Philip Dick thrills again - and this one's worth seeing

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2002)

Upon leaving the theater, my first impression of Minority Report was all positive. Spielberg seems to have turned a corner with this film, and taken his formerly grandiose direction and minimized its scope. You see, the beauty of this film is in the details. Every lighting angle, every shot, seems like a dark, looming piece of art, meanwhile the story is thrilling you at a breakneck pace. Some of the writing does leave you doubting chunks of the story (and their continuity/plausibility), but sure enough the freight train Spielberg has you on won't let you ponder those speed bumps. The future we're allowed to glimpse is so caught up in marketing and glamour that it feels like less science fiction and more like the future of our culture. Look for marketing suits to steal ideas from this film to sell you hip clothing in ten years. Nevertheless, in the grand scope of things, this film still feels like a little bit of a let down from the director (although the future technology is so plausible its worth ticket prices alone), a step in the right direction for a Cruise, and an overall media coup for closet genius Philip K. Dick.