Visually dazzling film with one or two good ideas!

Rating: 7/10 (11 December 2004)

Tom Cruise plays the murder squad policeman of tomorrow (2054) - here murder is prevented before the act by means of a set of "PreCogs." Water-bound, drugged up humans (give Amnesty International a call) with the special gift of predicting the future. Therefore the central "murder" doesn't actually happen - some jackbooted SWAT team bursts in through the skylight just before the act.
Bar the whiz-bang technology (which we will return to) we have a society a lot like today (only they don't swear as much!), where people eat, sleep and work without the need of tinfoil suits or magic pills. Cars do drive themselves though!
We have Steven Spielberg in his, now common, "reluctant" director role. Let us not get in to "Billboard" politics, but I don't understand the man-inside beyond his need for constant pats on the back, recognition and applause. While noted as a nice and charitous guy - and he is - that doesn't mean he doesn't also have a fair sized ego.
(He even helped form his own studio - Dreamworks - then he goes off to work for another! When you form/CO-form a business isn't it best to work for it rather than a competing rival? Or does show biz have another version of common-sense?)
The problem with industrial technology (within the film itself) is that designers do not design superfluous parts for the purpose of them looking dramatic to the casual observer. Doesn't make any sense. But when you do have nonsense don't underline it by some kind of pseudo intellectual explanation as to why coloured balls have to roll down long plastic tubes before you can announce a would-be murderer - just let it pass!
Minority Report is a clear example of reverse writing. Like coming up with a joke - you come up with a good punch line and work backwards to come up with a scenario that could lead you to that point. This comes up with a mixed bag of possible cliff-hanger clichés or twists to work towards - and the fact that Cruise's child has been killed (by persons unknown) sent my eyeballs a-rolling.
Before we know it John Anderton (Tommy Cruise) is - for reasons a child could guess at - on the run from his former pals down at Nazi Jack Boot Central: and, as further expected, he leads them a merry dance up hill and down dale. This takes up a lot of the story and to be frank, goes on at least fifteen minutes too long. As we all know flight is only any good if you have somewhere to actually run to.
While this is the Tom-and-tech show (the only love interest in the movie is his late son), it is good to see the Swedish veteran actor Max Von Sydow still in work after over a hundred films. Quite a few better than this and plenty made on the money this production spent on lunch.
Steven S's has a poor record when casting Johnny Foreigner and I was sad to see his long-standing theme of foreigners (non Americans) not being trustworthy continues. Can't say anymore - but it leaves a lasting bad taste in mouth, just as much as the visual images leave a lasting impression on the eye.