Review by Gary Tooze

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Description: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell and Max von Sydow star in this explosive, action-packed sci-fi thriller from acclaimed director Steven Spielberg. Experience the excitement of Minority Report like never before with this all-new Blu-ray edition packed with hours of special features and presented with a stunning high-definition picture and sound. When pre-crime detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is identified as a future murderer, he must race against his own specialized police department and time itself to prove his innocence of a crime he has yet to commit.

 

 

The Film:

At a time when movies think they have to choose between action and ideas, Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" is a triumph--a film that works on our minds and our emotions. It is a thriller and a human story, a movie of ideas that's also a whodunit. Here is a master filmmaker at the top of his form, working with a star, Tom Cruise, who generates complex human feelings even while playing an action hero.

 

The movie turns out to be eerily prescient, using the term "pre-crime" to describe stopping crimes before they happen; how could Spielberg have known the government would be using the same term this summer? In his film, inspired by but much expanded from a short story by Philip K. Dick, Tom Cruise is John Anderton, chief of the Department of Pre-Crime in the District of Columbia, where there has not been a murder in six years. Soon, it appears, there will be a murder--committed by Anderton himself.

Excerpt from Roger Ebert at The Chicago Sun-Times located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
 

Minority Report's heavily de-saturated style comes through extremely well on Blu-ray. The intentionally grainy appearance is most impressive - as are the rich black levels and wonderful contrast. I, honestly, can't see this looking any better than it does. While I saw this theatrically almost 8 years ago - and my memory is poor - but I was quickly reminded of the film's easily definable image. It all came right back. Whether the intentional visuals are meant to evoke noir, or not, the film should be commended for the bold attempt. This is a strong dual-layered transfer with an atmospheric video bitrate as it shares the entire first Blu-ray disc with nothing else. This transfer seems impeccable - representing the film with pin-point authenticity. Achieving the intended appearance so succinctly I'd have to say this image quality is quite perfect - as perfect as I have seen in a while. It appears to look EXACTLY as the film was meant to. If you aren't keen on the appearance blame the filmmakers not this pristine transfer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at a healthy 3015 kbps certainly doesn't take a backseat to the strong video representation. It's power can surprise you right out of your seat and the abundant effect noises are spread aggressively through your surround system. John Williams' precise score seems a bit formal at times but responds to the Minority Report's kinetic flow crisply via the lossless track. So, it's all good news on the audio front, as well, and there are option subtitles available. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region A-locked disc.

 

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BOTTOM LINE:
What I liked about this are the 'B' movie elements. I believe this is paramount to being able to accept the film's occasional flaws with underdeveloped characters. It's a high-tech style-over-substance extravaganza. The action is beautifully paced augmenting some tight suspense. This is another example of Blu-ray altering my earlier impressions. I wasn't crazy about Minority Report theatrically nor when I revisited in on DVD - but, perhaps, with diminished expectations - I concentrated more on the film's strengths; a brisk-paced and inventive science-fiction adventure with Cruise's invincible leading-man physicality and justice-seeking everyman charm. It's an imaginative ride and the stacked Blu-ray package is as complete as I've seen in a while. 

Gary Tooze

April 6th, 2010