Shrug...

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2002)

Overall, I am puzzled by the relative consistency of high marks given it by the critics. The film's just OK. It is certainly not great and there are many parts that are downright bad. Max von Sydow is excellent and the soft, bleak cinematography is noteworthy, but that's about it. Spielberg is starting to bore me with these predictable endings and the apparent attempts among intellectuals to make the film somewhat more `meaningful' in the wake of America's Homeland Security fetish come up lame with me.

Setting that aside, the material in the film - based, of course, on the Philip K. Dick short story - makes a direct philosophical statement: What happens in your life is all predetermined unless you somehow can foresee the future in which case - unlike others - you can make a choice. This premise has (had) a great deal of potential, but it never quite comes together. Those comparing this film with the likes of The Matrix or Blade Runner are naive. It has no comparable metaphorical or character depth. As for the direct "point" posed by Minority Report...it was more interesting and effective in the short story than in the 2 and 1/2 hour film. I gave it a 6.