Style Over Substance

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2019)

Based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Minority Report" is another effort by Steven Spielberg that offers a flashy style without penetrating the meaning of Dick's dystopian vision of the future.
The cast is hardworking, including Tom Cruise in the lead role of John Adderton, who is the lead enforcer on a futuristic crime-stopping plan called Pre-Crime, which uses human guinea pigs to predict as "precogs" to use their psychic powers to prevent murders in Washington, D.C. Indeed, the most memorable character in the film is Agatha, the brightest of the pods, as played by Samantha Morton. Colin Farrell is good as the cocky investigator.
The plot is fairly by-the-numbers with a predictable villain and loads of sentiment. The fast-paced action scenes are over-the-top with special effects. The film is more successful with the quiet moments, especially the touching relationship of John and his estranged wife Lara, both of whom are grieving over the loss of their son.
A troubling aspect of the film was how the three precogs were being exploited in the name of science. An essential question to raise about "Minority Report" is whether the film truly challenges audiences to contemplate how violent crime might be prevented in the future...or whether this was just a run-of-the-mill action picture.