Good but a bit long

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2002)

Steven Spielberg returns to our screens, and I have to say that despite the hype, this movie was well worth watching. Philip K Dick is an extraordinary writer - his best stuff came while he was stressed out and on drink or drugs - and Minority Report is as good a concept as We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (Total Recall) and Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner) Cruise, who I will admit is not my favourite actor by any stretch of the imagination, is bearable and the opening sequence where he takes on case 1108 is quite exceptional. The cityscapes are phenomenal (I know CGI is much of a muchness nowadays, but even so!) and the execution of cinematography is spot on.
My only gripe would be that at 2hrs 30mins it is a bit long for this type of film. I started looking at my watch in the final segments (not a good sign) and I feel it could have been pared down by about 45 minutes and still had the same impact. Plus, the denouement becomes a little bit too Mission: Impossible for my liking, with too many twists and turns to be genuinely interesting. You end up wondering who has betrayed who, and then even further wondering if you even care. and it has a pat, happily ever after ending.
But it was still, overall, an enjoyable experience, and I would give it a healthy 8 out of 10.