Very nearly perfection

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2002)

Well, just got back from a late night showing of Minority Report and have to say that it is a very good film. Very nearly perfect.
The film is visually stunning at times, the set design is flawless. Not since Bladerunner has every detail of a film been put through a microscope and given a truly believable possible working future. Visions of a utopian dystopia are magnificent, never has a future looked so beautiful yet at times look so bleak, a smart and inciteful look at how the future landscape could look like.
With many ideas taken from our current society and just taking them that little bit further only makes this film stand out more. Surveillance encroachment, prison sentencing (death row) and the whole free will against fate ideaology.
The CGI and wirework do not distract from this film at all and compliment it entirely.
O.K, I hear you say, these themes have been touched on before maybe, well yes they have, but a few things need to be said to reinforce this film.
Firstly, as I mentioned before, the whole fate versus free will issue. Are we pre-determined to take certain actions in our life, and can we ever change this?. This film does both very nicely indeed, without being clumsy or awkward, this is down to...
Secondly, a magnificent story based around P.K. Dicks Original Short, and a marvellous script, that is both intelligent, without crawling up its own arse, and a script that delivers on almost all pointers, it contains wit(very dark at times), resonance, anger, and a real tale to tell.
Thirdly, the direction of Spielberg, wow, he really has decided to stop making the schmaltzy sentiment crapolla that disengenerated him away from his very early films, this film shows that has a director Spielberg has decided to stop playing with his toys and has definately thrown them from the pram, an assured piece, that works on so many levels, and imho his best film since Schindlers List.
Fourthly, the Cruiser, ditto with Spielberg in many respects, Cruise seems to have realised with this film, (and prior films, Magnolia and Vanilla Sky) that he has done to death the big white smile actioner. Tom turns in a performance that is dark, sombre and magnetic. He literally tears of his old persona from past films, in some real laugh out loud moments that are fantastically welcome.
This bodes well for the future of both Messers Spielberg and Cruise.
Some comparisons with BladeRunner are inevitable, but only on a visual level really and possibly the consumerisation.
To sum up...
Minority Report is a Dark, Sombre Techno-Noir with plenty of intelligence, humour, imagery and style in spades. An outstanding Film.