Movies-TV

Wow, I was completely surprised

This movie caught me by surprise. I never expected quality acting from John Travolta. Teamed with a top-notch story, Travolta shines in his role as an every-day-man, transformed in to a man with special intelligence, insight and talents.

As Travolta mind grows, the towns-folk minds begin to narrow. Had the movie been set a few centuries ago, Travolta surely would have been burned at the stake.

Best of all, this movie lends itself to multiple viewing.

Funny, sad, surprising, and thought-provoking.

Phenomenon is an engaging movie with unexpected twists and reversals. Travolta's character, George Malley, is a simple, gentle person who is mysteriously given the gifts of great insight and intelligence on his 37th birthday. While the movie is a study in human reactions to difference and the unknown, I found its probing the realm of human potential to be thought provoking and inspirational.

phenomenon by josh

In the movie phenomenon George (John Travolta) see a light in the sky in which knocks him off of his feet. As days and months go by he becomes smarter. He starts reading up to five books a day of all of his interest's languages, cars, love, nature etc. As more time goes on George then develops telekinesis. He starts moving objects with his mind in which he like to call it a "partnership" The whole town is chocked amazed, worried and scared for George because he is a well known respected man in town and everything he does is odd. George the ends up having a tumor in his brain and it is only a matter of time before he is deceased.

I think this movie is one my favorites because it's very interesting. It has a great attention getter and it's just fascinating. I highly recommend people either rent or buy this movie!!

John Travolta is great

The whole movie is perfect. Good screenplay, good acting, and good everything. John Travolta is the heart and soul of this and he sure knows how to act. John Travolta plays a man who sees something in the sky and to anybody's belief, it is a phenomenon. Now that this "phenomenon" happened to him, he has different types of powers like telekinesis. All of the side characters are cool and know how to act very well. I don't see how people can not like this movie.Overall this movie was awesome and I STRONGLY recommend this movie to anyone. Rating 10 out of 10.

the perfect film for us saps

Sorry but I just loved it. I know for some it will be sentimental and trivial. It was on the slow side, a little too easygoing, but utterly charming with a terrific cast. The Robert Duvall role certainly did not need anyone of his caliber playing it, but it's always good to see him just the same. For the moment, it was just what I needed. If you're a man, don't bother.

super film

One of my favorite if not my favorite Travolta films. Not many shows make me cry,but i dare you to watch this film without shedding a tear.It also has many great scenes that will make you feel amazed ,happy, sad ,it has it all Travolta and Sedgwick are great together,and who could forget Duvalls performance.It is one of those films you never get tired of watching.(timeless). although the ending is a real tear jerker, most films that end that way i rarely ever want to see again,but because of the whole chemistry of the film you cant help but say wow! I would put this film on my top 50 films of all time. A must see! for all viewers ,even us men.Jeff

An amazing movie that will affect you for the rest of the day.

An amazing movie, truly amazing. I don't use to comment about movies, but I MUST recommend this one. The plot just takes your heart with it, and penetrates into your soul. The characters, all of them and especially the main ones, are played in a fabulous way, you feel so identified with them, with the story... it's very special and touching.I watched the movie twice, day after day, and even though I already knew what's going to happen, the ending just made me cry again! This is a movie you'll remember, it's not just a romantic drama, it is much much more, you'll just be attached to the screed during it. In 3 words - A REAL PHENOMENON.

Ultimate crying movie!

I have seen this movie at least 20 times and I still bawl at the end. In my personal top five of all time greatest movies. If you are an intellectual person you will appreciate the complexities in the premise. Don't want to say too much and give away the ending, but it's difinitely not what you think!!!

Excellent Romantic and Light Movie

When I started seeing movie and was in the very first scene in which a rabbit is running in George's garden and the music which was playing in back i guessed that it'll be a classic one. As I progressed with the movie it just touched me in heart and the touch of such emotional and little details like in one scene Lace was waiting for George and the way she was looking at her dress as she was going somewhere important.I mean it was excellent piece of directorship. In the end it was a sad story in which George didn't last long to endure his love of life and Lace was left hiding her pains and love that she unavoidably started to had for George.

Phenomenal!

"Phenomenon" has to be John Travolta's best role ever! His role as "George" almost seems to nice to rate this a 5-star movie. However, the role was played like it should have been. To me, the movie is all about relationships we have with each other and how we effect others through those relationships. The movie has you speculating why he now has a "special gift" as evidenced on the assumptions of the townsfolks. He's betrayed often in the name of fear and ignorance. Yet, he never gives up his friendship. The emotional swings that fly through the movie seem very genuine in the characters. I felt that the casting was excellent and highly recommend this movie to everyone. It's one I'm glad to have as part of my DVD Collection!

Learning and living fast enough to seem magical.

What if you could read several books a night, learn whatever you wanted to, apply your learning in useful projects right away, and grasp insights that illude all those around you?And if you could, what that be good?John Travolta plays a small town mechanic who mysteriously develops uncanny mental abilities one night and soon has the whole town mesmerized by the phenomena of his learning success. Along the way he develops a wonderful fondness for a furniture maker that evolves into a powerful love, saves a young boy from certain death, and matches one of his bachelor friends with a beautiful single mom.I won't give away the ending to this masterpiece--rent it or buy it and watch it once, twice, even more...it's that great.Doug Smith -------------------------------- http://www.dougsmithtraining.com --------------------------------- What have you learned today?

It's worth seeing if you aren't paying for the viewing.

