Minority Report - PG-13
Best for: Mature teens and adults.
The plot: In the year 2054, Lamar Burgess (Max Von Sydow) and Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) oversee an experimental crime-control program that uses "pre-cogs" -- three psychics who can see the future and are never wrong -- to arrest and convict murderers before they commit a crime. After the program comes under close scrutiny by government agent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), Anderton flees underground with the head psychic (Samantha Morton) to discover the truth behind the system and to find out if it's fallible.
The good: Producer/director Steven Spielberg has done it again with an incredible action detective thriller that propels the audience into a future filled with exciting technology and detailed special effects that go beyond anything you've seen before. Minority Report is filled with details and plot points too numerous to list, so, without spoiling the story, I will simply say this: The story has many layers and isn't necessarily about what you might think it is.
What is the minority report? It's the only check-and-balance in the "fail-proof" pre-crime system. Where is it? That's the part that makes the story interesting. Cruise plays a devastated dad who lost a son to a kidnapping that could have been prevented had pre-crime been in place. He perfectly captures the grieving and guilt-ridden husband who drowns his sorrows with illegal painkillers, stays away from a wife he still loves and loses himself in his work. Morton is eerily perfect as a God-gifted pre-cog whom no one has ever seen before but has the answers John needs. Farrell is charming (and reminds me of a brunette Brad Pitt) playing the antagonizing agent determined to hunt down Anderton. But it's the special effects and futuristic technology that steal this movie. I was glued to my seat, mesmerized by every frame of Minority Report. Even though the story takes you on a roller coaster ride filled with amazing action, special effects and a layered plot, it brings you to a satisfying ending with perfect closure.
The bad: The action and thrilling futuristic pace will be best appreciated by audiences who are fans of Spielberg movies or those who enjoy a good action/thriller. It's aimed at an adult audience, so there's an abundant amount of intense action, hitting, guns, chase scenes, creepy scenes and adult themes and issues.
Offensive language and behavior: This is an adult crime thriller with rough characters who briefly use bad language and some religious profanity. One scene shows a disgusting doctor/nurse team dribble mucus on Cruise. It's one of the grossest scenes in the movie.
Sexual situations: None between the main characters. A crime that's about to be committed briefly shows a husband walking in on his wife in bed with another man (in their underwear). The pre-cogs have skin-tight clothing that shows their figures in the water, but they are not nude.
Violence: Listing the action and violence in this crime-thriller would give away some of the best scenes, but I'll say that instead of choosing to be shocking or graphic, Spielberg opts for futuristic action and violence. Several characters are shot or murdered, one commits suicide and others are hit or wounded.
Parental guidance: Even though Minority Report has a "PG-13" rating, it's not a movie for children or young teens. This is a movie intended for more mature audiences who can handle the complicated storyline and adult situations.
It's a wrap: I was cautiously optimistic about this movie despite Spielberg's disappointing A.I. from last year and the horrendous Vanilla Sky from Cruise, but the two have redeemed themselves in this captivating, entertaining and unusual movie based on a Philip K. Dick short story. I found myself wanting more when the credits rolled; it was that good and that interesting. Cruise delivers one of his better performances, and Spielberg once again earns his royal status when it comes to making entertaining summer movies with all the bells, whistles and futuristic gadgets an audience could hope for. You'll be in the minority if you don't like this one!
