Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Premonition

MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for some violent content, disturbing images, thematic material and brief language.

Reviewed by: Misty Wagner
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults, Teens
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Length: 1 hr. 50 min.
Year of Release: 2007
USA Release: March 16, 2007 (wide)
Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Dreams in the Bible

Prophecy and the Bible

Is there valid prophetic evidence that the Bible is God’s Word? Answer

Featuring Sandra Bullock, Peter StormareJulian McMahon, Nia Long, Kate Nelligan, Amber Valetta
Director Mennan Yapo
Producer Andrew Sugerman, Ashok Amritraj, Jon Jashni
Distributor Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Trademark logo.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), owned by Amazon® through MGM Holdings, Inc.

“It’s not your imagination.”

Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) was a once blissful bride who now, years later, leads a detached and mundane life. Aside from being a great mother who obviously adores her two daughters, she seems to feel out of place in every other way. When the sheriff shows up to inform her of her husband Jim’s (Julian McMahon) fatal car accident, she seems to spiral rapidly out of control.

Barely making it through that first day, she falls asleep on the family sofa clutching a framed photograph from their wedding day only to wake up the following morning with her husband very much alive and watching television in the kitchen downstairs. Every day, after this, seems to hold more pieces to the puzzle unfolding around her. One morning Jim’s alive, the next he is dead.

The bad: (spoilers possible)

Though the profanity in this film isn’t constant, the words and terms used are strong.

There are several shower scenes in which naked shoulder blades or backs are shown. Never is there actual nudity but on two separate occasions the camera pans down the front of a woman and then she quickly turns so that it can continue down her back. It was a senseless scene.

There is a scene of Jim and Linda in bed after they have been intimate. Neither are clothed but nothing other than his bare chest and her back are shown.

There are two scenes in particular where large amounts of blood are present. There is a scene of graphic injury images, as well as a large car accident depicted.

In one scene Linda visits a priest, seeking guidance and some sort of explanation for what she is going through. During their entire encounter, he never references God. In fact, when he begins to question her faith—she replies that she doesn’t have that anymore. She states that she may not even know what faith is and his response is that “Faith is believing in something greater than yourself.” He goes on to say that, for some it could be hope while for others it might be love. Though this is a Hollywood film, it made me wonder why anyone would go to the trouble of inserting a “man of God” into a script, and then remove all aspects of God in the process. Couldn’t he have just been a wise neighbor, teacher, father, grandfather, friend? With such beautiful and poignant films as “The Ultimate Gift” and “Amazing Grace” doing well at the box office, I have to wonder if the Industry ever really gains anything at all from these blatant “in your face” maneuvers. Perhaps it’s just the satisfaction of knowing that they can do it which makes it worth it.

Truthfully I can see a place where I believe the filmmakers were headed. Perhaps with the removal of a few inconsistent as well as insignificant details, this movie could have turned out more worthy. The acting is strong and for such a sporadic storyline, the performances are believable. It’s emotionally filmed and paired with suspenseful music leaving the audience engaged and involved in the lives of the Hanson family and what the outcome of their story will be. The last fifteen minutes of the film left me emotionally charged to such an extent that I seemed to repress the pieces that didn’t fit together, in this story. The idea behind the ending seemed beautiful and perfect; realistic, relatable…

The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that the plot of this movie is just like an infinity of indescribable chaos. One part can’t exist without the other, and yet the other is because of the first part. Sound confusing? Exactly. This movie is a mess, and if you find yourself a die hard Sandra Bullock fan or just really yearning to see this movie, my recommendation is to wait for the DVD.

On a good note though, the major redeeming quality of this movie would be the heavy reminder that we need to cherish the people in our lives. We never know when our time with them may be finished and doing whatever we can to love them to the best of our ability may make all the difference in both their lives and ours…

