Minority Flaws...

It is a shame that the following statement is true... but I fear that this film will be too intelligent for mass appeal. Many will flock to the theatres expecting a Spielberg take on Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible character, but Minority Report is as deep and introspective as last summer's A.I., and it will confuse 75% of the average movie going public. It's grand themes, intricate plot and cerebral dialogue are refreshing to see from a director as influential as Spielberg. However, I have the feeling that the general public will not be as enthused as critics and experienced moviegoers. A poor box office performance here may result in more Spider-Man and Star Wars flicks rather than this more substantial fare.

This film approaches greatness with virtually every scene but it lacks a certain specificity and focus that would have brought the sum of it's magnificent parts to a fully realized and completely satisfying whole. I liken this film to a seven course meal at the best restaurant in the world... each course is sumptuous, delicious and impeccably prepared, but on your way home you realize you ate too much and feel a little queasy. Minority Report is about too many things to really be about anything at all.

However, I hate to criticize a film for being too ambitious... rather that than the opposite! There are some unforgettable scenes that will live in your memory forever. One sequence occurs as police search for John Anderton (Cruise) in a large building. They send in mechanical spiders who scurry through every nook and cranny searching for warm blooded creatures. A virtuoso overhead shot shows us the hunt in glorious and often hilarious detail. Each person in the building has their retinas scanned for identification & we watch as the spiders close in on John Anderton. He hides in the icy water of his bathtub careful not to make a noise or release a breath... but when that air bubble appears!!! What a great movie moment!

Another unforgettable scene shows one of the pre-cogs, named Agatha (Morton), who are psychically gifted people that can foresee crimes before they are committed, guiding Anderton through a futuristic mall using her abilities to avoid the authorities. It is one of the most intelligent sequences I have ever seen in a film.

There is also a two-shot of Agatha and Anderton hugging that will linger in the mind forever. It is a haunting and beautiful shot where both of them look over the others' shoulder in opposite directions. The lighting by cinematographer, Janusz Kaminsky, is the key here... there is an ethereal and religious quality to the shot. It is stunning!

All this being said, and as exciting as Minority Report is... I feel that a film needs to have specific goals and defined subjects. It then must go about achieving those goals as best it can. I think that Minority Report tries a little too hard to be about lot, rather than a lot too hard to be about a little.

This film will go down as one of the 25 best of 2002, but it's a shame that the blurry focus of the film prevented it from being one of the all time greats!

By the way... shouldn't it have been a red ball instead of a brown one for Anderton's crime? If so then maybe this is a huge error that most will overlook in this film!!!

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - B+ Richard Propes - B Jacob Hall - A

Richard Propes' Comment

Samantha Morton is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses, and she clearly outshines Cruise here in this Spielberg action/adventure flick. I'd still like to figure out what it is with Spielberg and his fast becoming typical soft endings. He keeps creating masterful films that fall short due to weak endings, soft endings, or sentimental endings. Cruise does do a nice job here, sort of going back to his days when being an actor was more important than being a movie star.

Jacob Hall's Comment

An exciting thriller that never lets up, barely lets us breathe, and thrills us to the point of exhaustion. That's just what I want in an action/adventure and Steven Spielberg further proves that he can still make great films. Tom Cruise stars a pre-crime officer, a futuristic cop who works with psychic premonitions to solve murders before they occur. Soon, he is wanted and must run for his life! So many people think of Tom Cruise as a movie star, that they forget that he's an actor. He's excellent here, playing a desperate, lonely man. He has excellent support from Colin Farrell and Max Von Sydow, but it's Samantha Morton who steals the show in an unforgettable performance. With brilliant action scenes, incredible visual effects, and an actual purpose, "Minority Report" is one of the best films of 2002. Only a cop-out of an ending keeps this from being a complete masterpiece.