Minority Report

Steven's first 100 minutes are driven by a lethal deadline, orchestrating an unrelenting manhunt in an elaborate futuristic package; it's simply a blast, with the whole scheme sketched out unfolding beautifully at lightning speed in the thrilling opening sequence. Each of the characters has its necessary significance for orienting and introducing the viewer to the complex fictional world, each scene and chase deliberately moves the plot somewhere (except perhaps for the overly humorous interlude with the jetpacks), and even though the visuals at times just can't pull it off, Spielberg stages everything with amazing internal dynamism and ingenuity. The final part, where family values come to the fore, slows the film down, a key crime is solved, the culprit is revealed, which shouldn’t be surprising to a slightly more experienced viewer, but unfortunately it slightly spoils the otherwise excellent impression. On the one hand, Spielberg's narrative genius and superb handling of hidden plot information are on display, unfolding across the dual finales into a fully-formed puzzle; on the other hand, the overly high ambitions are perhaps evident, preventing an absolute eye-candy experience at the end and stripping the otherwise cohesive script of its formal euphony. But what undoubtedly belongs to the absolute top is, besides the cinematography, the bombastic sound effects, which bring to the ears an orgasm surpassing perhaps even the more recent War of the Worlds... 85% (31/08/2022)

Minority Report is an intelligent, well-plotted and visually captivating blockbuster whose plot continuity unfortunately loses the necessary harmony in the crucial final third of the movie. It is also a purely commercial flick which, on the one hand, elevates mediocre entertainment to a higher level but, on the other hand, “wastes” the excellent subject matter and the creative talent of two brilliant filmmakers (Steven Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski). They had the potential to create a once-in-a-decade gem of the genre. (03/10/2002)

It's a very good film, but it won't become a cult classic like Blade Runner. I don't know what Philip K. Dick would say about the sweet happy ending, but you have to expect something like that from the eternal child of Spielberg. Ideal popcorn entertainment to fight off boredom, nothing more than that. (13/04/2003)

An excellent sci-fi crime movie that shows that Steven Spielberg is in better form than ever and Tom Cruise likewise. Breathtaking action scenes wrapped up in a story that makes you think about and follow the unraveling story with bated breath. The action scenes are absolutely top-notch. The part where John Anderton is being followed in the car factory is one of the best scenes ever to emerge in this genre. And of course Spielberg’s typical detachedness and gentle irony in places bordering on black humor. The vision of the year 2054 on one hand is captivating and on the other both desolate and terrifying. The gradual loss of freedom, commercials that address passers-by using their names, eye scanners at every step. Minority Report is a masterpiece with an amazing visual side (Kaminski is a genius), great music (Williams), brilliant directing (Spielberg) and excellent acting performances (Cruise, Sydow, Farrell). The only thing that I might fault Minority Report for is the last five minutes when the story fizzles out and slowly crawls toward the credits. 9/10 (20/06/2006)

One of my favorite movies by Steven Spielberg, which has a brilliant concept as its foundation. The fact that Spielberg turned it into a popcorn entertainment is one thing. However, he still managed to stay true to the main idea and there is always something more than just entertainment. Preventing crimes before they are actually committed is truly an idea that holds a lot of potential. It could possibly be exploited even further than just being mostly an action spectacle, but sometimes that's enough. In this case, it is. (27/01/2014)