Any discussion about the greatest sci-fi movie of all time has to include Steven Spielberg. After his breakout hit with Jaws, the director became beloved for his narratives that traverse the stars. E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are arguably his most beloved, but in 2002, he delivered his best sci-fi action thriller.
Starring Tom Cruise, Minority Report was a loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novella of the same name. Like Blade Runner before it, this sci-fi vehicle wasn’t a literal translation of the author’s story, but was a feat in filmmaking nonetheless. The immersive, shockingly prophetic science fiction and pulse-pounding action sequences made Minority Report one of the best sci-fi action movies ever. Now, fans can revisit the movie for free on Pluto TV (where it arrived on June 1).
Minority Report Contains One of Tom Cruise’s Most Underrated Performances
Tom Cruise’s action repertoire largely pertains to his never-ending Mission: Impossible saga, but there was a time when the king of his own stunts was a little more rounded. In the early aughts, Cruise had a variety of roles, some that were forgotten too soon. In Minority Report, the actor plays John Anderton, the Chief of the relatively recent pre-crime department of the police. With the help of three precogs who can see the future, crime is nearly nonexistent.
This futuristic world, however, is built on a house of cards that can collapse at any moment. John has to contend with being framed for murder, but that is only part of his emotional arc. In his heart, the pre-Crime Chief is extremely vulnerable, struggling with the disappearance of his young son some years previous. The loss of the child destroyed his marriage and was the concept for which Pre-crime was built.
Had pre-crime existed previously, his son never would have been killed. John is a perfect Spielberg protagonist, one whose motivations are entirely righteous, especially when the world is not. Even so, this role arguably could not have been achieved without the talents of Cruise, who portrays this faltering hero who becomes one of the most desperate people on the planet.
The harder John fights to clear his name, the more fragile and fragmented he becomes. Cruise balances this line well, still encouraging sympathy for the character, but showing how far a desperate man will go. His cause to solve this mystery is valid, but fascinatingly, it is also against his own self-interest.
John is adamant he will not kill a man he has never met in the next 36 hours, but if he proves this to be true, it means that pre-Crime is not the infallible institution it appeared to be. If the precogs’ predictions aren’t 100% accurate, potential murderers have been sentenced to prison based on a lie. The stakes are high in Minority Report, requiring Cruise to portray a nuanced character who does terrible things to reach his goal.
It is a layered performance that doesn’t stand out along with the Ethan Hunts or the Mavericks, but is his most interesting by far. It speaks to the deeper themes in the story that are darker and more thought-provoking than they may seem.
Minority Report Uses Sci-Fi To Tell a Noir Thriller Story
Minority Report is the most interesting on the mystery level. Ultimately, it is a hard-boiled detective story about a police officer framed for murder. Steven Spielberg’s feature uses sci-fi to tell a fascinating story that also happens to be a great action flick. This story is what elevates Minority Report from all others in the genre and does so from the very beginning.
The 14-minute opening sequence demonstrates just how the precogs work and ultimately foreshadows what is about to come. Arthur, Agatha, and Dash — named after famous mystery writers — are siblings who dream of murders that are about to happen. Pre-crime uses their fragmented visions, putting them together to form an account that can help police identify the murderers before they commit the crime.
The opening scene is shot through Agatha’s perspective as she sees the future murder, shown through chaotic and fragmented images. This establishes the tone of the film and the visual style before the movie goes on to portray how the murder is actually going down. It is an incredibly stylistic choice that allows Minority Report to not just be an action flick, but one that is thoughtful and dark.
It perfectly tees up John’s internal struggle when he becomes a murder suspect. The precogs predict that John will kill a man he has never seen before. This is a typical inciting incident for any classic film noir. It just also happens to take place in the future.
John uses his know-how of the system to buy himself some time so he can prove his innocence. He understands that Pre-crime doesn’t use typical evidence, and he is assumed to be guilty before committing the crime. This brings up many ethical questions that wouldn’t necessarily crop up in a typical sci-fi action feature. Minority Report goes above and beyond in a genre-bending story that is also one of the best hard sci-fi movies out there.
Like in any noir thriller, the deeper John goes, the more he realizes how corrupt this institution is. Even though he was am important part of Pre-crime, getting set up for murder proves just how unstable the system is. The precogs don’t always agree, throwing even more doubt into Pre-crime. The question quickly becomes not who John murders, but why he is being set up.
This sci-fi thriller is interspersed with great action sequences just to hammer this point home. Pre-crime is more than just ethically questionable. It is also easily manipulated. Minority Report turns on a dime when it is clear that Pre-crime is absolutely faulty, but the big issue becomes how to take down such a well-oiled machine.
Minority Report Continues to be a Sci-Fi Masterwork
Minority Report is interspersed with great action sequences, but its science fiction trappings are what make the film one of the sci-fi greats. With the narrative surrounding Pre-crime, the story asks whether free will can really exist and if technology can override what it is to be human.
The science fiction elements are almost terrifying to watch as a modern viewer, because of how much has come to pass. In the story, technology has advanced to such a degree that people can be identified by their eye scans, even when they would prefer it not to. As John walks into a store, he is bombarded with advertisements specifically curated for him.
This, of course, makes going on the lam even more difficult, forcing him to replace his eyeballs so he won’t get scanned. Human beings are far too easily tracked, and Minority Report also raises themes of bodily autonomy and the value of a life when it doesn’t adhere to the status quo. Steven Spielberg’s underrated sci-fi endeavor was incredibly smart when it came out and has become close to being prophetic in recent years. There is no scene wasted in this tightly constructed drama as John realizes he is just another cog in a machine to keep Pre-crime going.