I really liked "Minority Report," but I assure you, in 2054, we're not gonna see any of the cool futuristic stuff shown in this movie. Granted, some of it we're likely to see, like the cool cars, for example. But eye transplants done in some guy's ratty apartment? Futuristic vertical highways? The ability to see what's on someone's mind as it's displayed on a screen, as though you're watching a movie? Where would the "camera" go for something like that? Obviously, I'm nitpicking, and to be honest with you, those are the only real complaints I have about this movie, the difficulty of suspending disbelief. Well, it was also perhaps a few minutes too long. But I gotta tellya, the unlikely futuristic stuff looked really cool, and I got a kick outta watching 'em.
"Minority Report" is yet another movie based on a story by science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick. He wrote several stories that ended up being movies, most notably "Total Recall," which was loosely based on his short story, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," and "Blade Runner," which was based on his novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Not all of them are classics like those two, though. Recently, there was a movie that came out called "Imposter." It was based on Philip K. Dick's story of the same name, and it was a box office bomb. Ccritics and audiences (the few who saw it) hated it. With "Minority Report," we finally have something that might actually be the best of all. That's right, I'm saying that it's better than "Blade Runner" and better than "Total Recall." I know that there are a lotta "Blade Runner" nuts out there, and I can certainly appreciate the greatness of the movie, but most of the greatness comes from the production design. The movie itself has a decent story, but not an excellent one. "Minority Report" has an excellent story, and it's in the hands of an excellent director. And it also has an excellent (though underrated) actor as the star of the film.
Tom Cruise is a movie star. There's no denying it, the guy's got real star power. But when it comes to real acting, I don't think he gets the credit he deserves. You look at his performances in "Eyes Wide Shut," "Jerry Maguire," and (especially) "Magnolia," and it's plain to see that he truly is a great actor. In "Minority Report," he works with two people who are relatively new faces in America, but they're starting to get some serious recognition. Colin Farrell (an Irish actor who's only been acting for a few years, but he's been getting the attention of a lotta people... he'll be in the upcoming "Daredevil" movie as "Bullseye") plays the Defense Department guy who's after Tom Cruise, and Samantha Morton (English actress who has also been getting a lotta attention in the United States) plays one of the "pre-cogs" who can see the future. Both of them are very good in this movie, and it's obvious why they're getting so much attention. Also in the movie is Max von Sydow (he was "Father Merrin" in "The Exorcist"... he was also "Ming" in the 1980 camp classic, "Flash Gordon," and he was "The Tracker" in "What Dreams May Come") as Tom Cruise's boss. He's as good as he always is.
The director of this film is probably the most famous director in the world right now, Steven Spielberg. His fame isn't undeserved, he's simply one of the best directors to ever direct movies. I mean, this is the man who directed "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Jaws," and the "Indiana Jones" trilogy. The guy is amazing. Last year, he directed "A.I.," and it was one of his recent disappointments. I personally liked it, and so did many other people, as well as critics. But just as many people didn't like it. Opinions of the movie were varied, but nobody could deny that it was a well made film. Even when his work is unpopular, he proves time and time again that he's an excellent director.
The screenplay was written by Scott Frank, and he's a great writer. He wrote "Dead Again" and "Little Man Tate," and he also wrote "Get Shorty" and "Out of Sight," both of which were adaptations based on Elmore Leonard novels of the same name. Though it's only slightly relevant, I think it's kinda cool that Scott Frank is the brother-in-law of director (and one-time Spielberg protégé) Phil Joanou. Phil Joanou directed "State of Grace" and the 80s classic, "Three O'Clock High." Joanou also directed "Heaven's Prisoners," which Scott Frank helped write. Anyway, Scott Frank, wrote a great screenplay here, expanding on the short story by Philip K. Dick. He wrote a tight, fascinating sci-fi screnplay that was also part action film and part film noir detective story. Good stuff.
I liked "Minority Report" a lot, and it's a movie that I think most people will enjoy. It's rated PG-13, but it's definitely an adult movie. Older kids may like it, but the younger ones will be confused at best and freaked out at worst. Check out this awesome flick, okay?
Scale of 1-10: 9