A Masterpiece by Default?

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2002)

"Minority Report" isn't a bad movie, but that doesn't make it a masterpiece, certainly not the instant-classic four-star science fiction film most reviewers are making it out to be.
It seems that films which receive the highest praise these days do so by default. If 95% of the movies out there are crap, does that make the other 5% worthy of high praise? NO. But I suppose if I was a professional film critic watching crappy movies all year long and then came across a passable science fiction film like "Minority Report," I'd probably get all excited too and say, "Hey, this one isn't too bad! What the hell--it's a classic!" That's the only explanation I have for the critical praise this film has received. Just add it to the list of highly-praised films from the past five or six years that have been graded on a curve.
"Minority Report" isn't a bad science fiction film. Although there are some huge flaws in its logic, the main concepts it introduces certainly give you something to think about, which is what good SF is supposed to do. However, Spielberg's attempt to compensate for the film's lack of emotional pull by tacking on a happily-ever-after ending might cancel out the introspective aspects of the story for some people; I don't mind happy endings, but this ending was a bit too much.
The film gives you other things to chew on besides the SF concepts: action sequences, special effects, neat little gadgets, a few startling moments, a bit of humour, a bit of mystery, and Tom Cruise's chiselled and well-photographed face if you're into that. It has a little bit of everything to satisfy most people.
Overall, though, "Minority Report" is a science fiction film, the kind that gives you something cool to look at and a few things to think about while you're being distracted by the action. But that's it. It's a passable science fiction film, nothing too spectacular or too profound, nothing to get too excited about.
If you haven't already seen it in the theatres, save yourself some money and wait for the video.
And I repeat: Just because it isn't a bad movie, doesn't make it a masterpiece.