Really Good! :-)

Rating: 9/10 (22 June 2002)

My plan is to say as little as possible about the actual content of this film. I'm sure others have (or will) do so here. Also, I think you should go see it and I don't want to do anything to spoil it for you.

"Minority Report" is a really, REALLY good film. Really.

That said, I feel the need to state what this movie is *not*. "Minority Report" is *not* the best Science Fiction film ever made. It may wind up in the top fifty, but only time will tell. Nor is it the best of the films made from Philip K. Dick stories. For my money, "Bladerunner" still has that distinction. Furthermore, "Minority Report" is not, _strictly speaking_, great science fiction.
What "Minority Report" is, is a really good -- maybe great -- piece of movie making and a hell of a good mystery. The "who" and "why" were pretty clear, but the "how" really had me going. The Scott Frank and Jon Cohen script was *mostly* great and the technology was acceptable, given the setting of the story. I especially liked the holographic computer user interfaces, a bit reminiscent of Tek Wars.
Something I found especially appealing was that for the first time (as far as I know) the title of Dick's original story was used as the title of the film. That title is, without a doubt, what the story is all about. It's important, and it needs to be there.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. In fact, the only thing that jumped out of the screen and hit me right in the head was the really bad security at the DC cop house and sleep prison (more Tek Wars?). I am referring to the failure of the security people to remove the hero's retinal authorization from their computers, permitting him to come and go pretty much at will! I mean, when a cop goes over the hill, you invalidate his access to sensitive areas and information right NOW! I bring it up here only because it is an embarrassing mis-cue, made by a writer who *thought* he needed to do it that way to make the story work. I find this surprising because the rest of the script was so well done. It's also sad, because it wasn't necessary. If you're getting confused, I'm sorry. I just don't want to write a spoiler. Go see the film and you'll see what I mean. Then, think about it and you'll see how to fix it.
I re-read Dick's short story before going to see this film, and am pleased to report that I did *not* find myself sitting in the chair muttering to myself all about how "they took a good story and screwed it up." As a matter of fact, reading the story didn't do me one bit of good when it came to solving the core mystery. I did figure it out -- about 2 seconds before if flashed across the screen.
As someone who has been a hard-core science fiction book and movie fan for over forty-five years, as well as someone who loves a mystery, I can recommend "Minority Report" highly.
I'll be seeing this one again *and* buying the DVD!