Spielberg on Cruise control

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2003)

The real "Minority Report" is the report from the minority of reviewers that got it right.
This has a Spielberg "hired gun" feel about it. Like he pulled out all the stops on a project he doesn't care about. Whooshing cameras and slick in-your-face effects step all over what should have been a nifty little sci-fi crime thriller.
Net effect is a slickly cold, special effects extravaganza with a few disgusting scenes and characters tacked on to give it a Blade Runner-ish feeling of "realism." Misguided attempts at humor in the first chase sequence also seem tacked on.
It's too big and cold to care much about, and lacking in the vision needed to be a true sci-fi epic. I think it would have worked better as a smaller project, like an episode of "Outer Limits." Or take it w-a-a-y over the top and give it to Paul Verhoeven or Ridley Scott.
As mentioned earlier, Samantha Morton, as the pre-cog Agatha, gives the best performance in the film.
(I haven't seen A.I. yet, but look forward to renting it as I'm suspecting it's the better of the two movies.)