Style more than substance

Rating: 3/10 (5 July 2002)

So two Hollywood icons finally got to work together.
Speilberg is in his element of course with all the cool gadgets and sci-fi eye candy. Tom Cruise is also bathed in good lighting shown in all the flattering camera angles.
But the result of the two together is far from satisfying.

Minority Report may be tauted the Bladerunner of this decade but it lacks Bladerunner's dark, brooding mood, probing questions and poetry that leaves us rooting for the hero and bleeding for the villain.
Steven Speilberg is shown up once again as a technical director...with no clue in bringing out the humanity of a 'suffering hero'.
Mel Gibson contemplating suicide with his gun in Lethal Weapon conveyed more than a 'drugged-out' Mr Cruise reliving the home videos of his kid.
And Tom Cruise...he knows a blockbuster when he sees one (But I bet MR will still plummet from the Box Office sooner than Mr Cruise would like to believe.) But he needs to get over the formulaic approach of Hollywood, be brave enough to share screen time with a screen sizzler (he gets upstaged by Farrell here in some scenes whose LA Confidential-style death takes the wind out of the movie), have at least one heated moment of passion with someone, ANYONE and subject himself to a master story-teller like Peter Weir or an up-and-coming Chris Nolan and Curtis Hanson.
One star for the human drama.Three stars for pace and coolness. Overall 2 stars out of 4.
You won't die in regret if you missed this.