Fun, well paced

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2013)

This Philip K. Dick-influenced movie offers some surprises, some exciting action, and excellent special effects. I was in the mood for a big, actiony sci-fi film and that's what I got, so I'm happy about it.
I will acknowledge that, as is mentioned in the many negative reviews here, that there are issues. Cruise is the only fleshed out character, and that only slightly. You have very little sense of anyone else as a person; I felt particularly bad for Andrea Riseborough, stuck in the role of the bland and obedient wife.
Some moments ring false, notably in Cruise's first encounter with Freeman, in which everything is done in a very stupid way. And while the movie aims to create some mystery and ambiguity, at times it feels too pat, with moments that seem to just unrealistically to underline a point.
But I don't care; I had fun.