Perhaps the two most powerful and influential people in filmmaking over the past twenty years have finally come together to make a movie. And of course, since we are talking about two professionals and visionaries who have never rested on their laurels, they have created something to behold. Sci - fi, action, who-dunit, this movie is rich and layered. Cruise puts in a convincing performance as John Anderton, a detective at the department of pre - crime in Washington D.C. Colin Farrel and Max Von Sydow also deliver strong supporting performances. There hasn't been a murder in six years. The system seems flawless and is about to go national. Unfortunately there are a few glitches that could prevent this from happening. When it is preordained that Anderton himself will murder someone in less than two days, he leads his former colleagues on a wild goose chase that contains some classic sequences. In one scene the police track him to an apartment building and deploy small mechanical spiders that perform retinal scans on all of the warm bodies in the building. This is just one example of the many brilliant ideas Spielberg created while in his "think tank", to which he invited many prominent scientists and futurists. The special effects in this movie put those of Spider - Man and Episode III to shame, not because of how much cgi there is, but how it is used. Spielberg is a technical wizard but knows that special effects are just a way to enhance his vision, and that the real meat of a film is characters and plot. Minority Report is a masterful work which is deserving of the millions it is sure to make at the box office.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Metropolis
(2001)
In brief: powerful
6 May 2002
In my short life I've developed a taste for a film that challenges me as a viewer and is more than the sum of it's parts. Metropolis is one such movie. While most will only give it credit for being a visual masterpiece, Metropolis is a well - rounded work with strong characters, themes and music. Not only does the character design have a fresh and captivating style, each character has his or hers own unique features. The setting is so rich and vibrant at times and dark and mysterious at others, it could only have been created through animation. The use of old western jazz and borderline ragtime music gives the huge city an earthy feeling, which is reflected in the architecture of the lower levels of the city. The themes are classic science fiction themes. I shy away from calling them derivative or repetitive because they still remain some of the most relevant ideas portrayed in any genre. Katsuhiro Otomo's screenplay is understated, contrasting the near "in your face" visuals. He is one of the most highly regarded writers in the genre, and he shows why here. The chilling ending is a destructive one, but it isn't the apocalyptic disaster some people make it out to be. The use of "Can't stop loving you" by Ray Charles frames the scene so well, and I found it far more moving and touching than the ending of Dr. Strangelove, which it is rightfully compared to. So, to all movie lovers, not just anime lovers, I ask you to go see this work of art and let it absorb you and change you. You will be better for it.
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