More Post-"Matrix" Techo-Drivel

Rating: 5/10 (6 July 2002)

When the annals of film are written in 2030 or so, I suspect that "The Matrix" will be seminal. That film seemed to mark the beginning of "Techno-computer generated babble Uber Alles in Cinema." "Minority Report" seems to fall in that category. The fundamental free-will vs. determinism and constitutional questions are overwhelmed by improbable escapes and whirling, half-recognizable images.
I would be curious to cross-tabulate responses to this film by age category. My gut says those over 40 have a far less sanguine view of this film than younger viewers who have been weened on the computer and television. Perhaps Spielberg and SKG have chosen to target the younger audience at the expense of those who prefer gray matter over CRT's for stimulating the imagination.

As an aside--the young lady who played the pre-cog may have had the most physically and emotionally demanding role in this film. She may be the surprise Oscar nominee for a supporting role next March. Similarly--Peter O'Toole's suicide in "Night of the Generals" seemed more convincing than Max von Sydow's... maybe Mr. Spielberg got a hint from Anatole Litwak.