Sci-fi fun from Spielberg

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2003)

***SPOILERS WITHIN REVIEW***
A small achievement in the sci-fi genre, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Phillip K. Dick's short story, Minority Report is a good chase 'em thriller. Tom Cruise plays John Anderton, head of the pre-crime unit, a special branch of the police force that uses technology to 'tag' and arrest 'criminals' before they actually commit a murder. These prophecies are the work of three pre-cogs (short for pre-cognitives), a young woman and two twin brothers who were the pregnant results of drug addicts. All goes wrong for Anderton's world when the female pre-cog, Agatha, points him out as a future murderer. Anderton hits the road running from Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) and his old police crew, unearthing long lost secrets and conspiracies.

The pre-cogs, Agatha (Samantha Morton), Dashiell and Arthur (named for Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Conan Doyle) are mysterious, almost angelic creatures - until Agatha is liberated by Anderton for her help, we don't really see them as humans - and the scenes with Agatha giving Anderton prophetic help have an other-worldly quality. Like previous Phillip K. Dick adaptations Blade Runner and Total Recall, Minority Report's special effects team (ILM) have created some very impressive effects, among the metal three legged Spyders; robotic spies employed by the pre-crime that scan people's eyes for identification, and futuristic cars and motorways, as well as other ultramodern creations. The pre-crime advertisements in the film (à la Starship Troopers) are effective in their designs and give us added insight into the goings-on of the pre-crime unit.

The performances are all solid, with Tom Cruise giving a good turn as the on-the-run police chief and Colin Farrell great as a smarmy competitor for Anderton's position who realises too late the truth of the investigation. Max von Sydow, playing the elderly head of the pre-crime facility, Lamar Burgess, is a kind of surrogate father to Anderton. Continuing the oft-used theme of paternal abandonment in his films, Minority Report's abandoned son is Cruise, with the scheming von Sydow betraying his 'son' in order to save his own hide. Of course, redemption is reached at the end, giving the viewer a happy ending. Janusz Kaminski's photography is impressively cold, effectively matching the overall mood of the film (the script, music, etc.) and enhancing the film noir sensibilities Spielberg and co. were aiming for. Interestingly, Spielberg notes that Minority Report is not a `warm adventure like A.I'. He's right in that regard, as this film doesn't share as much of the sentimentality that almost sank that picture. I liked the film a lot (all the more so because 'sci-fi' isn't ordinarily my favoured genre), but there were flaws that held back my enjoyment of the finished product. That said, I can't pinpoint any particularly grating imperfections, although I do know that it won't hold up to repeated viewings in my DVD player. An effective sci-fi thriller from a very talented director...the film taps into our need to know what the future holds for us.
8/10