Despite A-list talents Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore, time-hopping thriller Next was slated by critics for its "tedious implausibility". In terms of box office too, it was among the least successful adaptations of a Philip K Dick novel. That said, the sheer ludicrousness of the plot, featuring a magician who can see two minutes into the future, might hold a trashy appeal for some on DVD.

Making Projections

Following more lucrative Philip K Dick adaptations Total Recall (1990) and Minority Report (2002), writer/producer Gary Goldman says he wanted to try "something spectacular that nobody had ever seen before". That's the only justification he gives for his sieve-like version of The Golden Man in Making The Next Best Thing. Cage explains that he signed up because he's always fancied playing a magician. If ever there was a time to pull off that vanishing act...

Also on the subject of magic tricks, the visual effects bods explain how they achieved the ghosting effect which foretells the action two minutes ahead in Visualising The Next Thing. It's the usual CGI stripdown of key stunts such as a ship being upturned and logs rolling down a hill. If we're honest, the final scenes don't look that convincing, maybe because, as the experts reveal, they were dealing with unusual "time constraints". How's that for irony?

Number Twos

In an attempt to flesh out the love story between Cris (Cage) and Liz (Jessica Biel), Cage came up with the idea of shooting a date scene at an idyllic spot at the bottom of the Grand Canyon - the same place he took his wife on their first date. It sounds like a great excuse for a fun day out, especially for the behind-the-scenes camera crew. They compile a little travelogue, The Next Big Idea, and assure us that it was a hard day's work for cast and crew.

Finally we hear from Jessica Biel on what she might do if she had the ability to look two minutes into the future. Mostly, she says, she would be "totally freaked" and it gets us thinking too. For one thing, if we could have seen how dull this two-minute interview is, we would have skipped it. Unless you really have a penchant for top movie stars embarrassing themselves, save yourself a lot of time and give Next a miss.

EXTRA FEATURES

Next DVD is released on Monday 24th September 2007.