ACTORS PERFORM WELL, SCRIPT AND DIRECTION NOT SO WELL
Added 10/6/2009
One major difficulty with a film of this sort is that seriously intended hocus-pocus will turn into comic hocus-pocus. I wouldn't say that this film slid over that line but it does come very close a number of times. For me,having Tom Cruise, in particular, make funny looking gestures and do awkward looking things, however justified by the written word of the script, detracts from my acceptance of the film . At any rate, I was left in something of a muddle as to whether I liked it or not, whether I thought anyone else would like it. Not having resolved that issue in my mind, I will simply say that most of the performers did quite well under the circumstances, there were some quite workable scenes, and there were all sorts of machines and gadgets to satisfy the fans of such. Those who find incredible plots and action generally inane or uninteresting should steer clear.
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A retro-futuristic movie
Added 9/15/2009
I say retro because today almost all the gadgets exist now.
When I saw this movie for the first time, I thought it would become a cult movie.
If you like the science fiction futuristc movies, this one must be in your collection, besides "I, Robot", "A.I.", "Matrix Trilogy", "Ultraviolet" and "Babylon A.D." among others.
It is a shame it does no exist a bluray version yet. I still waiting. :(
Anyway, the DVD version is good, high video an sound quality, but I suggest you buy an upscaler HDMI player, this movie worth it.
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One of the best Sci-Fi films in the last 25 years
Added 7/6/2009
Minority Report, I would say, is one of the best science fiction films to be released over the past twenty-five years, and that is certainly no small feat given some of the competing films released over that time-span. Minority Report obviously had a lot of effort put into it by both the filmmakers and its actors and the result is a brilliant thriller. In the past decade I would call it Spielberg's best, ranking among his other great thrillers, `Raiders of the Lost Ark', and `Jaws'.
The movies is based on a short story by the late sci-fi master Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly) and it ranks up with Blade Runner as the greatest adaptations of his work. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the Chief of the Pre-Crime division in the District of Columbia. What exactly is his job? To use the unusual psychic abilities of three beings - known as "Pre-Cogs"- it is his job to analyze future crime scenes and prevent murder from happening. For ten years this system works without a flaw and they are close to taking the program national, only there's one problem...John's name has been called for the future-murder of Leo Crow -a man he has never once before met. On the run Anderton must evade the highly controlled security of the future United States capital all while trying to prove his innocence, and in so doing unraveling the secrets of the system- secrets that would destroy everything the organization has worked so hard to achieve.
What really makes this movie stand out is not the visual effects (though, they certainly are amazing), but it is the human aspect of this film that makes it a memorable experience for the audience. The film manages to cater to all human emotions contained within the plot, from the fear of loss, obsession, greed, fear, insecurity, and many more. All the characters are found to be believable, as none of them come across as being cardboard, as so many other action films do.
Tom Cruise pulls a very believable performance and I consider this one of the best of his "Average Joe" performances. By this I mean like in `War of the Worlds' he doesn't come across as being a superhero, as he was in the `Mission Impossible' franchise. He is perfectly believable as a sad soul who only wishes to make up for his past mistakes and punish the criminals of the world. Haunted by tragedy of the past we can't help but symphonize for his loss, because we can believe him. This isn't a straight-forward "tragic" character, such as Kurt Russell's Colonel O'Neil in `Stargate' (1994). John Anderton is suffering, but he hides it well, going on with his job. In fact his loss is his drive in his work, so naturally he can't believe it when the system turns against him. It's the compelling characters and performances from the actors that make the difference between a good movie and a great movie. Special effects have nothing to do with the quality of the human element of the story (sorry, Michael Bay).
The special effects of this film are amazing, providing a believable, yet still fascinating view of the future. Unlike visions presented in Blade Runner, and to a certain degree Total Recall, this is a very clean, well kept design for the future. All the buildings shine and all vehicles appear to be in tip-top condition, but like those other Dick based films the underlying structure of society is as corrupt as ever. How the effect crew for this film was skipped over by the Academy I will never understand, because even two years after I first saw the film many of the visuals remain stuck in my mind.
You should not miss Minority Report, because in my opinion it is one of the best films ever made, let alone one of the best science fiction films ever made. For a thrilling, emotional, and mentally stimulating movie experience I can't recommend Minority Report strongly enough to give the film credit, for it goes above and beyond what so many other films have done. So, if you want excitement and brain stimulating ideas forget the garbage of the current theater's films, such as "Transformers," and do yourself a favor: forget that an action movie is not supposed to be dominated by pure special effects and action, go out, buy a copy of Minority Report, put it in your DVD player, sit down, and enjoy a non-stop thrill ride of a movie.
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The Best Philip K. Dick film to date!
Added 3/10/2009
This is an excellent movie. From the cinamatic tinting, to the action sequences, to an excellent exicution of the story-line. Every actor was well cast in their roles, and there are zero changes that I would have made. The future also seemed beleivable and real, and not too Fake, Plastic, and Stereo-typical. The movie even sucks you in and makes you forget that it is over 2 hours long. I honestly beleive that having had Speilberg working on this movie is what made it a cinematic enjoyment, as well as having Tom Cruise in a role that he could really sink his new teeth into. This is by far the best in the series of films to date, and I would recommend this movie to anyone and everyone!
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First Tom Cruise movie I actually liked.
Added 11/3/2008
Okay, I'll fess up. I am *not* a Tom Cruise fan; not be a long shot. Every movie I've ever seen in which he stars, he acts pretty much the same; only the movie subject matter and dialog change.
However, there are a few scenes in this movie (especially with his son) where he seems to at least somewhat break out of his usual limited range Top Gun/Mission Impossible/Etc. character.
As for the movie itself, I won't bore you with spoilers or a long list of plot faults. There are two things, though, that really bug me. The first has to do with the status of his security clearance: it never changes. It should have been revoked when he was accused of the pre-crime or soon thereafter. Second, near the end of the movie he is arrested and charged with not only the original pre-crime intent to murder, but an actual second murder of a key character. It wouldn't make sense for him to commit the murder, wipe down the gun, and then leave it at the murder scene in plain sight.
Otherwise, it's a enjoyable flick to watch, and does raise some very interesting questions.
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EXCELLENT 2 DISCS SET! WELL PACED ACTION FILM WITH GOOD CHARACTERS!
Added 9/20/2009
I saw this film a few years ago and decided to give it another look. While the film is contrived at times, it is helped greatly by a wonderfully cold performance by Tom Cruise. The film is well paced and builds slowly to an intense climax. Fox and Pickett should also be commended for turning in believable performances under crazy situations. The film probably rated a little over 4 stars, but the two discs DVD set is stellar and brings this super charged action film up to a top rating!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Pretentious rubbish
Added 8/28/2009
This product bites the big one. Visually chaotic, the auditory equivalent of having your ears used for a public lavatory, and with a plot as crisp and distinct as a moldering roadkill carcass, "Collateral" is thoroughly sucky, despite Tom Cruise's putative "best ever" performance.
Avoid this thing even if it's free. Life is too short to waste any of it on such trash.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Excellent Condition
Added 6/4/2009
I received the DVD promptly and it was in excellent condition. No problems at all.
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