"Things To Come" a la Steven Spielberg?

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2003)

Another look into the future by the fabulous mind of Philip K. Dick is not so fabulously translated to the screen by Steven Spielberg. Although the plot line engrosses you about how law enforcement works in the mid 21st century Washington, D.C., it attempts to rely too much on Tom Cruise's character to pull it all together.
Notable scenes involve how society is portrayed under Big Brother's eye, a la Madison Avenue advertising/capitalism gone mad. If you think crowd conditioned thinking to monopolistic advertising is bad NOW.... wait till you see what lies in store for us!
Overall, an enjoyable film, but I think Steven Spielberg is NOT in his element when dealing with Philip K. Dick's stories of our future. The ending was a bit too predictable, and even though you felt some sympathy for Tom Cruise's character as he races against the clock to prove he is "innocent" of a murder not yet commited, you've got to pay a LOT of attention to what is going on, and what is being said to get anything very meaningful out of the story.
Collin Farrell and Max von Sydow add their charm and mastery of acting in their pivotal roles, and for once, Tom Cruise is not a "hot-shot" glamour type wanting to be the center of attention. In this film noir-ish science fiction movie, he is almost "reluctantly" the center of attention.