Minority Report (UK)

very good film let down by the poor as they say slow bits to unravel the full story.otherwise a good film highly recommended.the only downside i feel is that you might only watch it the once maybe twice after a long space of time.as for the extras plenty of them to keep you going for a while

This is one DVD that I've been looking forward to for a many months, having missed Minority Report at the cinemas and being told how good the film was I was jumping for joy when I popped into my local retailer and found Minority Report stirring me in the face 3 days before its release date.

The film is brilliant, Mixing Noir, Action and Science Fiction into a Excellent Thriller that has pulses racing and brains ticking.

Set in the not too distant future (about 50 years) murder is no longer a threat, with the introduction of the Pre-Crime system, this is made possible by three Pre-Cogs (Humans that can see murders) that tell the Pre-Crime agents who the murderer is and who the victim is.
When agent John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is convicted of a murder he's going to commit to a person he doesn't know, Anderton sets out to find who has set him up but finds more questions than answers.

Picture: -

Presented in 2:40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with and immaculate transfer with absolutely no dirt or compression artefacts and what we've come to expect from films released a few months after its theatrical run.

Sound: -

This is where the disk shines; Spielberg is a great fan of DVD and of having the best possible Sound + Picture.
It was Spielberg that first used DTS theatrically on Jurassic Park and has used it ever since (he's even added it no old classics on DVD such as E.T. and Close Encounters of The Third Kind)

The Disk has two sound formats, Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1, while I've only listened to the film in DTS I can confirm its excellence, using each speaker and indeed sub to its full potential, with surround effects coming fast and furious and loads of bass when it's needed.

Extras: -

This is where it gets a bad mark, while the supplements disc does boat a plethora of extras they don't last that long (5 minutes tops) and don't provide that much information to die hard fans of the film.
And another point there is no commentaries on the disk, many know that Spielberg doesn't like commenting on his own film but that shouldn't stop the cast from doing a commentary, I'd love to hear what Tom Cruise and Collin Ferrell have to say about their experience, but sadly no we have to put up with the extras on the second disc.

Overall: -

The film is excellent I can't stress that enough, these disk should be in every sci-fi thriller fans collection, but the extras leave much to be desired (Spielberg take a few notes from David Fincher).

a decidely average movie that whilst it tries desperately to imitate the 1940s film noir styling of blade runner, fails to drag itself past the unbelievabley predictable paint-by-numbers story.
taken from a very quirky short story by the brilliant sci-fi cult author phillip k. dick, this eventually has as little in common with it as total recall did with the original story that that was based on (also by phillip k. dick)
the film starts off by trying to impress with special effects rather than build on the characters at all and quickly descends into a mess of a movie. i really don`t want to spoil the plot for those which have`nt seen the moviue but i will just say that there is one very large mistake in it which just irritated me alot and topped off a very poorly made movie of an excellent short story.

From previous reviews I believed this film to only be appreciated by a `minority` of the population. There are many aspects of the film that support this, to a sci-fi fan, this film can seem very well produced and the story line believable and thought provoking. Unfortunatly for the rest of the world who arn`t sci-fi fans this film will seem a little far-fetched and unrelatable to anything the imagination can grasp. This film is good but many other things could have been done to make it better. Nevertheless there were some amazing scenes, with great digital effects, my hat comes off to the direction side of it, which was well done.

All in all a good film although I believe it could have been much more stream lined.

Bellamy

I was waiting for this for ages as I missed it at the cinema. I can safely say that I was suprised by how good the film was. Easily one of the highlights of the year.
You can read about the plot elsewhere. The film is a blend of action, scifi and noir. It works on all fronts as you get amazing special effects, thought provoking story and thrilling action scenes (jet pack chase, spiders, car factory) Tom Cruise is very good and some of the action scenes will become classics.
I don`t want to spoil the story but it is really good and leaves you thinking about many issues such as the control of the state and civil liberties.
This is the sort of film that everyone will enjoy on some level. It is highly entertaining and makes you think. The DVD is also packed with extras so it is a very good buy.

