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Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Compare this to the new movie Lucy for example.Most movies portray super-intelligent people as being emotionless. Yet this movie shows the opposite. A man suddenly becomes superintelligent, and not only does he not loose his emotions, but they appear to be reinforced. And it's not incompatible at all, his intelligence makes him see more beauty, not less. Of course, he is still able to feel anger, and sadness. He's become more human, not less. I love this movie.I found out about this movie when discussing with some transhumanists (I consider myself one) about the role of emotions in a future with radical intelligence augmentation. I was used to the idea that "emotions" were primitive and such from futuristic Hollywood movies. However, this movie made me realize the importance of emotion, and how naturally they go with intelligence.

I had never seen this movie and always thought it was disappointing. Well, i was horribly wrong! Great acting performance by John Travolta. He plays the character of George Malley with great depth. He really IS George Malley and you will see a completely different John Travolta. The environment and scenery in Pasadena California of the movie fits the story perfectly. Also Forest Whitaker plays his character very well. Robert Duval completes the story as the father figure. The story-line is really inspiring and shows you that love conquers all. The relation between George and Lace is beautiful and shows two people in love with each other despite all troubles of the everyday life. Enjoyed this movie and the story. I really think this one of his (John Travolta) best movies.

Many people seem to feel this is a movie about John Travolta's philosophical belief system, Scientology or Dianetics or whatever it is, but, if so, it all got past me because I don't know what either of them is.To me, it seemed like a contrived, commercially oriented, and successful feel-good story about an ordinary auto mechanic in a small California town who sees a flash of light one night, turns into a paranormal wizard, and then dies happy in the arms of the true love he's been courting but who has been keeping him at arms' length.I kept trying to identify its sources, aside from "The Twilight Zone," which we can take for granted -- especially the episode called "Mr. Dingle, The Strong." Let's see. The general idea is lifted from "Field of Dreams," only this is episodic instead of linear and lacks the happy climactic bonding of son and deceased father. I mean, each of the protagonists has a weird experience alone in a farming community, after which he becomes obsessed and hypomanic, and the local Sons of the Soil regard him as nuts. Then, in the odd ball villagers, there is a touch of "Northern Exposure" and "Rocket Gibraltar," the film to which the television series owes a good deal. The structure runs parallel to "Charlie." I think maybe the jumbo but pathetic monster of Frankenstein may be stretching things too far.Travolta is convincing enough as the cheerful, modest, perceptive brain tumor victim. I liked Kyra Sedgewick because she fits the role of the single mother with two children who wants to keep her life uncomplicated out here in the wilderness of buff hills and bunch grass. Forest Whitaker is fine as the recluse -- the only black guy in town as far as we can tell -- who seems to be Travolta's sole friend in this village. Robert Duvall's part is relatively small but he lends it more energy than he has in any of his other recent films.The FBI, academia, and famous brain surgeons provide the villains. "The most famous brain surgeon in the world" is Richard Kiley who tries to persuade Travolta to let him operate on his brain while it's still working, though it may not even prolong his life, let alone save it. Travolta could open new doors. Travolta replies to this importuning with: "You don't get it, do you? You have one hand on technology and one hand on science and you have nothing left for the human spirit." I'm on the side of Richard Kiley. Let them go ahead and peel open my head. The worst (or the best) that could happen is that you expire painlessly while in deep anesthesia. The alternative, which Travolta chooses, is to die at Kyra Sedgewick's farmhouse with its vista of live oaks under blazing blue skies. Yet, death from an astrocytoma is a horrible death. You don't die peacefully. You vomit, act irrationally, lose your wits, wind up immobilized, and suffer excruciating pain. The ending is a fantasy.It struck me as a tale aimed at the heart rather than the head, as Woody Allen once put it. There are pop songs about love and self actualization played over long scenes of smooching and driving around in a beat-up old pick up truck. It was all a bit much.

John Travolta's "Phenomenon" from 1996 is similar to "Powder", which came out some eight months earlier. Both films are about a gifted individual with unusual powers and the reactions of those around him. "Phenomenon" differs from "Powder" in that it's about a regular guy (Travolta) who suddenly gains amazing abilities, rather than an outcast who already has them.The other characters include a woman whom he wants to date (Kyra Sedgwick), his best friend (Forest Whitaker), his doctor (Robert Duvall), a marveling professor and miscellaneous townsfolk & government agents. The story takes place in a small town in Northern California (shot in Auburn, CA).This is an interesting "What if?" story. What would happen if an average Joe suddenly attained genius and telekinesis? The film explores the untapped power of the mind and spirit. What great things would we be able to do if we were able to tap into this vast reservoir of potential! The ordinary person might likely respond with skepticism, but the story is based on numerous real-life examples, albeit perhaps not as pronounced as Travolta's character.I've had my own run-ins with such things. For instance, about five years ago I was in bed having an intense dream when my wife burst into the room to wake me up. The smoke alarm outside the door was blaring like crazy, but there was no smoke or fire (or heat). The intense energy evoked by my dream obviously set it off because, as soon as I woke, it suddenly stopped. If there was any doubt, the same thing happened the next week. What can explain this except the untapped power of the mind and focused energy? Another example comes to mind, albeit different: when I was around 8 years old my family and I were walking the trails of Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis when we came to the edge of a baseball field. As soon as we entered the outfield somehow I just knew that the current batter was going to hit the ball and it was going to hit me right in the face. I knew this but I didn't know how I knew it. I just knew. Next thing you know the batter hits the ball high into the air -- it was like slow motion -- and it came and hit me right on the cheek! (Good thing it was a softball, huh?). How did I KNOW this was going to happen? I don't know, but it's pretty amazing and it shows the power of the mind and spirit to warn us, which some call intuition.It goes without saying that "Phenomenon" is worthwhile just for effectively exploring such amazing things and provoking thought.Travolta's character is somewhat of a type of Christ in the story, which makes the ending a bit unsatisfying. I don't want to say too much (no spoilers), but the question arises: If he possesses the genius and power to do all that he does in the film, why couldn't he use these powers to deal with a certain situation at the end? To me, the writers and filmmakers took the easy way out by giving us a "realistic" ending. In short, they played it safe.Still, this is a good movie if you like dramas and the subject matter piques your interest.The film runs 123 minutes.GRADE: B