MINORITY REPORT - Movie Interview by Dr Kuma
So Dr Kuma, what are the facts behind MINORITY REPORT?
DR KUMA: The year is 2054 and the murder rate in Washington DC has fallen to zero thanks to the information supplied to the police enforcement agency by a trio of telepathic/deja-vu/seers called the preconitives, who can foresee a crime before the offender commits it. They can show the authorities the person and the place before it happens. Strangely however, although the crimes are stopped, those who were about to commit the crimes are still punished and lobotomised into a permanent state of limbo. All goes well for several years until Pre-Crime Unit chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) stops being the hunter and becomes the hunted when he discovers that the next murder in the city will be committed by him, when he sees his own face projected!
Is it any good?
DR KUMA: It is the best sci-fi film noir since BLADE RUNNER, which it most closely resembles, in overall look and feel.
Wasn't that by the same writer?
DR KUMA: Yes it was, Philip K Dick who also brought us TOTAL RECALL and the much under valued THE IMPOSTOR.
Is it darker the much maligned AI?
DR KUMA: Yes, it's much darker, but still has that Steven Spielberg feel to it. A lot of people felt that movie was far too long and was spoilt by a 'tagged on' ending. I disagree. MINORITY REPORT is 8 minutes longer and that too holds the viewer's attention in a way movies half it's length can't.
Are you saying that Spielberg is hitting a career high?
DR KUMA: Yes, but then again, Spielberg is still under valued in the same way Hitchcock was in his lifetime.
Are you saying that Spielberg is the modern day Hitchcock?
DR KUMA: Yes. AI is already being re-appraised. In future years our children will ask what it was like to see a classic Spielberg when it was released, in the same way we would ask our parents about the classic Hitchcock's. They will last forever and will become classics of the cinema, joining those he has already given us.
Is Tom Cruise good then?
DR KUMA: In the same way Hitchcock and Cary Grant were in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. They are two of the biggest draws in movie history (they have taken 10 billion between them in their box-office careers) and MINORITY REPORT finds both of them at the top of their form.
So, is MINORITY REPORT perfect?
DR KUMA: No, by no means, but it is still a great work by a great director and the coming of age of one of the generations most popular actors.
So you liked it?
DR KUMA: Oh Yes. Dr Kuma's MINORITY REPORT: A classic. (Two scenes could have been trimmed though). Like David the robot in AI -nothings perfect!
Dr Kuma's footnote: It would've be a great idea to see IMPOSTOR, the other current Phillip K Dick adaptation, in and around at the same time as MINORITY REPORT. This Gary Sinise sci-fi thriller plays like a classic episode of THE X FILES or THE INVADERS and really deserved better distribution. IMPOSTOR is a movie that should have been given far more of a push and is better than several 'bigger' releases. With 4 out of 6 - both together and you've nearly got 10!
