An Uneven, Though Creative Film.

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2003)

In MINORITY REPORT, the "PreCrime" division of crime prevention has come to pass. Through a group of "floating" clairvoyants, a murder can be seen before it happens. John Anderton (Tom Cruise), the top dog over at PreCrime, has found himself in the center of one of these "visions". He now has thirty-six hours not to commit the crime he is being hunted for; this he does, and at the same time, trying to figure out who framed him and solve another murder. All the while unsure whether this predetermined fate can be altered or not. Sound confusing? It's not really and the film-makers handle the material well.
However, the one thing this movie is is uneven. Spielberg here tries to capture the same tone he did in the INDIANA JONES films, but does not quite manage it. What we end up with is over-the-top humorous moments: the chase in the factory (which is essentially a high-tech update of Charlie Chaplin going through the gears of that large machine); the whole sequence with the "eye doctor" (Peter Stormare) is all one-liners and physical comedy. Juxtaposed against these scenes are ones of uninspired drama: the rest of the movie. Spielberg fails to find that fine-line that he has walked in so many past projects (though I'm not sure what he was trying to do in his other recent sci-fi film, A.I.). This is not helped along by John William's score (film music fans will accuse me of blasphemy here), which is oppressive and terse.
All that said, MINORITY REPORT is still a very entertaining, well made film.
The story of MINORITY REPORT is based on a short work by Philp K. Dick. Dick has sown fertile ground in Hollywood (TOTAL RECALL, BLADE RUNNER), and some not so fertile (SCREAMERS, IMPOSTER). He is a writer of great wit, humor and vision. Dick has published dozens of books and volumes of short stories, which will make him attractive to sci-fi film-makers for years to come. I think Spielberg has come closer to capturing the tongue-in-cheek feel of Dick's work than any other film adaptation. It still remains to be seen if someone can make an epic and silly science fiction masterpiece in his name. 7/10