Rating: 
Summary: Minority Report
Review: I watched this movie expecting to see an intelligent, exciting, and enjoyable futuristic sci-fi movie by a talented director. I was not expecting to see scenes that were gross, tasteless, nauseating and purposeless nor was I expecting the film to contain scenes that were downright stupid and illogical. Nevertheless, these are the kinds of scenes I found in "Minority Report" and they prevented me from enjoying an otherwise good movie. A drug dealer removes his dark glasses to reveal his empty eye sockets in graphic detail. Another character is introduced blowing a large amount of snot all over his face. While Tom Cruise's eyes are covered with bandages and he can't see, he gets sick trying to eat things that weren't meant to be eaten. What purpose did any of these scenes serve? Clearly there was no purpose except to gross out the audience. The scenes did nothing to advance the story and they most certainly did nothing to enhance my enjoyment of the movie! I was so infuriated by Steven Spielberg's presuming that I would want to pay money to see such things that I could not concentrate on the dialogue for several minutes afterward.
In another scene, a bunch of spider-like robotic probes enter the building looking for Tom Cruise and they scan the eyeballs of everyone they find including Cruise's eyeballs which were recently replaced. A police women who is monitoring the probes says, "We have an I.D. but it's not him" (Cruise). How could she be sure when it was established earlier in the film that anyone can swap eyeballs on the street for a few hundred dollars? Since we have robotic probes at the present time that use small video cameras, I found it astonishing that the futuristic probes in "Minority Report" did not have video capability as a back-up system. If they did, Cruise would have been recognized.
After his surgery, Cruise keeps his old eyeballs and uses them to get past the retinal scans and gain access to the "precogs". Later his ex-wife does the same thing. I'm sure the police could have adjusted their security system so that it would alert them if Cruise attempted this. Did they forget? Twice? Some of the fight scenes were unconvincing and I found it odd that so many police officers came across as so ill-trained, incompetent, and easily out-maneuvered. Finally, I didn't like the look of the film. It was far too cold. I understand the purpose of this but it was overdone. I feel that Spielberg should have been more subtle to achieve that effect, but he is often anything but subtle.
The film has many good elements. The story was good, many scenes are compelling, and the ending is satisying. But I found myself haunted and disturbed for days by the unpleasant scenes. For the unnecessary grossness of "Minority Report", I take off a star. For the stupidity of not one but at least two scenes, combined with the fact that someone with the talent and experience of Spielberg should have used better judgement, I take off two more stars.
Rating: 
Summary: blaaaaah
Review: I am so sick of Spielburg I could vomit. This is an excellent story ruined by his pendantic all strings tied cutesy telling. please.
Rating:
Summary: Minority Report is Majority Boring
Review: Based on a book, this thrill-a-hour movie didn't make any sense. Unresolved philosophical musings abound. Like, if the alien lady saw the future, then how did it not happen? Was she a liar? And who stole his kid? One of those three water aliens? I liked tihs movie less than AI.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed ending doesn't spoil a great Spielberg ride
Review: I've seen a lot of reviews for MINORITY REPORT, both good and bad, and have come to the conclusion that those who criticized the movie may have largely missed the point. With any movie that deals with future event/time travel, there are going to be minor inconsistencies or incidents that require some suspension of belief (BACK TO THE FUTURE 2 is a case in point here). I'm not going to rehash much of the plot because you can read about it here on Amazon. Let's deal with some points about MINORITY REPORT's "flaws" first: 1) Some reviewers have mentioned the eyeball scenes where John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is able to gain access to government buildings. One reviewer said that the eyeballs would have started decomposing by that point. However, the movie does not specify how much time elapsed since Anderton's eyes were removed; in fact, we know it can have been no more than a day, because he is "scheduled" to commit murder in 36 hours, and that's way before his eyes are removed (i.e. more time has elapsed, so there is closer to 24 hours remaining). 2) I agree with others that some suspension of belief is required for when Anderton re-enters the Precrime Unit so he can kidnap Agatha. In such a "perfect" system, it seems highly unlikely that the authorities wouldn't revoke his access immediately when they realize he is wanted for a future murder. 3) Some reviewers have said that it would be impossible to predict the future because it hasn't happened yet. This concept depends on your beliefs (possibly religious) and your view on the paranormal. There are many who believe that hindsight and consequence are closely linked and that anything one does to try to alter the future is completely missing the point. Trying to change the future implies that it CAN be changed, when in reality it is already predetermined and your actions, including trying to alter any future events, are also predetermined. I will leave that for you to make you mind up about. MINORITY REPORT is arguably one of Spielberg's finest movies for a long time, probably the best since SCHINDLER'S LIST, although the two are very different genres of films. It's an action movie, but only to some extent, because the action is always supporting the fascinating plot developments (and there are many) that keep the audience guessing. The action is great and some of the special effects scene are breathtaking, particularly the first chase scene which features a sprawling suburban freeway system, complete with futuristic vehicles and roadways. There are also many sinister moments, which portray a dark image of what life might be like in fifty years. One scene, where robotic spiders enter an apartment complex, is particularly sinister, with residents forced to submit to retinal scans so that the Precrime cops know that they are not the fugitive they are looking for. The best moments of MINORITY REPORT are, however, not the action scenes, nor the sequences packed with special effects. It actually has some astonishing drama, with Cruise in his best form since JERRY MCGUIRE. One of the movie's climaxes (because there is more than one), where Anderton comes face to face with Leo Crow (the man he is supposedly destined to kill) for the first time, is heart-stopping stuff. Anderton has had no intention of killing Crow; after all, he doesn't even the man... but what he finds in Crow's apartment, as the clock counts down towards the moment he is meant to murder him, turns the whole movie on it's head. The question is now...will he or won't he pull the trigger? The movie is worth watching just for this one sequence alone. If you liked THE MATRIX, BACK TO THE FUTURE, BLADE RUNNER (or even a lesser known made-for-TV series called MILLENNIUM [with Lance Henriksson] that aired in the 90's), you'll love MINORITY REPORT. Ignore the bad reviews and give the movie a chance. I'm the guy who foolishly walked out of the theater during THE MATRIX because I couldn't understand what was going on. When I watched it again on DVD, I loved it. Maybe those who doubt MINORITY REPORT need to sit down and watch it again. Open your minds and your wallets - you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: At its core, a familiar plotline with spiffy new dressing.
