Arnold
CibbuanoMinority Report
October 26th 2006 11:44
Minority Report (2002)
So Speilberg thinks he can pull off a noirish serious sci-fi film? Well, no matter how much it might try... 'Blade Runner' this aint.
Like 'Blade Runner', this is based on a Philip K. Dick story. There is a fundamental science-fiction story underneath here, with some interesting things to say about pre-determinism and it's possibilities in the world of law enforcement. It reminded me a bit of 'Logan's Run', a film in which a law enforcer believes thoroughly in the system he serves - only to find himself on the run from it when it turns it's focus on him, and in doing so he learns of it's flaws. This is only on a purely thematic level though, 'Minority Report' seems to have something genuinely interesting to say at first, but it gets a little unsure of itself as it progresses.
Tom Cruise is fine in the lead role, but the supporting cast ranges from okay (Farrell, Von Sydow) to embarrassingly corny and over-the-top (Tim Blake Nelson). Spielberg seems to be unable to focus on his genre either, in some parts (especially regarding the characters) the film is over-simplistic, trite, and sanitised (witness Tom Cruise's character's drug 'addiction' – a very half-arsed approach to what could have been edgy material). Parts of the plot are horribly undeveloped too (the aforementioned drug, a futuristic substance called Naroin, which is never actually described) and the film in general suffers from too much variance in tone. This should've been a dark film, and it seems like Spielberg intended this most of the time, but in the end it's too afraid to go for broke and just too Hollywood.
It's not as bad as I make out, the plot is worthy of some merit (no doubt due to Philip K. Dick's influence), the effects are good and there are a few neat little details that kept my interest piqued. It's okay, but it could've been a lot better.
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