Minority Report: June 21, 2002
David Marsh

Official Site: Fox/Dreamworks [us]
IMDB listing: us.imdb.com/Details?0181689

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Writing credits: (WGA) Philip K. Dick (short story) / Scott Frank (I) (screenplay)
Cast: Tom Cruise .... Detective John Anderton / Max von Sydow .... Director Burgess / Steve Harris (I) .... Jad / Neal McDonough .... Officer Fletcher / Patrick Kilpatrick .... Knott / Jessica Capshaw .... Evanna
Music: John Williams

Minority Report Movie Stills: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Steven Spielberg

"An exhilarating futuristic thriller-noir, Minority Report twists the best of technology around a gripping story, delivering a riveting, pulse intensifying escapist adventure of the first order" -- Urban Cinefile Staff, URBAN CINEFILE

"This thing is so good it's ridiculous. I feel like an embarrassed schoolgirl with a crush." -- Sean Burns, PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

"Keep in mind "Minority Report" contains a scene in which Cruise chases his own eyeballs as they roll down an alleyway; nobody is going to call this movie 'conventional.'" -- James Sanford, KALAMAZOO GAZETTE

Challenging Wells for being the Science Fiction writer that most influenced Hollywood, Philip K. Dick's work (see our list below) is back on the big screen this summer with Minority Report, a Spielberg film in which Tom Cruise plays a future cop who works for a temporal crime prevention agency that arrests criminals before they commit the crime. Stand by for causality conflicts.

I haven't been able to get to a screening, but the word is from people I almost trust that Minority Report is surprisingly good work from Spielberg. On the other hand, someone said that if you liked AI then you're sure to like this. Hmmm.

The bottom line for me is that if Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, and John Williams can't come up with something wonderful we're all in really big trouble. And we may be yet.

I'll be back with my own take as soon as I can get to a screening, but in case it doesn't make it online before the movie opens, here's my suggestion.

Go see it on the weekend it opens. If it's good, tell everyone. If it's not, do the same. A strong opening is a vote for SF, and a weak run is a vote for good movies. The industry only listens to voters with wallets go out and make your own minority report.

A Philip K. Dick Filmology: (links go to IMDB)

Minority Report (2002) (short story)
Impostor (2002) (story Impostor)
"Total Recall 2070" (1999) TV Series (writer) (uncredited)
... aka "Total Recall: The Series" (1999) (USA)
Blade Runner (1997) (VG) (novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
Screamers (1995) (short story Second Variety)
... aka Screamers - L'armée souterraine (1995) (Canada: French title)
Drug-Taking and the Arts (1994) (novel A Scanner Darkly)
Confessions d'un Barjo (1992) (novel)
... aka Barjo (1992) (Canada: English title)
... aka Confessions of a Crap Artist (1992)
Total Recall (1990) (short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale) (inspiration)
Blade Runner (1982) (novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)