Spielberg is back on track with one of the best sci-fi films to come along in quite some time.

Rating: Null/10 (20 June 2002)

Steven Spielberg still seems to be a little on the Stanley Kubrick kick, but this time he gets it right after a little stumble with the so-so "A.I.". The director has taken on Phillip K. Dick's ("Blade Runner", "Total Recall") short story from the 50s and turned it into something futuristic, yet very foreseeable, which is what makes this story work. While not all good sci-fi is based on possible future events, the fact that some of the technology has caught up in time with what Dick had originally dreamed up is pretty frightening.
Tom Cruise continues his reign as the most appealing male "movie star" and is engaging as our drug addicted protagonist ( a la Sherlock Holmes) in what seems like a "North By Northwest" meets "The Fugitive" on the "Blade Runner" set. Without giving away too many of the plot details, it can be said that this is one of the more intelligent and enjoyable sci-fi flicks to come along in a long time. The plot twists are slightly predictable, but still quite intriguing nonetheless.
It raises a lot of questions about where we are headed as a society in many aspects. There's a balance of good and bad things that most futuristic movies don't have. It does show what we already know: people never change. While we may have advances in technology we are still going to be driven by greed, jealousy, and other flaws that have plagued man since the beginning man's existence.
This is definitely one to check out in the theaters. Cruise, Man Von Sydow ("Needful Things"), and Colin Farrell ("Hart's War") are all give solid performances and Spielberg is his usual masterful self. This is just the summer blockbuster sci-fi fans have been waiting for.