Minority Report is a spectacular film. However is doesn't recognize itself as spectacular or allow the audience to. Which is perhaps why it is so good. In the hands of any other director the film would no doubt be a show-off for effects. In the hands of Spielberg it concentrates on story/character and of course thrills and spills. The film has a very noir-ish feel and all it lacks is a Cruise voice-over. People have complained about the product placement, but I think with these Spielberg has created a realistic future word (come on, are you going to believe Suny?). And if you don't like the product placements, don't buy them. Though with the amount of a glass as seen in this film, it's fine time to buy some stocks!

The film isn't as action packed as the trailer would have you believe, but the story is great and the tension builds and builds. Cruise is quite good and does some outrageous image-damaging stuff here (chasing his eyes down a platform). Farrell, Morton and Van "The Exorcist" Sydow offer great support.

Video: But no matter how good the acting is, this is Spielberg and Kaminski's film. This is the first film since "Hook" that Spielberg has directed in 2.40:1, which demands a cheery "Welcome back" to Steve. They have created some outstanding shots, which enter my book as the best of the year. The DVD renders these images perfectly. No defects, no grain, little edge enhancements. Blacks and blue are dead on. The film contains some very experimental lighting and is perfectly presented here. Because the film is on one disc with no extras the film has a high bite-rate and is really allowed to breath. This is a VERY pleasing transfer and is another reference quality transfer from 2002.

Audio: Another fantastic soundtrack from the Spielberg stable. Spielberg is a strong advocate of the DTS track, however I don't have DTS so this is based on the 5.1. The soundtrack isn't "flashy". However it does creates an atmosphere and compliments the realism of the future world. The Maglevs sound great. Surrounds are used frequently and there is some deep bass in the action scenes. John Williams superb music is nicely incorporated and dialogue (even shop announcements) are clear throughout. This is not an in-your-face demo disc, but it is a fantastic example of creating a living soundtrack.

Extras: All the extras are contained on the second DVD. The menus are great, are supported by John Williams music are easy to navigate. Unlike most Spielberg DVDs this doesn't contain a stand-alone documentary. It's pretty much all featurettes. There are 16 in total, lasting around 5-10 minutes each and they cover pretty much everything you want to know about the technical side of Minority Report. They also covers origins, the look of the future world and Spielberg and Cruise praising each other to high heaven.

There is also a HUGE photo gallery section. And trailers, bios and production notes round off the disc.

Overall: The film didn't do very well in America ($100million, but $350 million worldwide), especially when you consider the BO gold of a Spielberg/Cruise team-up. It's probably because this isn't the standard Spielberg/Cruise fare and it was wrongfully marketed as an action movie. Minority Report is a sci-fi murder mystery noir and a great one at that. I can do nothing but recommend this disc. Though the extras are not as plentiful as most new DVDs they do have a wealth of INTERESTING information in them and the film and presentation are top-notch.

A superb blend of sci-fi, action, thrills and suspense as two of the biggest names in Hollywood bring us this brilliant futuristic thriller in which a cop, John Anderton, goes on the run after being set up to commit the murder of a man he has never met before.

Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the finest directors ever and after last years flop AI, he has renounced himself as one of the best with this brilliant movie. People say that movies are becoming too predictable and commercial well this is neither of the two. Entertaining from start to finish, this movie has a gripping storyline and is definetly one of the best movies of 2002.

The Anamorphic Widescreen picture is razor sharp. Superb and almost flawless. This is what dvd is about. The DD 5.1 sound is also very crisp and clear and the surrounds are well used. The disc also boasts a DTS track which I havent heard but can imagine it to be even better.

There is a whole second disc(be it single layered) packed full of special features. There are many featurettes on the making of the movie, galleries, storyboards, trailers, production notes, plenty of interesting things to keep you interested.

Top that up with great menus and subtitles, you have what in my opinion is one of the best dvds of 2002 and one of the best movies of 2002. A must have for everyone. Far superior than that so-called classic Blade Runner.

the movie is good but the image quality sucks big time...
I rented the R2 version in Belgium and I was so disappointed..
The cheapest mastering DVD movie I`ve seen so far...