Review: About the only thing about "Minority Report" that is original is the spiffy effects. Underneath it all, however, is an oft-used plotline: Our rugged, honest hero is being set up for a crime he didn't commit (or, in this case, didn't commit YET), and he must go on the run and find out who is framing him and why. Naturally, as the tried and true formula goes, his betrayer is someone close to him. And it shouldn't be that hard to figure out the real villain once you've read the cast list or been introduced to the major players in the film. It's just the same meal with a different flavor. And again, we have Spielberg pouring oodles of time and resources into another whiz-bang effects movie and plenty of extras for a DVD release. So why can't he devote that kind of time and energy to getting the "Indiana Jones" trilogy to your local store shelves in a more timely manner? "Minority Report" really only impresses visually instead of emotionally. Even if you get caught up in the story, you can't help but feel the sense of deja-vu. If you feel you've seen this movie before, you probably have. But "Minority Report" just makes it LOOK new. As time goes by, this film probably won't be remembered as anything more than a reasonably big Summer 2002 box office effects extravaganza, another "Ooooh, neat!" movie-going experience. It will be regarded as a really cool movie for a few more months, perhaps, then the next effects-laden thriller will come along to supplant it. Don't get me wrong: "Minority Report" is a decent movie, I guess. But don't be swept away by the Flavor-of-the-Month accolades it is getting. And after the next big Tom Cruise or Steven Spielberg movie has its day in the sun, "Minority Report" will seem as exciting as yesterday's news. "Minority Report" makes for a good 5 day rental from your local video store. Rent it for all the behind-the-scenes goodies. But if you purchase it for your home library, it will sit there like an old, forgotten impulse purchase before you know it.
Rating:
Summary: BORING!
Review: I have to say i am a huge Speilberg fan, but i was pretty disappointed by this. The premis is brillant, a pre-crime divison, that's a brillant story, but i don't think it was taken to it's full potential. I found myself struggling to stay interested, because it was so long. It's so long it's just boring, some parts of the movie wasn't necessary, it could have been left out to cut time down. If i went to the movies and saw this i would have for sure dozed off. Tom Cruise gives a great performance, as always, but i think this movie was way overated.That's my 2 cents.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but absolutely compelling
Review: I am obsessed with this film. I've watched it five times since buying the DVD about a month ago. I confess I haven't yet checked out the supplemental material, which makes me less qualified to give a review of the complete DVD package. I want to analyze the film itself in deep detail before I watch the filmmakers tell us how they worked their magic. Let me state upfront, also, that I don't like Tom Cruise and wanted to watch the film only because it was based on a Philip K. Dick story. (I am not a huge science fiction fan but do enjoy Dick's work; he wasn't a great writer stylistically but he was a fount of interesting, peculiar and paranoid ideas.) Cruise's performance is less shallow than usual and doesn't detract from the viewing experience, which is the highest praise I'm ever likely to give him. Minority Report is flawed, yes, but engaging from start to finish. Chase scenes dominate much of the latter part of the first hour, presumably to give us an adrenaline rush in case we felt the exposition was a bit slow. I find this unnecessary, as the exposition itself is exciting indeed, but on an intellectual level. It was as if Spielberg decided he ought to have some action scenes that he could put into the trailer in hopes of attracting a broader audience. This is primarily a metaphysical story, and--to some degree, especially in the scenes involving the abducted precog, Agatha--an emotional one. (The one line of dialogue retained from the original short story was the remark that the guilt of the pre-criminals was a "metaphysical fact".) Also, the endless repetition of the lines "Everybody runs" and "Can you see?" seem like transparent attempts to create for the film catch phrases which the producers hoped would, like Schwartzenegger's "I'll be back", insinuate themselves into the popular lexicon. But these calculated attempts to improve the film's box office don't detract, not too much. The chase scenes, for example, are interesting as they reveal yet more technological wonders we haven't yet seen in this believable future world. Some spoilers are coming, so stop reading if you haven't seen the film yet. The murdered-child element was wholly a creation of the screenwriters (Spielberg probably had some input here, too--kids figure prominently in so many of his films) but it adds depth to the story. Though the fact that Crow, Anderton's predicted victim, isn't really a pedophile (the whole thing is a set-up, to provoke Anderton into murderous rage) drains away some of the emotional impact. Is Crow torn between wanting to survive while also feeling that maybe he deserves to die? No, it all turns moot. Some material has peculiar resonance for me, but this will not