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—…I liked it. I feel like women will like it better, because of the emotions it brings out for us. I could not predict it, so it was a fresh idea, and the ending was not predictable. My friend thought that it went sort of slow, but for me it took that time to fiqure out what the sequence of events were. I give it a 4 out of 5.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 3
Christal, age 40
Positive—This movie was a real thriller! I liked it becasue it kept you on edge. The nudity scenes were not as bad as the reviews make them seem. The majority of the language was “oh my god” or something of that manner, no f-bombs were dropped in this one! I recommend this to mature teens and adults, just becasue the plot may simply be to difficult for younger ones to grasp. Overall, I thought it was a great movie! Very well made!!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Katie, age 28
Positive—I thought the movie was great! There was no sexuality at all. It was one of those movies you would refer to other Christians. It was great!!
My Ratings: Excellent! / 5
Alex, age 22
Positive—I saw this movie yesterday and enjoyed the film. Although it started off slow, it really picked up pase towards the end. The film really made me think about what is “important” in life. I didn’t like the scene with the minister because as a supposed “man of God;” he never once mentioned God, but this is Hollywood. The acting, quality of the film, actors and so on was superb! I really enjoyed watching Sandra and Julian chemistry; I didn’t however like the ending…
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Aleshia Horner, age 18
Positive—It was good. It could get thriller-intense at times. I’m not crazy about how it ended, but in a sense, it was fitting, as it is call “Premonition.” I didn’t feel like it dwelt on the dark, spiritual stuff too much. The only sex scene was between the husband and wife, and it didn’t show anything. Overall, I did like the movie, but I won’t be seeing it again and won’t be buying it! 3 out of 5
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Shannon, age 26
Positive—I cannot understand the morally offensive rating the reviewer gave. I asked my husband who saw the movie with me, and he was confused, also. That the priest did not reference God was disappointing, but at least he wasn’t a bumbling, narrow-minded idiot as so many Hollywood films are portraying Christians. I thought the movie was full of suspense, not curse words. Without giving too much away, a very bad decision was about to be made by one of the main characters, but in the end, virtue overcame. This isn’t a “Christian” film. It is a very good one, though. I recommend it.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
K. Law, age 39
Positive—In my short 20 years, I’ve never seen any film that’s remotely comparable to “Premonition.” In the theme of the psychological thriller genre, maybe, just maybe, “The Butterfly Effect” has a related feel, but then again, these two films stand miles apart. I s’pose I mention the latter only because as with “Premonition,” you’ll be pondering the film(s) long after the credits roll. “Premonition” was nothing I had planned on seeing. My brother Rob called me up one Friday night, and so we went to a midnight showing. Despite the late hour, I was glued. It’s slow at first, but ultimately, “Premonition” is complex and mysterious, with twists and turns throughout the whole movie. Pay close attention. There’s a lot of subtleties you won’t want to just glance over.
My Ratings: Average / 5
Jacob Keenum, age 20
Positive—…It was a very good movie, but I can certainly see how many Christians might take offense at it. It offers up some very interesting questions about predestination and seeing the future, but these are biblical things. Predestinatoin and such are in the Bible and after all, didn’t John and many other Biblical figures see the future? Like the priest said. There has been some very odd things that have happened to people throughout history and many of them cannot be explained. I was partucaraly interested in what the priest said about the universe abhoring a vaccuum and if you don’t fill that space in yourself with God, it will be filled with something else. He didnt use those exact words, but he said something along those lines. I think he even offered up a meaning, word or phrase for this phenomena. …
My Ratings: Good / 4
Phillip Dacus, age 46
Positive—Excellent movie. …I was disappointed as I watched the credits, “how could they let him die anyway?”. I nearly missed it. Most important thing: The husband was going to die, NO MATTER WHAT. The writers even had him die in the same way in both realities, whether she was there or not. She was given a gift to be able to see a “premonition”: the original reality of losing him, losing the girls and her sanity. Because she made a decision to have hope, and Faith… reality changed. It was destiny that her husband die, but because of her correct choice, her memory of her husband and their marriage was salvaged, her path and her girls' lives were changed and she even received a miracle in another child.
My Ratings: Average / 4
Scott, age 46
Positive—Very touching and thought provoking movie. Bravo. My wife and I (in our 30s) watched this on DVD after I returned from Afghanistan and were thoroughly moved. The one word for this film is REALISTIC. Complicated sequences and plot but brilliant acting. One of the scenes where the wife takes off the husband’s shoes is incredibly framed. Although the characters/screenwriters don’t know God personally and his Word, Sandra Bullock’s Mrs. Hanson discovers that you must fight for what is most important in life. I can honestly say that this film brought me closer to God, although as mentioned, His name is not uttered. A lot like “The Family Man” with Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni.
My Ratings: Good / 4
James Randall Adams, age 37
Neutral
Neutral—My husband and I went to see this movie last night because we really like Sandra Bullock. I was disappointed with the ending to this movie. It really left you hanging, and there wasn’t any closure for me in it. If you like a happily-ever-after type of film, I wouldn’t recommend to see this movie.
My Ratings: Average / 5
Minna, age 31