Dont`t waste time reading this, go buy Blade Runner and watch a decent futuristic film.

MOVIE
An above average summer blockbuster, in regards that it makes you think. Many might say it makes you think, `Why doesn`t this quite add up` but when you watch a film that slightly bends the rules of time, you have to through a few things by the wayside and just accept this is still highly entertaining. Cruise has probably never been better, but I feel Samantha Morton was said to be brilliant because she is British. She was`t that great possibly because the part didn`t require a lot. Colin Farrell though, as well as Von Sydnow are top notch too. Well directed, with inobtrusive CGI and a very scary image of the future.

PICTURE
Purposly made grainy and has a very bleached look, the transfer is very good. The layer hop is slightly poor on my player, but as it is unnoticable in some films, this is one of the worse layer hops I`ve seen. The transfer is clean with no dirt and is in lovely 2.35.1 Yay!

AUDIO
The same can be said about the audio. As there is only the move on the disc there is also a DTS track. I can`t take advantage of this, but the option is nice when I have a salary I can afford a decoder with. A good soundtrack as far as my limits can tell.

EXTRAS
All the extras are on the second disc as there is no commentary from Spielberg as usual. The documentation of the film goes from start to finish and follows the layout of the AI disc. It is good, but I have seen better. No deleted scenes either, and their must have been some. The usual trailers as well, and a good showing overall.

Content:

I really enjoyed this picture. I am not usually a big sci-fi fan but there is something about Minority Report that makes it stand out from the rest. Tom Cruise is excellent, as always and Spielberg has done a really good job.

Visuals:

An excellent transfer that, to be honest, as a somewhat casual DVD viewer, I didn`t find a flaw with, but I am not gonna talk about grain, edge whatever becuase I don`t know what they are!

Audio:

A dolby 5.1 track and DTS 5.1 track is on offer, and I watched with the DTS track and though it was fantastic. The surrounds are used well throughout and the sub kicks in when it needs to!

Extras:

An excellent choice of extras - they have focussed on quality here and they are quality, a great insight into the making of the movie.

A fascinating if somewhat downbeat and dreary film. Spielberg is standing over the grave stone of Mr Kubrick and thinking why can`t I be a bit like him. Spielberg was always good with action scenes, though aren`t we getting a bit tired of Mr Cruise running away from people all the time...

Although I by and large agree with the reviews of others to this site when considering Minority Report, I feel that a major aspect of criticism is disregarded. The short story by Philip K. Dick, loses it`s unquestionable impact when treated with Spielberg`s inimitable `fluffy bunny, let`s all hug in the end` approach to literary adaptation.

The fact that Dick`s short story ends well before the film does tends to infuriate me. SPOILER:
I mean what was the point in adding a good extra portion of film to a story which I feel had an enormous resonance without the need for Anderton to be `resurrected` from his `prison` in order to enact vengeance and clear his name?

IMHO Spielberg attempts to mend something that is definitely not broken and thus in one oversized swoop detracts from the poignancy of a throughly emotionally provocative story. You may be a renowned director Mr Spielberg but even you can get it wrong.

What a spectacular movie! It simply doesn`t get any more Spielberg than that. Each and every scene has a big "S" written all over it.
The script is quite interesting and the story progresses nicely through the 140 minutes. There isn`t a dull moment in the movie and the actual concept presented in the movie is pretty original, I`d say.
Surprisingly, Cruise gives a great performance, as does veteran Von Sydow.
The video transfer is great. There are no compression signs at all and the picture is crystal clear with a very dominant blue palette. The CG work is simply superb and the futuristic backgrounds are seamlessly blended with the live action scenes.
The DTS and DD 5.1 soundtracks are awesome. The surrounds are constantly used and provide a great channel separation.
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras on the 2nd disc include an extensive behind the scenes look, a picture gallery containing literally hundreds of pictures and photos, 3 storyboards and some production notes. Mr. Spielberg - a commentary track would`ve been appreciated.
Bottom line - boy, what a 2-hour right down (or is it up?!?) memory-lane! Spectacular in every aspect - don`t miss it.