7 out of 10

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2002)

As with several of Steven Spielberg's more recent films, I find myself frustrated by Minority Report. There are many brilliant ideas, images and sequences within the first two hours, but much of that is thrown away by having the climax dissolve into thriller ending Type B.
Plot-wise Minority Report could be best described as a paranoid science fiction cross between The Fugitive and Mission Impossible. Set in the Washington of 2054, murders have been eradicated by the experimental Precrime division. Detective John Anderton (an excellent Tom Cruise) heads this taskforce, catching would-be murderers from evidence provided by the Precogs - they see the crimes before they happen. The system is perfect. But what happens when Anderton is charged with murdering someone he doesn't even know, in 36 hours time? As the poster tag-lines say: everybody runs. Hunted by the ambitious Ed Witwer (Colin Farrell), Anderton can only rely on his mentor (Max Von Sydow) for help, as he desperately tries to prove that the infallible Precrime system can be wrong.
Until the present catches up with the future, the film is extremely engaging. Spielberg once again proves that he is the master of both set-up and set pieces. He creates a believably neurotic future where technology has advanced in a natural way. Anderton's plight is convincingly constructed, whilst his flight is almost unbearably tense. The "jetpack", "eye" and "spider" sequences are excellent examples of this and, in terms of suspense, are comparable with anything on offer at the moment.
Unfortunately, after the pivotal scene where Anderton meets his predicted victim, the film falls apart. In place of startling originality we have a stultifyingly predictable ending that has been lifted directly from other films. The villain's unveiling is almost identical to that of LA Confidential's, and two climactic scenes are disturbingly similar to those of The Fugitive and Mission Impossible. Whilst it's sad that most of the few scenes that don't involve special effects are the film's weakest, this revelation might not be entirely surprising. Essentially Minority Report is the kind of chase movie that we've seen over and over again. Indeed, if it weren't for the climax, this wouldn't be a criticism - most stories are evolutions of all that's gone before. With the starkly blue look, draining colour from the screen, and an effective new spin on an old story, the disguise almost works.
Do not doubt that Minority Report is very enjoyable. As a suspense thriller, it may well be the best of the year. But as dark science fiction, in the vein of Blade Runner, it misses the mark.