Minority Report isn't such a minor thing

Steven Spielberg's newest film, Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise, is a stunning thriller that delves as deeply into your mind as it does into your eyes. Literally.

Set in the year 2054, where eyes are the key for identifying people, John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is in charge of a special trial department specializing in PreCrime. With the help of three "precogs," people who can see future murders, Anderton is the one who goes after murderers-- before they commit the murder. For six years under this experiment, not one murder was committed in the entire Washington, D.C., area.

However, some people were sure that this system of pre-determined guilt had a flaw, despite the fact that there had been no murders committed since the initiation of PreCrime. Anderton refused to believe them, insisting that the system he worked with near obsession was perfect. Perfect, that is, until the system turned on him, and Anderton found himself the chased instead of the chaser. Believing that he was set up, Anderton takes one of the psychic precogs, Agatha (Samantha Morton), to aid in his search for the truth. What he learns is much more than he ever bargained for-- even down to his eyes.

One thing to be noted in the movie is the believability of the world of Washington, D.C., in 2054. So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same. It seems almost as if Spielberg decided to take the current world and manipulate it to add what he wants. For instance, there are ads that can direct all comments specifically to each person. Roads of 2054 are also filled with cars that can run up and down the sides of buildings as well as a twentieth-century car can run up and down highways. But much has stayed the same, as well. The commercials for a Lexus are still as flashy as ever, and even the fashions have not taken a dramatic leap. It is the perfect mix of present and possible future.

Minority Report is an unbelieveably exciting film with an intensity that leaves the audience hanging, savoring every moment of it. Even in the moments when the fast-moving world Anderton lives in seems to slow, there is an underlying tension that constantly threatens to-- and in some cases, does-- break out to a wild pandemonium. While there may be enough in this film to satisfy even the greatest cravings for action and excitement, Minority Report is not just a movie to watch in order to numb all other senses. The ending is unexpectedly satisfying-- like most Spielberg films, loopholes are closed, but there is still room for the mind to wander. Will something like this actually happen? What will the future be like? And if the future of the movie industry is following in the footsteps of Minority Report, it is going to be a bright and exciting road ahead indeed.