Minority Report (2002) - DreamWorks

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring : Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max Von Sydow, Jessica Harper, Lois Smith, Peter Stormare.

Picture 2.40:1 Anamorphic, DD and DTS 5.1, 2-Disc, Dual-Layer, Keep Case

Running Time : 139 mins

The story:

What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?

In the year 2054 in Washington D.C., murder has become a thing of the past. The Pre-crime unit arrest and convict killers before the crime has taken place. The Pre-cogs have psychic powers and see murders in visions before they happen. But one murder catches the attention of John Anderton (Tom Cruise), head of Pre-crime. The killer is one John Anderton and the victim is a man he hasn't even met. The crime will take place in 36 hours and John is now in a race against time to uncover the truth.

The summary:

Following on from the disappointing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Steven Spielberg brings us this futuristic thriller which is based on Philip K. Dick's (Bladerunner) original story. Set in 2054, Spielberg sat down with his team for a brainstorming session about what the year 2054 would look like. The result is a spectacular vision that is detached from the world we know today, yet still familiar. A cold and moody place, yet pulsing with energy and filled with innovative technology. If you imagine Total Recall meets Matrix you start to imagine the cool look of Minority Report. As you can imagine, there's plenty of room for special effects, most of which are stunning and really give the film that something extra. I'm often critical of films that rely too heavily on the effects, but Minority Report has a superior and intelligent plot to match. It's fast and furious and needs your full attention as it twists and turns it's way through the story, but the rewards are immense.

Entertaining it may be, but the plot is designed to run at 100mph for the duration and give the viewer an experience they wont forget. Because of this, the characters can seem a little charmless and lack any depth about their backgrounds or feelings but there's really no time to worry about this until it's over. After a few average starring roles, Tom Cruise is also back to form and is brilliant as John Anderton, who soon becomes something of a hero to the watching audience. Supporting cast are also good, but no other character really gets the same involvement as Cruise's. Most of you will have heard of Minority Report and if you haven't seen it, or have been avoiding it for one reason or another then now's your chance to make amends. Unless you're after something deep and involving or a story that's emotionally rewarding then Minority Report could be the film for you.

DreamWorks have clearly spent some time creating the DVD package and doesn't it show. The transfer is a dream and looks and sounds fantastic. The extras are crammed onto disc two, and there's a lot of supplemental material which gives the viewer a good understanding of how the film was made. What is still lacking despite all this, is an audio commentary that would have rounded things off perfectly. Never mind, this is still a terrific film and a definite must buy!

Extras:

Disc 2

From Story To Screen:

* The Story/The Debate - This featurette features interviews with Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise talking about how the story came about. 9 mins.

* The Players - Another set of interviews with the main cast and crew discussing their characters. 9 mins.

Deconstructing Minority Report:

* The World Of Minority Report - Yet again, the cast and crew participate in brief interview segments and talk about how the futuristic world was created from the first ideas through to creation. 9:13 mins.

* Pre-crime and Pre-cogs - This featurette looks at the set and ideas that make up the 'Precrime' idea. 7:56 mins.

* The Spyder Sequence - This featurette takes a look at one particular scene from the film - the Spyder sequence. 5:06 mins.

* Pre-cog Visions - This takes a look at the Precogs, how they work and how the visions were designed. 4:46 mins.

* Vehicles (of the Future) - And the final featurette in this section takes a look at the various vehicles featured in the film. 4:55 mins.

The Stunts Of Minority Report:

* The Mag-Lev Escape - Each of these segments takes a look at a particular scene and gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how it was achieved. 2:47 mins.

* The Hoverpack Chase - As above. 2:47 mins.

* The Car Factory - As above. 2:37 mins.

ILM and Minority Report:

* Intro - This section fittingly kicks off with 'Intro', which is where we are introduced to Industrial Light and Magic and shown what they do for the film industry. 4:28 mins

* Holograms - This shows us the holograms and how they were designed. 3:05 mins.

* Hall Of Containment - ILM explain how the Hall of Containment was conceived and designed. 3:05 mins

* Mag-Lev - A brief featurette on the Mag-Lev transport system. 3:08 mins

* Hovercraft/Hoverpacks - And no prizes for guessing what this one's about. 3:05 mins

* Cyberparlor - Rounding off the ILM section is this featurette on the cyberparlor sequence. 1:51 mins.

* Final Report - Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise are back to gives their closing thoughts on the film and what it has meant to them. 10

Archives

* Production Concepts - Thirteen galleries of conceptual art.

* Storyboard Sequences - Three sequences presented in storyboards: 'Mag-Lev Sequence (2:05)', 'Alley Chase (2:05)' and 'Car Factory (3:16)'.

* Trailers - Three trailers for Minority Report and the Activision game trailer.

* Cast - Text and photos for eight of the cast.

* Filmmakers - Text and photos again, this time for twelve of the filmmakers.

* Production Notes - Twenty-three screens of text notes.

Our Verdict...

Futuristic thriller that proves Spielberg is back to his best. Action-packed with twists and turns at every point, this simply has to be seen to be believed. 9/10

Visually the film is very distinct with a futuristic cold blue look created by cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. It throws you a bit at first, then you realise just how detailed and solid the picture is. Surprisingly, there is some noticeable grain, which was even more evident on the big-screen. 9/10

A powerful score drives along a well-balanced and effects-laden audio track. Both DD and DTS tracks are stunning, but the DTS one just tips the scales. 9/10

The Spielberg audio commentary is still sadly lacking, but there's still a fair amount of supplemental material. Loads of short featurettes seem to be the order of the day, which are good quality but it's lacking a decent behind-the-scenes documentary. 7/10

88%

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