The Minority Report Report

I'm pretty sure that headline has been used before.

The Minority Report - an action movie based upon a sci-fi short story. A tricky tale of 1984 mind-crime enforcement. A cautionary tale about a security state. A huge advertising hoarding. It could have been any of these things.

Who would have expected them to manage to make it a comedy? A tense, fast paced, action-packed comedy certainly - but a comedy nonetheless.

I liked this film, I really did. Except for the few moments where it admitted to itself it was a comedy - the deliberate jokes felt a bit forced.

This film is going to become a standby classic. When you and a room of other gamers get together to watch a few bad movies late at night -this will be one of them. Make sure that immediately before you start misting it you watch the Judge Dredd movie. The arnie 'quote of the movie' (which they even mock in THAT movie) should have you in stitches during minority report.

Sadly, arnie isn't in this movie. Instead, it stars some other action hero, the bald chick from aliens (or possibly the singer who weeps over her mother? Hmmm - that would work better for the plot) and, oddly enough, a 70s gangster. No, I'm not sure why the highest legal-muck-a-muck in the land would employ a 70s gangster as his right hand man - but he does.

Spoilers Warning

If you don't want to spoil any parts of the film - skip to the end.

Someone was asking a couple of weeks ago what a 'mcguffin' was. This film is a classic example. It's a real shame that the second half of the film happens. There is simply no evidence to support the emergence of the actual villain. That doesn't stop him being a great villain, and doing perfect re-enactments of old gangster movies. The 'minority report' of the title doesn't exist - it's the mcguffin. And the film works perfectly. From the moment the main character realises (well, ok, is told) that he's been chasing air until the moment that he makes his final choice - the film is driven.

Now, I've not read the book - so I can't comment on where it went, but hre's where I think the film should have gone.

"You have a choice" "Yes. I do." {Bang}. {Fade out on dying eyes of the psychic}

If nothing else it would have made the film much shorter - and from the comments of people coming out, that would have been a good thing. The film wasn't half as funny for the ending as it was for the action sequences.

Conclusions

Several of the reviews you've seen about this film are right. It's enjoyable, but not great. It has plot-holes. (We prefer to think of them as 'unexplained background' - after all, short stories are supposed to leave you alternatives) and it has a hell of a lot of product placement. (And a horribly accurate view of futuristic advertising hoardings. I need an EMP)

But over all, this movie is probably worth a look. If nothing else, than to find out the manufacturer of tron-ight-cycle-cars. And wonder what kind of loser would get high on ventolin whist watching bad 3d rips from home movies.