Neutral—This movie was like a puzzle. It kept you guessing and in a state of confussion trying to figure out what day it was, as Sandra Bullock did, too. The acting was good, but the movie dragged on. There was really no purpose for this movie as far as a plot. It accomplished nothing, except that it had a sad ending when you were hoping that it would turn for the good. The pastor in the church never referred to God when Sandra was searching for an answer for all of her weird situations and things that were happening to her. I would not see this movie again, it was too long and left you asking yourself, “why did I come and see this movie?”
My Ratings: Average / 3
DonnaM, age 51
Neutral—You must pay attention throughout the movie. Otherwise, you’ll miss the continuity of building the story. It was intriguing, and kept my interest. But certain parts were non-sequitor (sp). The main point I enjoyed was revealing the husband’s sentiments (i.e.: change of heart) near the end. We all face temptations and trials. It’s great when Hollywood shows an aspect that gives a redeeming quality in married men to follow Biblical tenants over '…the pleasures of sin for a season.' The ending was a bummer. It didn’t have to end that way; would have enjoyed it MUCH more had they lived happily ever after …oh well. …Worth seeing, though. Leave the non-teens at home for this one.
My Ratings: Average / 3½
Bill, age 50
Neutral—My husband and I chose to see this movie at home becuase of the “thriller” feel it had in the trailers. I am glad we chose to becuase of some of the scenes. I liked the movie however, will not be seeing it again or buying it becuase it was not “my kind” of movie. My husband and I decided we didn’t like the ending but understood why they did it that way. If you look at it as a lesson you will see it. I do like that the immorality changed and never happend, and again with the priest, I didn’t like that God was not mentioned.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Mary, age 29
Negative
Negative—The movie was a good thriller until the end. I had high hopes for it because I really like Sandra Bullock. But, sadly, the story left me feeling depressed. There was great potential to give God glory, but the movie makers really missed it. There were events that were left unexplained. The language, although not ear-blistering, was a little coarse. The f-bomb did go off once. This is a definite “wait for the video” movie.
My Ratings: Average / 3
Beth, age 40
Negative—Very disturbing and disappointing ending. The ending makes the entire movie a hopeless tale. Only view it if you want to feel “down” or depressed. I would not take young teens or younger because of the dark and scary scenes. It was not a “make you feel good story after it is over” like “The Lake House,” another time changing movie Bullock was recently in.
My Ratings: Offensive / 3
Becky, age 48
Negative—This was one of the most horrible, long, dry and stell movie I have ever seen in my life. It did not make any sense and it was so boring the way the scenes were set up was horrible it was a waste of money and my time. Dumb movie don’t waste your time going to see it. When I went people were walking out of the show.
My Ratings: Average / 1
Tamika, age 29
Negative—I still don’t get it. The movie was complex but I don’t want to watch it again to clarify myself. I however understood the general plot. It definitely wasn’t what I expected after watching the trailer. I honestly thought it would be like Denzel Washington’s “Deja Vu,” but unlike that movie, it just bashed my high hopes against the wall, especially towards the end, which seemed to want to turn things around for the better, but then just made things a whole lot worse. The movie constantly builds up hope and then lets you down (the scene with the priest was one of such). I wish I had skipped it, but I must say the script wasn’t bad for what it was.
My Ratings: Average / 2½
Emmanel, age 24
Comments from young people
Negative—This is the first movie I’ve ever walked out of. So dark, very disturbing, and to top it all off, the acting is horrible. I usually don’t read reviews before I see something because I don’t want it to be spoiled, but I wish I had before this one so I would have known to skip this one. I regret even staying for the first forty-five minutes.
My Ratings: Offensive / 2½
Linda, age 15
Positive—I am a huge Sandra Bullock fan, and after viewing the trailer for this movie I was very excited to see it. It was not as I expected, but I still thought it was a great movie. It had lots of twist and turns, and you never knew what was going to happen next. I was disappointed when Linda goes to the church that the priest never mentioned God. It seemed like he would, but he never did. If you like suspense, then I would recommend this movie.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Keri, age 16
Positive—I absolutetly loved this movie. My favorite genre is thriller, and Premonition is about as good as thrillers get. The movie kept me guessing the entire time; I thought that I had it all figured out at one point only to find out that I was wrong in the next minute! The directing, acting, and cinematography were amazing and worked together to create a beautifully eerie mood. From a filmmaking perspective, Premonition was nearly perfect. From a moral standpoint, this film held up very well. There was a little profanity and one f-word, but that was about it. There were obvious implications of sex between a husband and wife, but no nudity. The violence was disturbing at times (but only enough to further the on-edge mood) and the film is a bit intense. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger children (due to the intensity, complexity, and adult themes) but teens and adults should be fine. Overall, the movie has a very positive theme of perseverance, love, and second chances. It keeps a balance between uplifting and realistic and even the ending keeps that mold. In all, I loved this movie and I hope that it is as much fun to watch the second time around as it was the first.
My Ratings: Average / 5
David Witwer, age 16
