An entertaining film with an interesting premise

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2013)

Minority Report is an action movie with an above-average plot about a future in which future murders can be predicted, and the would-be-murderers are jailed, apparently without a trial, before they commit the crime.
If you were hoping for a deep interrogation of the legal system, however, you will be disappointed, because the morals of this new justice system are barely mentioned. Early on, Cruise's character, John Anderton, is predicted to kill a man, and he must run from his old partners in an Indiana Jones-style chase scene set in the future. That is really the problem with this film: interesting concepts hover on the tip of its tongue, but the movie steers towards action instead of tackling interesting ideas. Some other problems include an obvious disregard for reality, such as a Terminator-style spinning shotgun carried by Federal agents, and several incredibly silly mistakes by policemen. The film definitely falls heavier on the "fiction" half of "science fiction."
Fortunately, the plot is still very praiseworthy as it has enough plot twists to keep the audience interested. The minor characters are all well written and fun to watch, and small details such as the visual comparison between police officers and music conductors are found at every turn.
The film really shines in some of the more visual aspects. The set design is brilliant, from a creepy garden, to roller coaster freeways, to a quack doctor's insane operating room. The bleak lighting and washed out color scale fits the mood and setting perfectly.
At the end of the day, Minority Report is a solid, and highly entertaining, film that, while succeeding in many regards, does fall short of its massive potential.