Minority Report

Imagine the looks on their faces. Steven Spielberg, the most well known director in the world, walks into the board room and tells the studio executives that he is planning to make an effects-heavy futuristic sci-fi film and that he's already gotten Tom Cruise, the most well known actor in the world, to be the star. Dropped jaws. Dollar signs. Cha-ching!

But what they probably didn't expect is the result: Minority Report is the best movie of the year so far and is sure to remain close to the top of that list when it's finally compiled at the end of December. Spielberg's latest is an astoundingly sophisticated film, one that presents many philosophical puzzles wrapped around an intricate and exquisitely scripted plot. The film lays an incredible amount of trust on the intelligence of its audience; it believes that each viewer can sort out the complicated proceedings and discern between proven facts and misinformed assumptions. It's a film full of twists with details that can reasonably be sorted out and explained logically. Smartness is key, and Minority Report demands it and has it in spades.

For Spielberg the risk has paid off. Following his hugely ambitious, widely considered failure A.I. Artificial Intelligence with a similarly set and plotted film took a remarkable amount of courage. While the societal implications are less controversial and therefore probably more forgettable, Minority Report is the unexpected continuation of the evolution of a new Spielberg. From these last two films it seems that Spielberg is losing that "child-at-heart" aspect that has long hindered his reputation. These two films are unapologetically grim; they're definitely not for the kids. And even though the endings of both films show us hints of the sentimental Spielberg, the rest of the films show us a decidedly Kubrickian approach to filmmaking: the emphasis on creating still photo-like shots, the saturated lighting schemes, the use of reflection, and the dark, moody atmosphere.

There is little question that Minority Report is a tightly conceived, purely enjoyable ride. The special effects, of which there are many, always service the story. They're admirably not present just to draw attention to themselves. And John Williams' music is a model example of an underscore, a quietly layered piece of work without an overriding theme. Other frequent Spielberg collaborators Michael Kahn and Janusz Kaminksi do some of the best work of the year in editing and cinematography. These two are simply two of the best in the business at what they do. And of even greater note is Production Designer Alex McDowell who has created the world in the year 2054. His sets perfectly compliment the film's unique photographic style and are equally eye-popping if you look for them as invisible if you do not. Spielberg is one of the greatest directors of our time for not only his individual talents, he also hires the best crew.

Minority Report is one of those special movies each year that is equally exhilirating and intellectual. This newly reformed Spielberg is something not to be missed. Is it possible that Spielberg is beginning to become a truly mature filmmaker, one that keeps his undoubtedly brilliant filmmaking technique but will venture more towards harsh reality than fairytale? I'm sure that all lovers of film will patitently await the continuance of his evolution. While always a director to keep an eye on, Spielberg is now a filmmaker whose coming films should finally be awaited with gleeful anticipation.

On a scale of 1 to 10 rock'em sock'em jetpacks : 9

[Special Note for those who have seen the film: Highlight the coming text for an interesting tidbit … The final line in the script, but was painfully cut at the last second was "The following year, there were 161 murders in the District of Columbia." Interesting...]