Minority Report is the latest film from Stephen Spielberg that
stars Tom Cruise as a cop from the year 2054, who works in the pre-crime
division of the Washington D.C police department. The division's ability
to stop murders before they happen is based on the psychic ability of
three people who were mutant byproducts of a failed genetic program
designed to help babies born from drug-dependent mothers. Cruise's
character, John Anderton, is motivated by the loss of his own son, who
was abducted and murdered six years earlier. Accordingly, he's a strong
supporter of the controversial program, whose opponents feel it could
potentially make an error and people might be wrongfully convicted,
if not potentially rehabilitated. That action begins when Anderton is
identified as a future killer, and he hits the road running. This may
sound a little like The Fugitive, but in this case, you don't
know if the man on the run is - or, rather, will be - guilty.
Based on a short story by futurist Phillip K. Dick, author of Blade
Runner, the atmosphere of a dark world with high technology having
gotten out of hand, almost as though it snuck up on us without our
knowing, remains the theme. To remind us that we aren't controlled
by technology, but are nonetheless overrun by it, there are frequent
references to current-day familiarities, such as department stores
and restaurants, such as The Gap and McDonalds, where impressively
entertaining high-tech mass marketing gadgets know what you've purchased
before and offer new suggestions for consideration. (Sounds like a visit
to amazon.com?) Spielberg lightens up the tone with his signature wit and
humorous quips and visuals now and then, as opposed to Ridley Scott's more
serious and consistently dark visualization portrayed in Blade Runner.
As a plotline, Minority Report is intelligent, has a good
consistent flow, isn't always predictable (at least not that long before
it happens), has many twists and turns with legitimate dead-ends, and
above all, tells a plausible story (even if the basic premise itself
requires considerable suspension of disbelief). As Anderton begins to
unravel the true story about the corruption behind the pre-crime program,
he is lead even further towards his destination as predicted by the
"pre-cognitives" who predicted his crime. To tell any more of the story
would disclose too much; besides, it isn't necessary. You know all you
need to know here. :-)
The best parts of the movie are so good - from the high-tech special
effects to the light-hearted humorous moments to the good, steady flow
of the action and plotline - that the problems with the film are easily
forgiven. That said, my main gripe is the presumption that, in the
future, anyone convicted of a crime before it happens is immediately
sent to a state of suspended animation, an alternative form of the
death penalty. This is obviously one of the main sources of controversy
within the storyline, but anyone can see that, in almost all cases, the
predicted murders were not premeditated, if not potentially accidental,
in which case, psychological counseling and some form of probation would
be enough. There's nothing to suggest in the film that the context is
a police state, which would allow the premise to make sense. Yet, so
much of the movie is based on this premise, that it may be bothersome to
the discerning viewer. There are many such similar oversimplifications,
each of which could be quite easily solved with a minor change or a
quick dialog line or two, hence a mild sense of sloppiness in direction.
Still, in the end, these didn't bother me that much. I still had a
great time, and enjoyed it as the frivolous and wonderfully playful
action/thriller it was intended to be.
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