S P O I L E R S P A C E
* * * * * I liked Minority Report, but not completely. Here are my criticisms: It seems to me there is a real problem of causality with the movie: the Precogs predict that John Anderton will kill Leo Crow - but it is only their prediction that leads Anderton to start searching for Crow! If the Precogs never make their prediction, Anderton will never hear of Crow and have no idea he should be looking for him. They are predicting a future that does not exist until they make their prediction. Also, since their prediction is not a "red ball", that means it is premeditated (since they are making it several days in advance). But Anderton has no reason to premeditate murdering Crow, not then, not ever - it is only when he thinks that Crow killed his son that he considers killing him - which would definitely MAKE it a "red ball". Also, when Burgess murders Witwer, that is without question premeditated - so why don't the Precogs see it coming? Agatha is back in the tank by then, so all three of them working together should be able to predict it. The happy ending does seem a bit tacked on. You're just getting used to the possibility that Spielberg may be permitting Anderton to rot unfairly with Burgess actually getting away with it - then the whole turning of tables happens with an almighty WHOOSH! that just goes by too quickly. Burgess killing himself is a bit too convenient, too. I'm not sure why Burgess is doing what he's doing - killing Witwer, perhaps, but why frame Anderton? HOW does he frame Anderton? How does he get the Precogs to "predict" a murder that only their prediction could possibly bring about? How does framing Anderton further Burgess's ambitions? Not clear on all this. Another nitpick - the timing of the denouement (well, the first denouement) is all off: when Anderton kidnaps Agatha to take her to see Rufus (identified in the credits, for some reason, as "Rufus Riley at Cyber Parlor"), there are 51 minutes left before the "murder" of Crow. You mean to tell me, John gets her to Rufus's, hooks her up, sees the echoed murder of Anne Lively, escapes the cops, finds the building where Crow is staying, gets upstairs, etc. - in less than 51 minutes? Sorry, don't buy it. Another thing I don't buy - doesn't always seem 52 years into the future. Sometimes it doesn't seem 52 weeks into the future. The fashions people are wearing look like we could be wearing them today. The brand names are the same. How many brand names from 52 years ago are hot today? Okay, this is a nitpick. This isn't, though - if murder is so rare, how does Precrime stay in business? What do they do all day long waiting for the occasional crime of passion? How come the Precogs can't see any other crime? Is not rape just about as bad as murder? Child abuse? Still, it looks pretty cool, Cruise is okay, it's nicely photographed, edited, scored. Worth a look. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I didn't realize I'd also see the last." - Jerry Pournelle
