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MINORITY REPORT is the latest movie that adapts a short story (or novel) by Phillip K. Dick. The year
is 2054 and Washington D.C. has been murder free for six years since Pre-Crime has went into operation. Pre-Crime
uses three Pre-Cogs to predict future murders before they happen and arrest the person who will commit that murder.
Then those people are put in stasis with a electronic control halo on their heads. Detective John Anderton (Tom
Cruise) is about to be handed the reins by Director Burgess (Max von Sydow) after the National pre-Crime intiative is voted
on. A man from the Justice Department (Colin Farrell) has come to examine the operation. John shows the
man from Justice into the temple where the pre-cogs are. While in there, John is touched by one of the pre-cogs, Agatha
(Samantha Morton), who shows him an old murder prediction. John goes to investigate and wonders why the intended victim
is listed as missing. He tells Burgess about this. Of course, John has his own problems. His 6 year old
son was kidnapped and murdered supposedly (but the body was never found) six years ago. John takes drugs to enhance
the experience of videos he filmed of his son and wife years ago. The next day, John's problems start to begin when
Agatha and the pre-cogs show a future murder of someone named Leo Crow by John Anderton in 36 hours. John is in disbelief
and decides to run. He has his eyes replaced with different ones to prevent being recognized by the retina scanners
populating the city and recognize people. He makes a daring plan to kidnap Agatha to find out why he is being set up
(or is he). Is John heading along into the future always intended for him by killing Leo Crow as seen by the pre-cogs?
Steven Speilberg paints an interesting future that sounds too much like big brother. I wouldn't want scanners reading
my eyes and recognizing me as I pass by annoying ads. John is probably fed up as he tosses a talking ceral box
in one scene. Pre-Crime violates human rights and who is to say a future crime in someone's head will ever happen.
I don't believe the cars pictured and the highway system will ever come to pass. MINORITY REPORT reminds me too
much of a Orwellian world in the mid-21st century. The movie does have a well-written script with many twists and turns,
great acting from all involved, great visuals, and superb direction by Steven Speilberg. I like the Phillip K. Dick
elements in the movie that ask the philosipical questions lthat deal with possible futures and are we really putting away
the murders by preventing murders they may or may not commit in the future. The movie plays like a well-crafted
mystery movie, but the ending seems like a disappointment because it isn't like other endings in other film adaptations of
Phillip K. Dick stories and too much like a typical Speilberg ending. Steven could have taken a chance. I may
have a few problems with the movie, but it is one of the best sci-fi movies of this year so far. This is a movie than
is even better than last year's A.I. (not a bad movie either). Go see MINORITY REPORT and hope you never see any aspect
of the future in this movie in the years to come.
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