Minority Report: The future looks awesome!

Going into this movie, I knew very few things about it. I knew that it starred Tom Cruise and that the technology in it is slightly mirrored in the world today. What I didn’t know, was that the movie was as deep and as complicated as a Christopher Nolan film, the direction was done by Spielberg, and that the special effects are amazing even if the movie had come out today.

Minority Report takes place in 2054 when the world looks radically different and murder has been almost completely eradicated. The lack of murder is thanks to a new breed of crime fighting called precrime. This allows officers to see a murder before it happens. The logistics of this are best explained through the film, but that’s the basics. Tom Cruise plays Chief John Anderson, the head of the precrime division. John believes firmly that precrime works flawlessly, but when it is predicted that he will kill somebody, John must go on the run and prove his innocence. The story takes many twists and turns, and it becomes very difficult to say any more without giving away too much.

As I said in my review of Knight and Day, Tom Cruise is one of my favorite people to see on the silver screen. In Minority Report, Cruise has to be less snarky and a little more badass. Cruise’s great reactions to the special effects make the situation feel so believable, thus pulling the viewer in more. His reactions to more emotional situations are heart-wrenching and his overall performance is remarkable.

Director Steven Spielberg has never failed to amaze me. Every movie he directs is phenomenal and Minority Report makes no exception. Camera-work is done pitch-perfect and every action sequence is filled with excitement. All of the chase scenes look very much like his work with the Indiana Jones movies. This coupled with the Blade Runner-esque art style of the dregs of society are a great vision.

Watching these special effects, I had to see who the cinematographer was. Janusz Kaminski has worked with Spielberg’s action films before and even worked with Tom Cruise on Jerry Maguire. The special effects are beyond phenomenal for a movie made in 2002, much less one that was made in 2011. I have seen recent movies with special effects worse than that of Minority Report’s and that is saying something.

The two writers don’t have many credits, in fact, one has none other than Minority Report, but the dialogue is fantastic. There are a few scenes where the characters can seem a little out of place, and others when moments are funny in this very seriously-toned film. But the movie itself is based off of a short story written by Phillip K. Dick, the mastermind behind other books such as the aforementioned Blade Runner and the just as greatly adapted Total Recall.

All in all, Minority Report is a fantastic movie that is a thrill to watch. From every sci-fi futuristic toy, to every chase and every surprise, I never took my eyes off the screen. If only the jokes were left behind, this movie could be even closer to perfect. 9/10