Customer Reviews

Premonition (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(39)
2 star:		(36)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I really enjoyed this movie, and I like Sandra Bullock's movies anyway. This movie was about a woman who has dreams about her husband's (upcoming?)death. The dreams are in between dreams and reality. It's like she is flipping around between 2 dimentions. In one, he's dead. In another, he's alive. They are somewhat chronological. Each "dream" seems so real. Some seem to be visions of things that COULD happen, IF things progress on a certain track. As you expect, she goes through "am I nuts?" She tries to get help, but she is getting confused herself as to what is reality and others are not really able to help. Once she begins to track things on a calendar, she begins to get a handle on the situation. Then she starts to ask herself IF this is going to happen, can I stop it? Am I guilty of killing him if I don't? What the heck do I do?

Some people may not like the way this movie seems to flip around a bit, but many people who have premonitions or visions do not have them like a movie. They are often fragmented and full of symbolism. This movie spared you the symbolism. It does jump back and forth in the dream world part, but I believe it is realistic. Sandra does a great job in portraying the emotions her character would probably have, including people's disbelief, and her own, too.

I found it a very interesting movie and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the end, too. And the movie leaves you thinking. . .

If you didn't like the Lake House, you probably won't like premonition.

I really liked Lake House and rather enjoyed Premonition. The great thing about Premonition is the thoughtful sub-story, of why you love, how much you love, and how it affects you for good and ill, and though this seems like a movie you don't have to watch closely, if you want to get that part of it you will.

If you are expecting an action oriented time travel movie, you will be disappointed, but if you want a thought provoking story about deeper emotional issues, then this is a film you should enjoy.

One day, everything is fine. The next day, the woman's husband dies in a car crash. The next day, she wakes up, and there he is drinking his morning coffee! The next day, he's dead again and funeral arrangements are being made! Every day of the week is a different day, and they are all mixed up! What is going on? Is the woman crazy, confused, or what?

Be prepared to keep guessing and to keep being wrong until the end of the film!

Sandra Bullock gives a great performance as the grief stricken widow Linda Hanson. This is a film you will want to see more than once to put the pieces together. It's part Sixth Sense, part Lake House, part something totally unique. Great movie!

There is a skit in the animated program Robot Chicken where a caricature of M. Night Shaymalyn keeps shouting "what a twist" when we see little parodies of his films. This is a poignant piece because it hints at one of the major problems in a post 6th Sense Hollywood, where filmakers feel they can woo in audiences with surprise endings and twists and turns throughout the story.

In films like the 6th Sense, such a device is good. But that was a carefully laid twist that didn't confuse filmgoers and the director carefully gave you little snippets of the clues that led to the conclusion. It's an easy to digest 'twist.' It does not work in a film like Premonition, where the twists and turns contradict logic and further confuse filmgoers.

Premonition begins where Bullock plays a happily homebound housewife who has two children. She takes the children to school, goes about her daily chores, listens to a voice message from her husband (where plot holes begin - I'll get to that later), and then receives the disturbing news that her husband is dead. Next day, surprise, he's alive - it must have all been a dream because he's alive and it's a few days before the accident. Next day (for Bullock's character anyway), it's the funeral, oh and there's a really unintentionally funny scene where she attempts to check out the casket! Well it ends up being a lot of going back and forth and the filmakers allude that some of the things that occur must be real, but wait, if this was true, then that first day her daughter should've had scars..and didn't she end up going to a mental institution....does this sound confusing to you? It's how the film operates. And no - none of it makes sense.

Films dealing with time travel or telling the future in any sort of way must set up rules that the audience can follow - or at least let us in on any known incosistencies ala Back to the Future. This film does neither and leaves the audience wondering "huh?" To further muddy the waters, this film has a number of unresolved subplots, including an aformenetioned scene involving her losing her children and getting commited and an alleged affair her husband may have been having. As for the plot holes (Here be a spoiler), listen closely to the phone call from the husband in the beginning and hear it repeated towards the end. Something's wrong.

This film is not recommended. I swear I have never been more upset and infuriated after watching a movie. I don't normally rant on films like this, but films of this low quality, robbed of any logic should be avoided. If the film is recut into some Lifetime movie or even further into a twilight zone episode, it might have some value. But 100 minutes could be used alot more wisely than watching this jumbled psychic/time travel boggle of a film.

* SPOILER ALERT *

What is the point of having a 'time travel' type movie where you see the future, but then you do absolutely nothing to change the string of events?!? She sees her husbands death & he still dies exactly the way he is supposed to -- end of story.

That means the whole hook for this movie is that the events occur out of order ... whoopdedoo. The events could just have as easily been shown in order w/out all the flashbacks and flashforwards and you would wind up with the same result -- an enormous amount of suckitude.

Save yourself the money. DO NOT BUY THIS -- it's not even worth a rental.

It's a cool movie that keeps you guessing, but unfortunately the ending is not that good after the whole build up. Still, definately worth watching on a Sunday afternoon.

i went to the theater to watch this movie. i was suprised by the movie, it was better than i thought it would be. awesome movie, sandra bullock and julian mcmahon, played cole turner from the wb show charmed, they did a great job. i cant wait until it comes out to buy it, if you havent seen it get it.

It takes alot of creative energy and work to write songs, record albums and make movies..... so one sometimes feels bad when they are compelled to warn others away from something that is REALLY bad.

But seriously... read the other reviews on here and be warned.
Their criticisms are valid for this film.

I suppose since the classic "6th Sense", everybody is trying hard to make films along the same idea (ie.. the ultimate ironic twist), but whereas "6th Sense" was unique for NOT being deceptive and actually telling you the punchline all thru the movie and STILL surprising you.......... films like PREMONITION (and many others these past few years) try to deceive the audience with false information that is simply thrown in to fool the viewer (and offers no meaning or content the the film).

PREMONITION is based on a good concept but only has enough substance to fill a 30 minute TWILIGHT ZONE episode.
As a result it really gets longwinded, repetitive and downright boring by the time 2 hours and 12 minutes (and the ending) come along.

The ending is no surprise, however the behaviour and stupidity of the characters at the end is so bad you are either annoyed -or- don't care what happens to them.

Summary:
A good premise for a 30 minute Twilight Zone TV episode stretched too thin for a 2+ hour long movie... stretched so thin in fact it breaks apart into pieces the viewer probably cares little about.

When I first heard that my family had rented Premonition, I was a little wary. I'd heard many bad reviews on this movie and went into it with a good deal of apathy. Shortly after the start, I found myself being drawn in and trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I love a movie that makes me think and this was one of those. Premonition is not a movie to watch while baking in the kitchen or vacuuming the hall. You have to actually sit down and get involved in the movie to completely understand and appreciate it.

As far movies go, it could have been better. It won't be a classic thriller/"thinker" movie but it is worth the time to sit and watch. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys going through a movie with a contemplative mind and a desire to be slightly "weirded out". Definately a thumbs up in my book.

Not really a deep plot, but interesting and a good escape. Two little girls shine behind Sandra Bulloch's usual convincing acting, and the message was universal. Very nice - go see it.