On Wednesday, March 18th, 2009, Roger Ebert published a review about a movie he described as "among the best science-fiction films I've seen -- frightening, suspenseful, intelligent and, when it needs to be, rather awesome." By the end of the week, critical consensus on the film had taken a very different tack, settling firmly into "Rotten" territory at the ubiquitous Rotten Tomatoes site (where "Top Critics" savaged it to the tune of 13%).
Ebert was shocked by the response, and wrote extensively in defense of both its cinematic and metaphysical worth. While I myself would stop short of calling it one of the best sci-fi films I've ever seen, I think it's right to call it "a splendid thriller and surprisingly thought-provoking." So, me and my house, we stand with Ebert. Mostly. (We definitely don't stand with the 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That's crazy talk. Which reminds me...Nicholas Cage.)
Maybe you should just watch Knowing on NETFLIX INSTANT and decide for yourself.
An edge-of-your-seat sci-fi thriller about John Koestler, a professor who deciphers a coded message with terrifying accurate predictions about every major world disaster. Looking to protect his family and prevent future calamities, he enlists the reluctant help of the daughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies. His quest to understand the message ad his own family's involvement in them becomes a heart-pounding race against time as he faces the ultimate disaster.