Next

Cris Johnson lives under an assumed name as a small-time magician in Las Vegas, hiding a secret that has shaped his whole life: he can see a few minutes into the future. After painful childhood testing and unwanted attention from officials, he keeps his profile low, earning money from tricks and cautious gambling while avoiding scrutiny. When intelligence agencies uncover a terrorist plot that could endanger Los Angeles, federal agent Callie Ferris seeks Cris out and tries to persuade him to lend his limited precognitive gift to stopping the attack. The film follows their uneasy partnership, the strain on Cris's attempts at normalcy, and the ticking race to prevent catastrophic violence, with a peripheral romantic thread that complicates his concealment.

Released in 2007, Next was directed by Lee Tamahori, with screenplay credits to Paul Bernbaum, Jonathan Hensleigh, and Gary Goldman. Nicolas Cage headlines the cast, supported by Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, and Jim Beaver. The film mixed action, sci-fi, and thriller elements in its marketing, and it's sold largely on Cage's star presence.

Next opened to moderate box office returns, attracting viewers with its high-concept premise but never reaching blockbuster status. It found an audience at release and recovered interest through home video and rental markets, though it didn't dominate yearly grosses.

Critical reaction was uneven, reflected in a 6.121/10 average from 3,164 votes. Many critics and viewers liked the high-stakes premise and some performances, while critiques focused on pacing, tonal shifts, and how the script handled the central conceit. Major themes include the limits of foresight, the interplay of choice and inevitability, and the personal cost of living under constant surveillance.

While not a landmark film, Next remains part of genre conversations about on-screen precognition and ethical questions around predicting outcomes. Cage's performance and the movie's core idea keep it referenced when filmmakers and fans discuss short-term future-seeing in contemporary thrillers.