Average Rating: 
Rating:  - People can say what they want....
People can say what they want to about this movie, but it has to be one of Steven Spielberg's best ever. The way he depicts the future seems so dead on, that you have to believe our cars will look like that someday. WIth all the amazing graphics and what not, I would have to say that this is one of Tom Cruise's best movies. I know people who say he should not be an action star, but I would have to differ. With the right director and screenwriter, Tom Cruise can definitely be an action star. This movie had me on the edge of my seat at all times, watch it and you won't regret it.
Rating:  - Close, but no cigar...
Steven Spielberg has joined the ranks of Ridley Scott and Paul Verhoeven in adapting a Philip K. Dick story to the big screen. As such, one would expect a dose of urban dystopia, of cold despairing existentialism, to temper his sentimental streak. It almost does.For most of Minority Report's 146 minute running time, it was beginning to look like Spielberg's considerable cinematic craft was not going to undermine itself. It was taut, suspenseful, and - for the most part - credible, in that the film did not violate its own logic. But even early on, there were cracks starting to appear. For example, pre-crime cop John Anderton (Tom Cruise) has to get back into a secure area unnoticed, so he has his eyes replaced to fool the retinal scanners (this IS the future after all, and such things are possible). He has to do this because he is wanted by the police for a crime he WILL commit in a couple of days, and he is after evidence that he thinks will clear his name. He not only has replaced his eyeballs, but also paralyzed his facial muscles so his countenance will be unrecognizable (although he still looked a lot like Tom Cruise, to me). But then there's the problem of the lock on the door. How do you suppose he gets past? Why, by using his old eyeball fished from a zip-lock bag. Uh...you mean, when a cop is wanted for murder they don't immediately revoke his clearance? Erase his user account from the lock computers? Flag his retinal scan as inoperative? And even if they stupidly failed to do so, would the computer not alert someone that a wanted man had just gotten in? Finally, if he was going to use his own eyeball to gain entry, anyway, why didn't he just LEAVE IT IN HIS HEAD?! Yet, this incredible lapse of logic I was almost willing to forgive, as one amazing set-piece followed another: Gritty future-DC locations. Fascist-looking cops in riot-gear. Cruise missing arrest by the closest of margins. Exciting, noirish stuff, like the best scenes in Blade Runner. Then came the last 20 minutes. I mean, the plot flew apart like a jet engine hit by a frozen turkey. It ends with Cruise explaining everything in a long, dull monolog to the killer. This monolog is necessary for the audience because the third act is so poorly structured that we can't figure it out for ourselves. (Spielberg should have watched Chinatown a couple of times - its complex plot came together clearly with nary a word needed.) Worse, the killer (Max Von Sydow) already KNOWS what Cruise has to say because - DUH! - HE'S THE KILLER! And, of course, the well-oiled machine of the pre-crime unit becomes conveniently rusty (why are there no law-enforcement people at a LAW-ENFORCEMENT CONVENTION?!) to allow time for a nice, long showdown between Cruise and Max Von Sydow. The final insult to the intelligence is when Von Sydow uses a gold-plated ceremonial award pistol as an actual weapon. It even conveniently has live ammunition in its red velvet display case. This last bit is something I would expect from a bad made-for-cable film, not movie that cost the GNP of a small country to make. Sheesh! The technical credits are outstanding, with great special effects and first rate cinematography by Janusz Kaminski. Cruise and Von Sydow are good in their rolls, as are Samantha Morton as the "pro-cog" Agatha, Jessica Capshaw as Evanna, and Peter Stormare as the creepy eye surgeon. Ultimately, though, it just doesn't hold up. The first parts are so good and the last so terrible that the sense of being cheated knocks Minority Report down to a mere two stars.
Rating: - Now THIS is Tom Cruise's best performance of recent years!
When you combine the talents of superstar Tom Cruise ("Vanilla Sky", "Top Gun") and director Steven Spielberg ("A.I.", "Jurassic Park"), there's nothing that can stop them from bringing a great film to the big screen, and "Minority Report" is no exception whatsoever! I have seen this film twice at the theater and I can't get enough of it! We have seen Spielberg give us some extraordinary classics, such as "Jaws", "E.T.", the "Indiana Jones" films, and "Jurassic Park", and a questionable film such as "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". But now, Spielberg has certainly outdone himself with "Minority Report", a film loaded with action and thrills galore, powerful drama, and cutting edge special effects that only Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) can provide us with! And as far as the performance from Tom Cruise goes, it was a performance that couldn't be better! Possibly the best Cruise performance since the "Mission: Impossible" films! "Minority Report" takes place in Washington, DC in the year 2054. There is a new brand of law enforcement called the Department of Precrime. Precrime uses psychics called "Pre-Cogs" to help the officers see the perpetrator committing his/her crime and to stop them before it is actually committed. As for Precrime chief John Anderton (Cruise), he is among those that believes in this system being perfect and that it is never wrong...until now! Shockingly, as it turns out, Anderton is being set up for a murder that he didn't even commit! And so begins an action-packed journey as Anderton races against time to clear his name, reclaim his life, and to find out who framed him and why. In closing, "Minority Report" not only has an outstanding performance from Tom Cruise, but an impressive supporting cast including Max Von Sydow ("Judge Dredd"), Colin Farrell ("Hart's War", "American Outlaws"), Samantha Morton ("Sweet and Lowdown"), Kathryn Morris ("The Contender"), Neal McDonough ("Star Trek: First Contact"), Tim Blake Nelson ("O Brother, Where Art Thou"), Jessica Capshaw ("Valentine"), Patrick Kilpatrick ("Free Willy 3"), and Peter Stormare ("Armageddon"). "Minority Report" is, without a doubt, one of the absolute best sci-fi action thrillers ever made since "Blade Runner". This is an absolute DVD must-own to any Steven Spielberg or Tom Cruise collection!
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