Minority Report discussion

Minority Report is very obviously a science-fiction story, based in a near-future ultra-hi-tech Washington D.C., where "Pre-Cogs" literally can see the future; based on these visions, agents of the Department of Pre-Crime are able to intercept a murderer before they can follow through with their intentions. Whether the film depicts a dystopian scenario though is up for debate. Because of Pre-Crime and the 'talent' of the Pre-Cogs, i.e. scientifically engineered human beings, the murder rates fell to zero. There is truth in the argument that a character makes for Pre-Crime, that murder is the greatest affront on the "metaphysical fabric that binds us all." Pre-Crime would seem to be some kind of God-send if it was flawless, which it seems it is in the beginning of the film; but slowly it becomes known that the Pre-Cogs and Pre-Crime have serious flaws.

John Anderton, who whole-heartedly believed in Pre-Crime, is shocked and infuriated when he learns about the Minority Report; he comes to know he may have, from the very beginning of Pre-Crime, been wrongfully accusing innocent people of crimes they never had even committed yet. Not only that, but the accused aren't sent to a prison, which seems humane in the face of being jammed inside colossal preservation tubes, with no trial. In this way, in conjunction with the fact that this whole society has scanning apparatuses almost everywhere, so that "freedom" is virtually impossible except in some deeply mediated consumerist kind of way, may be why it qualifies as a dystopia.

The CGI in the film at times seemed surprisingly dated; I’d seen the film before and the CGI and effects in the film looked and felt extremely complex and advanced. Most of the time though the film maintains its cool and its quick pace seamlessly, utilizing shots from a multitude of perspectives and in many different ways. Though maybe from having seen it before, it started to feel as if the film was trying to draw the viewer along manipulatively quick and using a hectic amount of angle shots and fast-paced action to patch up its weaker spots. It’s easy to get caught up in the dazzling visuals, detailed set, and end up getting emotionally manipulated. The dialogue, like many of the other films, is almost all witticisms, quips, and suggestion. The story around John’s son, though, and Tom Cruise’s acting, often is very convincing and well done.

During the scene where John and the Pre-Cog have made it to the hotel and finally found the man who supposedly abducted and killed John’s son, the film took on an absurd tone when these holes in the screenplay started becoming too obvious; the Pre-Cog supposedly screams in terror on the bed on all fours, and John and the killer wrestle around. It was disappointing to start noticing these problems and the patchy narrative devices, because when I’d seen the film before it maintained it’s unique ambiance of a very high-quality sci-fi story. It’s interesting that many of the films so far have that element of quick-paced patchwork narration, attempts at dazzling visuals, and low characterization; and also the element of a disillusioned official of some kind having to come to terms with the deeper realities of the society around them, which they before did not see or understand. Overall, though, Spielberg's depiction of Minority Report remains an impressively detailed and interestingly worth-while film.