be so for other viewers. I have recurring dreams, ones which have a sped-up feel that looks very much like a DVD on fast-forward (and not entirely dissimilar to the look-and-feel of the precog's visions), in which I am a slave being tortured. (Think it's time for me to find another job?) The way the pre-criminals are held in the containment facility--with their bodies in stasis, but their minds "busy busy busy" as the jailkeeper says--reminds me strikingly of those dreams. Spielberg's films always have happy endings, and this is no exception. Cruise's resurrection is inconsistent with the impression given before, that "haloing" is permanent, but at least we have the satisfaction of seeing the villain get his comeuppance. This isn't an action film. Philosophical and religious themes abound in Philip K. Dick's stories. This is the first Hollywood movie to truly reflect Dick's vision, a film which can rightfully claim to be an adapation of his narratives rather than--like Blade Runner and Total Recall, not bad films but not great either--merely "inspired by" them. Of course the film is much more detailed than the short story, but this is one of those rare cases where the original is improved upon. Those characters which were added by the screenwriters were added for good reasons, ones which advance the plot. Many here at amazon have criticized the art direction; I say it's superb. Notice the repetition of underwater sequences--the pool where Anderton loses his son, the freezing bathtub where he hides from the spyders, the murder of Anne Lively...even the Fox logo at the beginning looks underwater, and has the same pale blue glassy look as the computer systems seen throughout.
Rating:
Summary: Boring and Confusing
Review: I hate to go against the majority but the best two words to describe this movie are in my title. I'm just glad I saw my friend's DVD before I wasted any of my money on it. I think Spielburg should stay away from adult science-fiction. Everything looked like it was lifted from another science-fiction movie. I know that that is very common in sci-fi movies but when you mix unoriginal effects with a boring, confusing plot, and actors that probably shouldn't be there, it makes for one stinker of a movie. Sometimes there movies that you don't completely get on the first viewing but you want to watch it again to figure it out, this is not one of those movies. I just don't see why this movie was such a critical hit. I believe if it where done by anyone else but Spielburg and Cruse it would have been panned like it should have been.
Rating:
Summary: Spielberg does it again!
Review: Excellent work by everyone involved in this movie! Even though this movie may not be as groundbreaking as other Spielberg's flicks but is still a true marvel. The script/story of the movie is very innovative and intriguing, it will completely blow you away! Tom Cruise is amazing as usual. Thw whole concept of pre-cogs and crime prevention is mind boggling.
However the movie gets a little bit melodramatic in the middle and drags on for a few minutes. Irrespective of the monor flaws, this is still one of the best movies of the year and a must have DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, I loved this futuristic film.
Review: This movie blew me away. I really enjoyed it and would recomend this all the way! Note: This movie had a lot of twists and turns, and required you to do a little bit of thinking, so of course my dad came away with a feeling of confusion. This might be a movie you need to watch two times to get the true meaning of. To start off, some of the futuristic ideas are just extrodinary, and seem very plausible. The futuristic cars (lexas) looked awsome, and like a design we could see in the near future, with the hydrogen fuel cell cars that is. Also, the way they had advertising.... it eaisly could be the wave of the future. And the way they have eye identification to personalize things... was another briliant idea. This movie could be stuided for all the futuristic content ALONE and be worth it. Aside from this, it had a very good story. To sum it up, there is a person who works with the United States pre-crime department, and his job is to analyze data from 3 "precogs"(3 people who can forsee murders) and intercept the killer before they commit the crime. Later though, the precogs say that Tom Cruise is going to kill someone, so they are forced to arrest him, but he runs. This is when he learns that the precogs might have conflicting views, they might also view echo's(recurring visions), or they might have a minority report(a alternate ending to their vision, that is disregarded to ensure their system is 100% right). The whole story unfolds with twists and turns, characters seem to change right before your eyes. And it all leads up to the "murder scene", and then to the finaly story line, his farther is a murderer who "USES" the system to cover up his crimes. The music is awsome, very well done.
The music along with the action scenes reminds me, a great deal, of Star Wars II... without the lightsabers of course, hehe. The visual effects are stunning and keep the feeling that you are truly IN a futuristic film. Also please note: there is killing, shooting, and blood, along with other crime related actions, so caution to those with children. ~Hope this helps
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