I’ve been taking shit from a friend and fellow blogger about this one for quite some time. We have fairly similar taste in movies, but apparently I’m bat shit crazy for liking Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report. So, as I’d been listening to his crap for so long that I was actually starting to believe him, I recently decided to revisit Minority Report for another viewing with all the benefits of hindsight. Guess what? I think he needs to lighten the fuck up, and here’s why:
The Good
1. Philip K. Dick -- One of the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century, it’s an absolute travesty that Mr. Dick’s stories have been butchered just as often as they have been done justice to. (See Impostor, Paycheck, and Screamers) While not up to the caliber of Blade Runner, Minority Report is a fairly faithful update to the themes of the original PKD story, and at the expense of nostalgia, I would put it above Total Recall.
2. Steven Spielberg -- Two reasons. First, Steven did his homework. In order to make the near-future tech of the film as realistic as possible he actually assembled a crack team of doctorate-wielding experts to brainstorm ideas. Second, the film was shot and produced to give the picture a very unique hyper-desaturated look.
3. Self-fulfilling prophecy -- The premise of the movie provides for an interesting exploration of the ideas of fate and determinism. Not only is the validity of the pre-cogs questioned, but it’s Tom Cruise’s accusation that serves as the catalyst that sends him down the path of murder in the first place. Welcome to paradox ladies and gentlemen.
4. A strong third act -- I don’t know what it is with movies in recent years that we can’t seem to figure out a good way to draw them to a conclusion. Will Smith I’m looking at you. Minority Report’s final act is both exciting and satisfying.
5. Colin Farrell gets shot -- Haha. No but seriously, it’s actually one of his least annoying roles of all time. That alone makes it worth seeing just for proof positive that he’s not 100% douche bag.
+/- OK..... So it wasn’t perfect
Fuck you Pat.
The Bad
1. Holes -- Two noticeable plot holes. First, Cruise’s act of murder turns out to be kind of a cop out, as the other guy pretty much pulls the trigger for him. Second, at the beginning of the third act Cruise’s wife breaks him out of the jail containing all of the pre-crime criminals by strolling in and holding up the jailer with a hand gun.
2. Steven Spielberg -- As good as he is, Steven once again managed to Spielberg the ending by making it a little too warm and fuzzy, and thereby avoiding any conclusion to the powerful questions of fate and consequence that had been building throughout the entire movie. Thanks for the Disney ending Steven.
3. Stanley Kubrick -- Through no fault of his own, Stanley Kubrick’s untimely death lead Spielberg to postpone the original filming of Minority Report in order to finish Kubrick’s AI. (talk about Spielberging the ending) Unfortunately, all of the major roles had to be recast with the exception of Cruise’s. So who did we lose? How about Matt Damon as Witwer, Meryl Streep as Iris Hineman, Ian McKellen as Burgess, Cate Blanchett as Agatha, and Jenna Elfman as Lara. Ouch.