DVD : Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- The evils of big government...one of those "warning" films.
This one really makes you think. It's frightening to imagine a world where the gov't monitors so much, has that much control, always knows where you are (the eye scanning, the spiders running around the city checking IDs). Not surprisingly, Libertarians promote this film.

Creepiest scenes - eye transplant, Agatha's lake memory (especially discovering the identity of her mother's killer), the greenhouse with the weird plants, the floating prison cells.

And then there are the obvious ethical questions - is it right to arrest someone before they actually commit a crime? I mean, people are arrested for attempted robbery, rape, and murder, but you don't get locked up for the rest of your life (although plenty or murderers and rapists certainly DESERVE life in prison...and/or castration, in the case of rapists). It's a tempting idea, but how do you know what you're going to do until you do it?

If I were one of the potential victims, I would be grateful to the Precrime Unit for killing the criminal before harm came to me. It's a sort of self-defense. If the police didn't kill him, maybe I would have, and that would have been legal. Like I said, it really makes you think.

"You know I can't see without my glasses..."

Rating:

- A Masterpeice
Minority Report is a sophisticated and intelligent take on the time worn theme of the predator becoming the prey.

Set in a gritty, detached, futuristic America, Tom Cruise plays an intolerant and jaded law enforcment agent whose sense of justice and fairness is clouded by the disapearance of his seven year old son years earlier. He is a firm believer in new police technology that harnesses the power of three psychics - pre congnitives as they are called - to predict criminal behavior and enable law enforcment officers to arrest potential criminals before they actually commit crimes. The ACLU has been asleep at the wheel that's for sure.

When Cruise's character is set up to be a victim of his own beloved crime technology he sets out to find out who is behind his frame up and why.

Tom Cruise has seriously damaged his credibility but he is truly the mose underrated actor of our day. It's a shame that his star status has overshadowed his acting ability. His performance in Minority Report is brilliant and Steven Speilburg creates a gritty noir world that invokes a stylish cross between Escape from New York and Blade Runner. This is the sort of movie that gets under you skin and will stay in your thoughts for days afterward. It's haunting, disturbing, troubling and intense.

Rating:

- worth seeing
Science fiction films have always been films that can either be really enjoyable or pretty silly. This one delivers, fortunately. Tom Cruise's character is really good and exciting throughout the movie. Sometimes it may appear like he's not always on his game but by the end of the film you'll agree that his performance was wonderful. You simply must give Minority Report a serious watch.

Rating:

- Minority Report, a sweet dlight
I loved Minority Report,
a clever story and amazing special effects made for a great futuristic experience. I watched this movie many times now, and it never ceased to grab my attention.

Rating:

- Excellent Report
Set about fifty years into the future, the movie is a sci-fi/futuristic mystery that has a fair supply of intrigue and suspense. Taking place in Washington D.C., in the year 2054 or so, is a new system of law called Pre-Crime. The system hinders on pre-cogs, who are three gifted people who can see future murders. Their visions are tapped into by futuristic technology and displayed before law enforcement. John Anderton (T. Cruise) is the Chief of Pre-Crime, who trusts and enforces this system. The system is demonstrated very impressively in the beginning of the film. While Pre-Crime is excelling, so are the questions against it--especially from Danny Whitfer (C. Farrell) who turns out to be Anderton's main rival. Anderton seeks advice and mentorship from the Pre-Crime creator: Burgess (M. Von Sydow), who is avid about seeing to it that Pre-Crime goes national.
Anderton's world comes crashing down however when the system he helped forge comes after him: accusing him of a crime he's supposed to commit. Anderton's only chance to prove his innocence is to find a minority report: a disagreement amongst the three pre-cogs.
The creators of Minority Report put together a well thought out idea and plot. The storyline and dialogue have enormous possibilities, but after the movie ends one cannot help feel as if the film underachieved slightly. While Minority Report is technically a murder mystery--in a lot of ways--it's not too shocking to discover who's actually behind it. In truth, Minority Report takes off like a rocket: with a very effective beginning and suspenseful sequences as its center. Its ending and climax, however, is to be desired and seems to drag to its satisfactory conclusion.
The characters of Minority Report are mostly believable. The tension between Anderton and Whitfer is most enjoyable, as they battle with their words as well as fists. Anderton is mostly sympathized in the movie on two counts: the assumption that he is a victim of Pre-Crime and also the disappearance of his son. The majority of all the other characters in the movie are either meant to halt or aid Anderton's quest for the truth about his future.
Like all other futuristic films, there always seems to be a handful of strange and disgusting minor characters which throws the film into the "weird category." Unfortunately, a heavy dose of weirdness in futuristic films easily makes the film fantasy and loses its realistic edge that it could possess.
The film is rated "PG-13" for violence, language and a sex scene. The violence was surprisingly toned down, some people get shot here and there. The language is tolerable, but there is some drug use. What makes it rated "PG-13" is perhaps a brief sex scene, where a man and woman are caught doing it undercovers while little spider robots search their apartment and adjoining apartments for John Anderton.
In summary, Minority Report is a very good futuristic film considering what Hollywood usually dishes out in this market. Minority Report has suspense, a fair balance of action with drama; and an important message regarding our freedoms, privacy, and safety. The film is a treat, especially the first time around, despite a complicated plot and an underachieving storyline.

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