If you haven't seen this movie I am surprised. Not that it was monumental or anything, but it was during a boom in Travolta's career. Usually people will see or rent a movie during those peaks just by default. It has a real folky soundtrack and is trying to touch on some grass-roots humble tone with it's farmlife, sticks-town setting. It's insincere because of the casting. High-profile city sharks just don't play well as tree stumpin' s*&t stomping hicks. Maybe because of DuVall's role in Apostle he was cast as the religious adviser in this film.. It reaches for a great movie but never grabs hold. This is similar to a film "Unbreakable" where the initial setting is great and the first ½ hour is intriguing and shows promise, but then the movie simply dies. Phenomenon is something that you will either like or dislike but you won't love or hate it.SPOILER: It's about a man living a simple life who is struck with an illness (which introduces itself as a brilliant flash of light in the form of some terrestrial nature that only he witnesses) that affects his brain (similar to a tumor) but is very specific in which areas of the brain are affected . These areas are the "un-used" portions that science claims to this day are dormant and are unknown in purpose. This "awakened" area due to the cellular cancer activity are stimulating his creative genius, capacity and rate of learning and of course telekinetic abilities. He eventually dies from the sickness and then there is a montage (Eric Clapton's "change the world" in background) showing how he has influenced the townspeople's lives throughout the film. There is also a love interest with Kyra Sedgewick that isn't really developed properly so you most likely won't feel any real emotional attachment exists.It's worth seeing but nothing to get excited about. Similar to his film "Michael"

Phenomenon

I recognised this film from the poster and the leading actor, but I had no idea what to expect, from director Jon Turteltaub (While You Were Sleeping). Basically on his birthday, George Malley (John Travolta) sees a strange light come down from the sky, and hit him. No-one else saw it, and over the next few days George develops newfound intelligence and telekinesis (moving things with his mind), and he uses these abilities for the good of his community. Word gets around about, and he becomes known as a freak, and everyone wants to know what happened to the old car mechanic. Soon enough the government gets involved wanting to see and understand his abilities. The only people that don't want to do anything to him, and are still good friends are Lace Pennamin (Pyrates' Kyra Sedgwick), Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker) and Doc Brunder (Robert Duvall). Also starring David Gallagher as Al Pennamin, Ashley Buccille as Glory Pennamin, Tony Genaro as Tito, Sean O'Bryan as Banes and Independence Day's Brent Spiner as Dr. Bob Niedorf. Besides the one or two fun to watch tricks Travolta can do, this film is no much of a phenomenon, but it's okay. Worth watching!

good but not great

i think this is a pretty good movie i actually went to see it two weeks in a row when it was out at the movies.now i own the tape.travolta gives a good performance.as does everyone else.i disaggre with the other viewres who said that this is one of the best movies of all time its not that great.Intersting factoid. david gallgher who plays sedwicks son. also start with travolta in look whos talking now.

Really good acting and a very (VERY) stupid story

This movie works at all only because of the quality of the acting of Travolta, Duvall, Sedgwick, Whitaker, and the others who really do commit to this incredibly dumb plot. It is easy to get caught up in the love story, and in the wonderfully nice George Malley (as all his friends do), but every piece of "knowledge" in this film is as whacked out as Lace Pennamin's stupid chairs.

At first, when the light hits George, we buy into something unearthly has given him these powers, but when the truth is revealed late into the movie, well, let me say that what happened to George does not and cannot happen from what the story has happen to him. If you have ever had that in your family, as I have, you know what really happens and it is not, EVER, an increase in mental ability, let alone something as impossibly fanciful as telekinesis.


Then there is the whole sinister government thing. Why do this? Why is it necessary that the government is out to enslave us by keeping us ignorant and stupid and yet if we dare rise above the enforced mediocrity, they want to take us away? This is even dumber than the asserted reason for George's abilities.

Even so, I like every character in George's town, especially Duvall's Doc Brunder and Whitaker's Nate Pope. It is the quality of their acting and commitment to this story that makes the film work at all. When I first saw it, I suspended belief and common sense all the way until the George finds out about the source of his powers. Then I got annoyed and the feeling kept increasing all the way to the end. Still, Travolta and Duvall do have a great scene together at the hospital that would have worked in any movie without all this other nonsense.

Oh, well.

Now I can go out and appreciate the simple things in life

A cross between Terms of Endearment and Charly. This is another one those movies where the audience is talked down to and told how to "really" live. John Travolta is amazingly able to stand out amongst the preachiness but the rest of the good cast is buried in life affirming syrup. The romance between Travolta and Kyra Sedgwick is the best part. It's slow but at least it doesn't really have a message behind it. When Travolta delivers the meaning of the story (and apparently for life itself) using an apple the movie takes on a unique glow of self-satisfaction. ** out of ****

Phenomonon was a wonderful, faithful movie. It was AWESOME!

I loved Phenomonon! It was great and I would enjoy seeing it again! It renewed my faith and lifted my spirits.

travolta and no one else

i think travolta is the best and in the whole of my entire life travolta means to me paradise, i love him.

Absolutely fantastic

I saw this in the theater, and it was one of the most fantastic movies. I agree with the reviewer that John Travolta should've gotten an Oscar, but he wasn't even nominated. But that's how it goes with the Oscars...anyway, he is outstanding, and also some great performances by Robert Duvall and Kyra Sedgewick. If you want to see a movie about love, vision, spiritual growth--a movie without violence, this is one to see. It also says something about our society in general, how when people change, or are different, they incite fear. Rather than try to understand, we choose to reject.

One of my all-time favorites.

This movie doesn't get the credit that it deserves. Travolta's speech at the end of the movie to the doctor is incredible. Rarely do I ever see a movie that acknowledges the value of a single human life like this movie does. Most movies glorify sacrifice. This movie glorifies life. I highly recommend it.