little wierd on the personal level. There are a few lines that just seem to stick out as a little strange or awkward, and while it doesn't make the movie stink, it just seems a little odd. The other thing that brought me out of the movie were the special effects. They looked good, but you don't even have to concentrate on them very hard to see that they don't really hold up all that well. Everything that was digital just looked digital. It looked like early 90's films or budget TV films today, where it looks good, but it just doesn't look great.
So, really, my complaints were small and overall insignificant. However, they do make the film a little bit worse than it would have been otherwise. Still, I recommend this movie to anyone interested in science fiction and looking for a good, twist-filled plot.