With sci-fi being as big of a genre as it is I find it very interesting how many different types of movies you can find. You have your typical “Pew pew” sci-fi like “Star Wars”. Then you have the more methodical and realistic/dramatic sci-fi like “Moon” or “Sunshine”. Then we have the kind of sci-fi that falls somehwere inbetween. It is action, but it is also realistic/dramatic. And that is the type of sci-fi we are taking a look at today.
Ladies and gentlemen… “Minority Report”.
In the future, crime has been completely eliminated! And by crime I mean murder and by completely I mean in Washington D.C. Let me elaborate; there are these things/people called “Precogs” who can see murders before they even happen. So then it is up to a bunch of police(ish) officers to locate said murder and prevent it. And in this movie you follow Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) who one day gets accused of committing a murder… in the future. So now he is on the run, trying to clear his name and find out what the hell is going on. Okay, so it sounds like a sci-fi version of “The Fugitive” at first, but when you watch it this movie feels very fresh and original in it’s execution. Not only does the story present an interesting chase thriller, but it is also a story of human emotion which director Steven Spielberg is excellent at showing in his movies. The movie also gives us an interesting look at the future that really hasn’t been done before(ish). It is a very thought-provoking movie with a lot of good emotion and thriller elements behind it’s story.
Since this is a Spielberg movie, you know the characters will be really good. That is somethign I really respect about Spielberg, he makes sure his movie are more about the characters rather than the presented theme of the movie (theme of this is sci-fi chase thriller). So I am glad to see that the characters in this movie are as interesting as in his other movie. Tom Cruise is excellent in the lead role as John Anderton. He has to show a lot of emotion but also a lot of authority in his role and he does it perfectly. Colin Farrell also plays in the movie as this snarky/asshole inspector guy, and he’s great. The third actor I wanna go in depth with is Samantha Morton who plays the Precog Agatha. Holy shit, she is amazing in this movie. She shows off as much emotion as you can and she also manages to be emotionless at the same time and I honestly think she was worthy of at least an Oscar nomination because she was amazing. Every actor in the movie was in fact great, they all did a great job.
Like in most Steven Spielberg movies, the score was done by the one and only John Williams who once again blew us away with his amazing talents as a composer. The score is adrenaline pumping, the score is heartfelt, it is suspenseful, it is everything you need for this type of movie. In other words: it is fucking great!
Like i have stated about 40 fucking times already, this movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and he did a terrific job doing it. His shots look great and he really managed to keep my attention throughout the movie. The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski was also pretty fantastic. The combination of Spielberg’s direction and Kaminski’s cinematography gave the movie a unique look that I have never seen in any other movie which gives it a bit of an edge over other sci-fi movies. Also, this movie is apparently based on a story by Philip K. Dick who also did the story for “Blade Runner”. Remember, he only created the story, not the screenplay. And in other news, I should probably go and read some of his books/stories soon.
This movie has been very well-received. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 90% positive rating and a “Fresh” certification. On Metacritic it has a score of 80/100. Roger Ebert gave the movie 4/4 stars. And on imdb.com it has a score of 7,7/10. The movie was also nominated for 1 Oscar in the category of Best Sound Editing.
“Minority Report” is a very original sci-fi movie with a thought-provoking story, excellent performances, fantastic music, fantastic direction and cinematography and some genuine suspense. Time for my final score. *Ahem*… My final score for “Minority Report” is a 9,86/10. It definitely deserves the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”
Review of “Minority Report” is completed.
Murder…
TheMarckoguy 