You've already read this review - the pre-cogs told me. (Minority Report (DVD))

Name: david_1967

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Product:	Minority Report (DVD)
Date:	25/03/08 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good storyline and vision from world class director

Disadvantages: Predictable ending and soft-light focusing throughout

I purhcased 'Minority Report' the other week for a number of reasons -

1 - It is sci-fi.
2 - I hadn't seen it
3 - It was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick
4 - Spielberg directed it
5 - It was cheap (I am and will always be a tight-fisted Yorkshireman)

For those of you unaware of the fact Philip Kindred Dick is a phenomenal author of numerous science fiction stories, some of which you will already know - the Ridley Scott film 'Blade Runner' was based on his novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' and 'Total Recall' was based on his short story 'We can Remember it for You Wholesale'.

Anybody out there with a brain will already know who Steven Spielberg is so I won't patronize you with HIS credentials.

The film is set in the year 2054 where a future without any crime is almost upon us. Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the drug-using head of the 'Pre-Crime' unit in Washington DC where murder has all but been eliminated. Three gentically altered humans called 'Pre-Cogs' use their abilities to look into the future and through their visual thoughts the pre-crime unit is able to focus in on the location of the pre-determined crime and its perpetrator.

Things become a little messy for old Anderton when, watching the visual feed from the pre-cogs, he witnesses himself killing a man he doesn't even know. The crime occurs in 36 hours and he has until then to find out what the hell is going on. He isn't going to kill anyone. Is he?

In a world where every move you make is constantly monitored the detective must go under the radar and avoid the authorities as he tries to piece together the truth of the future he has seen.

The film also stars Max von Sydow (Exorcist, Flash Gordon) as the Pre-Crime director Lamar Burgess and Colin Farrell as Danny Witwer, the thorn in Andertons side.

The film is quite good really if you forgive the soft-light focusing used throughout and Tom Cruise plays the part of the tormented cop well. I have never been a real fan of Cruise, I always thought he was a bit wooden, but there is one scene in 'War of the Worlds' where he is running from the first alien tripod he encounters and for a brief second he really does look scared. It is only a brief second but that moment sent him up in my estimation. Apparently Spielberg liked making 'Minority Report' so much with the man that he went straight back to work with him to make the H. G. Wells classic.

There are numerous action scenes in the movie including a fight in an automotive plant which could have been lifted directly from the Star Wars prequel 'Attack of the Clones' as two men struggle amongst a car being assembled and all are well-handled though not jaw-droppingly great. I like my sci-fi to make me thank God I have eyes if you know what I mean. There is even a scene that pays homage to Kubriks 'A Clockwork Orange' as Cruise has his eyes held open a la Alex (Malcolm McDowell) before he is shown the film montage.

Apparently Spielberg assembled a team of 'future-experts' to help predict how the world would look in fifty years time but for me the image seems a little too far advanced. Some aspects are fine such as the advertising aimed at a personal level as you walk by and moving pictures on the front of cereal boxes. Retinal scanning I would imagine will be in wide-spread use also. However, the vision of the motorways that actually lead to your front door with cars gliding up buildings to drop you at your front door (window?) for me seems a little too elaborate but at least the vision is not a bleak, depressing one for a change.

One thing I have to say though is why oh why does every score from John Williams sound exactly like every other one he has ever written?

I really enjoyed the film and considering the price I paid for it (£1.49) can find no real faults. It is the 2-disc version which contains a host of bonus material including 16 making-of featurettes, production notes, trailers and bio's. In fact as far as value for money goes it is way into the realms of the fantastic. The DTS sound in 5.1 isn't too bad either with the volume cranked right up!

If you like science fiction then this movie should definately keep you interested with enough vision to hold you throughout. The ending is a little predictable though and you get to see Cruise with his head shaved which can't be a bad thing now, can it?

As a final touch of trivia there is a scene in the film where Witwer asks 'How much time do we have?' before John commits his act of murder to which a Pre-Cog cop responds '58 minutes and 28 seconds'. This is exactly the amount of time left the film has to run until the credits start.

Summary: A well-made movie with tonnes of extra's