Entertaining film despite its slow moments...

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2002)

First of all, I'd like to start off that Steven Spielberg is my all-time favorite director, and believe it or not, "A.I." has got to be my all-time favorite film. A year later, the genius director comes up with another futuristic tale that has an even more rewardingly dark tone to it than his previous outing. But does that mean it's as good?
It's tough not to like "Minority Report," given that I'm a die-hard science fiction fan. I will admit that Spielberg's "Minority" is slow at times, but entertaining, nonetheless. The casting is brilliant as is the beautiful futuristic world, even if it does have a quite uglier nature.
Last year's "A.I." paid homage to some of Stanley Kubrick's movies by incorporating some of the darkest elements of human nature, which I'm very fond of. It allowed its audience to think as well as be stunned by its colorful world. "Minority Report" perhaps had the most complicated story elements of any movie I've seen up-to-date. It's impossible to understand the story completely in just one viewing, especially when the audience tends to get lost somewhere in the middle of the 2-and-a-half-hour movie. I rather believe that this is the beauty of the whole film. It's not your ordinary action movie, but it's more of a deep psychological thriller. That is what makes "Minority Report" yet another homage to Stanley Kubrick from Steven Spielberg.
What will catch the audiences' eyes at the first viewing are the state-of-the-art special effects. However, unlike "A.I.," "Minority" shows the most obvious effects at the beginning rather than the end, where most people make their final judgments as to whether or not they like the movie. Spielberg tells the story with special effects, which is why the effects in the second part are for the most part very subtle. The nice camerawork by Spielberg's long-time cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is also what helps the film's mood.
Overall, "Minority Report" is a decent sci-fi flick. I'm not going to say it was great because there is still a lot I've got to figure out. I'm sure with several more viewings I will learn to like the film. By then the minority will rule. Grade: B