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Sometimes I wonder what a movie would have been like if I saw it in theaters instead of on DVD for the first time more then ten years later. Would I have found the visuals more mind-blowing? Would I have found the originality apparent as compared to not seeing the plot points copied by dozens of movies following it? Would I have found the actors fade into their roles completely without having their tabloid history exposed?

All of these questions crossed my mind multiple times while watching the Steven Spielberg sci-fi film Minority Report. It was special effects-heavy with questions about predetermination and free will, and released before Tom Cruise became more a tabloid star than a movie star. I couldn’t help but feel like Minority Report would play differently if I saw it in 2002 when it came out.

I decided to finally catch the movie in light of Cruise starring in this weekend’s sci-fi pre-summer blockbuster, Oblivion.

A stylistic and philosophically driven action film, Minority Report stars Cruise as John Anderton, an officer in a “pre-crime division.” In the year 2054, crime is eradicated thanks to a group of three future-seeing humans (Pre-Cogs) who give names of the victim and the perpetrator and the time of the crime. Things in this sci-fi movie take a twist for the action heavy when John’s name rolls out as a perpetrator, sending him running through a futuristic Washington D.C.

Colin Farrell co-stars as an investigator poking holes in the pre-crime system before taking to the streets, chasing Cruise around to capture for his future crime.

Based off of the Phillip K. Dick short story of the same name, Minority Report was originally developed in the early ‘90s as a sequel to the Schwarzenegger hit, Total Recall (also a Dick adaptation). However, money issues and script rewrites changed the property into an original piece that fell into Spielberg’s hands as his follow-up to his other sci-fi epic, A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

While I believe that it could have been interesting to see the alterations made to the story to make it into a Total Recall sequel, the more philosophical nature to this property makes not going down that path probably for the better. However, that is not to say Minority Report is all talk and no gunplay. If there is a fault, it is with the script’s (with the final credit going to Jon Cohen and Scott Frank, who wrote The Interpreter and Out of Sight) sudden jerkiness from faux insight into an extended chase set piece.

Spielberg interestingly enlisted some of the top minds to create a think tank of what the year 2054 will look like for his film. This unique idea paid off, for I was entranced by the fine details to the technology and architecture in the world of tomorrow that still had an aura of the present to it. One way in which the movie holds up extremely well is the idea of future technologies watching the consumer and advertisements becoming personal. With those things coming to fruition today (44 years earlier than this film takes place), I found the film more intriguing than probably I would have in 2002.

Cruise does a fine job as the leading man in his bread-and-butter role as an action hero. While the film tries to find depth, his part doesn’t require much acting muscle outside of his iconic Ethan Hunt. Farrell (in the beginning of his early ‘00s blockbuster career) similarly isn’t given much to do besides looking good while running after Cruise.

The only roles requiring acting weight are well performed by Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow. The English actress Morton does a fantastic job as one of the Pre-Cogs in a role that is mostly heavy breathing and shivering. In a performance I could see turning into easily laughable, Morton’s wide-eyed and weak character makes a good counterbalance against the gun-toting Cruise. The two have an odd chemistry that makes their fight for survival together all the more interesting. Unfortunately, the pairing does not happen until more than halfway through the watch-checking 145-minute runtime. Sydow plays his two-faced character deliciously hammy, missing only a monocle and a mustache to deviously twirl.

Released on June 21st in 2002, Minority Report didn’t end up making the predicted killing it would at the box office. Opening at $35.7 million ($49.4M today), Report avoided a second place debut by less than $500,000 to Lilo & Stitch. Budgeted at $102 million, a reported $25 million of it was offset by multiple product placement and a waiver of Cruise and Spielberg’s usual fees for a 15% skimming of the box office revenue. Minority Report held well and wrapped up with $132 million ($183 million adjusted), and an additional $226 million from foreign markets.

Critics ate up the film quicker than audiences, giving the visceral flick a very high 92% on Rottentomatoes.com. Interestingly, the critical love for the blockbuster did not translate into any nominations or statues from any significant awards show besides a Sound Editing nomination at the Oscars.

So, back to my original questions – would I have found the film more inventive and sleek in 2002? Probably yes. The plot points of futuristic law enforcement have been touched upon in multiple films since and I would have likely said that the visuals were stunning at the time rather than “hold up well today.” Also, my opinion of Cruise would have changed my initial warmth to his character for the better in 2002. However, the technological discussions seem more relevant now. And regardless of the time I first saw Minority Report, I would have still found the balance of debate and debris to be clumsily one-sided to the latter.

With an interesting concept that is used, but never quite to the fullest extent, Minority Report’s only crime is wasted potential from a deep thriller into a mid-octane action flick.

Verdict: With Us
7 out of 10