Positive—I saw this film with my parents and my sister just the other day. I have to say, this was one of the best films I’ve seen all year. First off, the whole cinematography of the movie was breathtaking. But the whole plot of this movie was what really took the cake. Of course, a lot of things go on in this movie. You really have to pay close attention. It can get confusing. But if you think about it, how this film was put together was brilliant! It was not predictable. It was well acted. Probably one of Sandra Bullock’s best roles. I’m actually confused as to why most people did not like the ending of this movie. I thought the ending was wonderful! It was exactly how I would have wanted a movie like this to end. It did not end so, so depressing. It actually ended with hope and the realization that a miracle has occured even though it is not the miracle you expected the film to end with. I don’t agree you should wait for the DVD on this movie. Go see it in the theater! My whole family loved it. And it brings up discussions. When the movie had ended in the theater, everyone started clapping right away. I haven’t heard clapping after a movie in a long, long time.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Amy Gibson, age 16
Positive—I went to see this with my dad and I loved it! I would say these few things though… First of all, there is language. But one thing to consider purchasing is a TV Guardian. It cuts out bad language and replaces it with nicer words. This is awesome because there are a lot of good movies out there but they go and ruin them by putting in language. So yes, don’t see this movie without knowing first that there is language, so don’t be surprised if you hear it. Second of all, the only sex/nudity that I would tell of is there is implied sex in one scene but nothing is shown and it is between a husband and wife. Also, there are two times when a person is shown in the shower, but again nothing is shown. The first time, Sandra is in the shower but she turns and you only see her back. The second time, Sandra pulls back the shower curtain and her husband is in the shower (obviously nude). But she thought he was dead, so she just stands there hugging him when she sees he isn’t dead. But there is nothing sexual about this. There is an almost-affair, but the husband tells the woman that he isn’t going to go through with it. The only other thing to know about this movie is that you must follow it carefully. It might even take a second watching before you catch everything. But I LOVED this movie as did my dad. We enjoyed talking about it after seeing it. Would I recommend this movie? Yes. Definitely! I am actually getting ready to rent it tomorrow!…
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Emily, age 17
Positive—This movie was amazing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It turned out to be a really emotional movie, but I liked the fact that she was fighting to save her family the whole time.
My Ratings: Average / 4½
Tyler Proctor, age 14
Positive—I was pretty excited to see this movie when I went, and I wasn’t dissappointed. Unlike the usual story plots (everyone kills everyone, we fall in love and are immoral, or there is a bad guy and a good guy that fight and the good guy wins) this movie was incredibly creative and original. The plot line was unlike any other movie I’ve been to and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The F-word was used only once, and other than that profanity was very mild. Violence and gore was very minimal, and only a few “scary” ideas and images and can only be expected from PG-13 thriller. I definitely recommend this movie. Top notch!
My Ratings: Good / 4
Malia, age 14
Neutral—Morally, this movie was not that bad. There were some parts where you knew the husband and wife were going to have sex, but it was suggested, and they never actually showed anything. When the woman was sleeping, she sometimes had on short or low nightdresses, but it was not too showy. So, morally, it was not that bad. However, I did not really enjoy the movie. It was hard to follow, and not at all what I expected. It is nothing I will see again. I would definitely not suggest anyone under 15 see it, for there were several scary parts/images. I would not really recommend anyone see it, but if you want to, it was not that bad morally.
My Ratings: Average / 3
Hannah, age 15
Positive—I don’t really understand why people say this movie is “emotional;” I thought it was pretty good you definitely have to watch it from beginning to end though, or it wont make any sense whatsoever. This movie probably isn’t the best for little kids because they will die of boredom but here are a couple of things in the movie you may not like.
1. the F-word appears once
2. there are a couple of kissing scenes
So, overall it is a very good movie; I’ve seen it 4 times!
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Angela, age 13
Positive—I absolutely fell I love with this movie! I have always really liked the whole time travel past present future thing and when I saw that this is what this movie was about I was psyched! there is hardly any swearing in this movie no sex there is some violence, but it really wasn’t like that gross demonic violence. the acting was excellent, the only questionable thing was there was an affair going on but again they never showed a thing. I would not let people see it that were under 9 or 10 but then it also depends on what you let your kids see and what they’re used to, but overall this was the best movie I have seen in a long time SEE IT!!!
My Ratings: Good / 5
Julia, age 13
Positive—Whoever thought this movie was boring and slow obviously couldn’t keep up with it and shouldn’t be watching movies like this. The plot is complex and intricately made, leaving you in the dark until near the end; it keeps you on the edge and you can never predict what will happen next. The acting is superb, and the characters are very relatable. I very much enjoyed watching this thriller. Some may think the ending is “depressing” but it’s very much the opposite. Really, it would just have been another sappy Hollywood ending like so many other cheesy movies; but this is realistic, and satisfying, and when you think about it, it really couldnt have ended any other way. there wouldn’t have been any point. it was beautiful and moving, and the plot carries you along right to the end, and I guaranty you will be in tears but walk away feeling good about it.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4½
Hannah, age 15, Canada