"If you loved "Blade Runner"..........

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2002)

Another Philip K. Dick story gets the full Monty for the big screen. The big question here: "How far is a society prepared to go to ensure public safety"? Does any of this sound familiar to you, folks? I'm sitting here watching CNN reporting that the FBI is hunting for 5 suspected terrorists who entered the US illegally as I write this. "Pre-crime"? Homeland security? Do the math. This movie came out right on time. The subject is definitely in play.
The world of 2054 as portrayed here by our pal Steve Speilberg is not at all implausible. The computers, in particular, look like the next big thing. Ever seen anybody playing a theremin? No? Then how about how they turned Andy Serkes into Gollum for "Lord Of The Rings"... And the product placement and digital advertising in "M.R."? Just remember, kids. You heard it here first. I saw the World's Fair in 64-65. I know how this works. The future is NOW. Speilberg's just showing us how we'll be driving our cars and using our P.C.'s before Chevrolet and Apple get their own ads in gear. The scene with Cruise's character in the mall is coming soon, and I don't mean to a theater near you, either.
The film is story-driven and the acting is secondary to the special effects, which are spectacular, but Peter Stormare is a hoot is his cameo and Samantha Morton and Cruise do a creditable job considering the parameters. For you cinematography buffs out there, I believe that I counted 659 different shades of the color blue during the course of the movie. See if you can find them all. It's a fun game.
Like I said, if you enjoyed "Blade Runner" or "A.I.", then this puppy is right in your wheelhouse. Another classic sci-fi flick.