
- for violence and some language, some sexuality and drug content.
In 2054, John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is a chief of police for a anti-criminal program called "Pre-Crime." The FBI are brought in (specifically agent Danny Whitmer) to check out the Pre-Crime program, which relies on a "perfect" system for catching their criminals before they commit their crimes. This system involves three genetically altered humans referred to as Pre-Cogs who can see murders before they occur. Soon after the FBI come on the scene, John sees one of the Pre-Cogs visions including himself in a murder predicted to happen within 36 hours. Immediately John's own teammates are targeting him for the murder of a man he claims he doesn't even know. What follows is a thrilling chase as Anderton seeks out to find who the man is that he is supposed to kill and why.
Steven Spielberg is the man who brought you E.T., Jurassic Park (and Jurassic Park: The Lost World), the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, and even last year's A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). In 2002, Spielberg has brought to life a short story called Minority Report in the form of a mature, thrilling sci-fi adventure that is certainly not for everyone, but an engaging story nonetheless.

Minority Report approaches the future in a way not too many have. Spielberg brings the viewer incredible and realistic visuals that will please any sci-fi or action buff. The world of 2054 that the filmmakers create include, but are not limited to, animated cereal boxes, animated magazine covers, and even interactive advertisements that address you by name by scanning your identity. These are just a few of the fun futuristic gadgets and gizmos in Minority Report. But the film is hardly as light-hearted as all that might seem. What might make this movie even remotely fun to some people is the mystery that surrounds John Anderton's accusations and the thrilling and intriguing events that unfold because of them. The unique cinematography aids in making the overall atmosphere of the film darker than usual. A moody slate gray tone is washed over the print, making the futuristic setting that much more interesting to the eye. But don't get me wrong, this film isn't all about visuals, in fact the visuals are merely an aid for the real story. The movie is hardly a free-for-all effects show, unlike the newer Star Wars prequels. The acting in Minority is topnotch, too, as Cruise delivers his best performance that I've seen yet. The screenwriters fleshed out his character well, and Cruise did a great job portraying John Anderton. Rising star Colin Farrell did an okay job as the FBI agent, Danny Whitmer, while Samantha Morton did a superb job as the creepy Precog, Agatha. The film also includes some surprise, much-needed humor to relieve the film's tension, but didn't go too far with it.

Unfortunately, a movie this good must have flaws. First of all, some may pick apart plot aspects, which is unnecessary, but the main faults, as usual, lie within the film's content. Minority Report pushes
the PG-13 envelope pretty good with sexual and violent content. A lot of the murder plot is disturbing and may be unsettling to some. This is certainly, undoubtedly a film to leave the kids home for. Minority Report is not a family movie. Sexual material exists with a marital affair that is shown in part at the start of the film, that leads to one of the murders that Precrime stops. In some sort of fantasy club, the owner talks about sexual fantasies and we even see a man in a room having some kind of distorted sexual stimulation with a hologram. The sequence is brief, and clearly unnecessary to the film, but was more than likely included because Spielberg wanted to lighten things up there. (It just wasn't needed, though.) Violence is heavy due to the murder shots, and some encounters during Anderton's attempts to escape Precrime's
grasp. One sequence even shows eyeballs, with optic nerves attached, removed from the body for an extended sequence. There are definitely quite a few disturbing visuals in this one. Also, child abduction - two different kinds - are a big part of the plot, and it's largely believed that one of the children may have been murdered. Language isn't as bad as it could be, but is still heavy due to Anderton's shouting the "F" word and other colorful words, and some blasphemy, used throughout the film from various characters.
All in all, Minority Report is an amazing film that literally had me and my colleagues on the edge of our seats for a great deal of the film's length. Due to content, I want to lower my rating of this film, but due to its clever and intriguing story, I still feel it necessary to give it high marks. Minority Report is a great sci-fi crime film.
- John DiBiase, (reviewed: 6/22/02)
It's been over 23 years since Minority Report hit theaters. Off the top of my head, it may also be the last great movie from Spielberg, too. Sure, he's had some decent ones here and there (I always forget about 2011's War Horse), but as far as thrilling sci-fi and action, Spielberg was pretty much at the top of his game with 2002's Minority Report. It's intense. It's thrilling. It's unique. And it's aged pretty well so far.

Sadly, this is one of those movies that never really got the proper high-def treatment through the years since its release. Its DVD picture was pretty poor, and the HD streaming picture was better, but still left room for improvement. So, naturally, the idea of a 4K UHD disc release is super intriguing. I'm happy to say that the movie has literally never looked better. In watching it in 4K, I felt like I was seeing some details for the very first time. The biggest problem Minority Report has always had - and still has to some degree - is its soft, glowing bluish picture tone. It's cool (no pun intended), sure, and it adds to the otherworldly, futuristic look, but it softens the image quite a bit. This release is officially the sharpest we've ever seen the movie, but, to a degree, it still looks a little soft at times. The moments where the clarity really shines is when it's just the actors in the frame and the lighting is good. The clarity does reveal some of the dated CG effects (like the drug dealer's empty eye sockets, for example), but the movie's effects otherwise still look quite good for having been 2002.
Side note: I updated my 2002 review to mention it - I'm surprised I hadn't mentioned it before - but a huge part of the plot involves child abduction, specifically John's (Tom Cruise's character) boy being abducted several years before the start of the film, which inspired him to become part of the Precrime initiative. He's tormented by the loss of his son - which also has led him to drug use - and at one point, he's led to believe that he's found his son's kidnapper who has a history of taking and abusing children. We also learn of a murder of a mother (by drowning) which had allowed her children to be taken. Thematically, it's a pretty heavy movie for a PG-13 sci-fi action film.
I did peek at the 4K digital stream, but I immediately defaulted to the disc because 4K discs still appear the sharpest way to go (just ask director Christopher Nolan). If you're a cinephile who chases good picture quality, I recommend this release of Minority Report. It's not the best 4K you'll see, but it's a big step up for this particular movie, and now the most ideal way to watch it.
- John DiBiase (reviewed: 12/19/25)
Disclaimer: All reviews are based solely on the opinions of the reviewer. Most reviews are rated on how the reviewer enjoyed the film overall, not exclusively on content. However, if the content really affects the reviewer's opinion and experience of the film, it will definitely affect the reviewer's overall rating.
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