HTF REVIEW: "Minority Report" (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

I cannot intelligently comment on the transfer or EE since I didn't see this movie in the theaters. From the trailers I saw (in theaters) it did look like the film was overblown (and yes halos seemed to be there IIRC) and the look was intentional, I'll believe the reviews that I've read on the picture saying this is an accurate representation of the look the filmmakers were trying for (as again, I didn't see this in the theaters).

I will say that I was quite a bit impressed with this movie. I didn't know what to expect quite frankly, as a lot of my friends didn't see this movie. I have appreciated most of Spielberg's work in the past, and I believe Tom C. is as good as the director he works with, so I went ahead and gave it a shot. Wow! This film had me on the edge of my seat most of the way through it! I think it's Spielberg's best film in a while - the action is right up there with the Indy series IMO.

I think I'll be watching this again with the parental units when they come down for the holidays...

 

[Mark-W]

I was pleasantly surprised by this film and DVD:
Thanks for your review, Ron!
As a side note, my little claim to 2 degrees of separation
is that I used to go to school, and give Matthew Dickman
a ride home from school from time to time
while we both attended college.
I even tutored him a bit in math, and one night I was
even privileged to have him read one of my poems to me.
(He is quite the talented writer, as well as award-winning poetry reader.)
Anyway, Matthew and his twin brother play the other two precogs in the film.
(Matthew didn't tell me he had a twin brother until
after I asked him why he'd been so aloof one night
after a local performance of, ironically,
Six Degrees of Separation,
where Michael played one of the spoiled brat college students.)
Funny to watch some one you know floating in a
pool of "shampoo" (as Matthew called it),
in a Spielberg film.
All I can think of is Matthew in his "Jesus did drag" t-shirt.

Mark

 

[Zen Butler]

Ron, thanks for the review. This is another of your reviews that prompted my purchase.
I wasn't all that impressed with this film in the theaters. It just left me a bit cold. On second viewing at home, I have come to like this film much better. The "extras" are okay, with a few lines that I thought were interesting by Spielberg, "that A.I. and this film are an experimental phase." and "Minority Report was a film noir", for which I can't digest the later, because it seems more of a sci-fi thriller to me. Stylish, yes! but a film noir is a bit of a stretch. It may be my own fondness of the film noir genre, but the 'bleaching' process doesn't fit noir in the classic sense (IMO). I could see connections from Blade Runner to Touch of Evil to a Dark City and back again. I just don't think Minority Report belongs in that category.

A.I. never has never gotten better for me, Minority Report has. I'm sure the third viewing will be even better. It does seem after viewing the extras, that Spielberg is trying to stretch himself. I would welcome another sci-fi by him, although I felt A.I a disaster. Minority Report does show promise, and it is beautiful to look at.

 

[Sean Patrick]

i have a direct view 38", and i see EE in quite a few scenes on this disc. i was hoping it was just the photographic technique but i'm almost sure it's EE.

 

[Mark Lee]

Problem With DTS Sound? I just watched the movie with the DTS 5.1 track and it seems like the voices were digitized or skipping at times in the movie. I was so bad during the Eye clinic scene I switched to Dolby Digital. Did anyone else notice this? Is it a problem with my equipment?

I haven't gone thru the whole movie yet (only up to chapter 5 on the disc), but I noticed at least one example of the DTS audio dropping out -- it's at around the 1:00 mark in chapter 5, as the guy's explaining to Witwer how the pre-cogs work. The audio "skips" for a split-second.

So this happens later on as well? That sucks. Suppose returning the disc for an exchange won't make any difference....unless we're the only two suckers so far who've encountered that problem. Anyone else having problems with the audio?

 

[JosephMoore]

I've watched the whole movie a couple of times and not had any issues with the DTS track.

 

[Tim Glover]

Just watched my copy too. Great movie and to me, one of the best of 2002. I try to be as neutral and objective as I can with soundtracks regarding DD or dts. But in this case, the dts had alot more juice during the action sequences. Did anyone else notice this? During the quiet moments, dialogue, rain sound...the tracks sounded similar, but when they are chasing Anderton the first time (when the cop projectiles!) the dts track is very dynamic. Almost has me wondering if they didn't juice it up or lower the level on the dd track.

Doesn't really matter I guess. I rather liked the pic quality with it's dark and "grainy" look. Loved those 5.1 trailers too!

 

[Jedrek]

I just got my copy for Christmas and plan on watching it today. It was a great movie, and the special features look very cool.

 

[Kevin M]

..I have begun to realize that this film has grown on me.

They do that sometimes, I had the same reaction to Tim Burton's Batman and Mars Attacks as well as The Fifth Element, Solaris, Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Demon Seed, THX:1138 & Alien Resurrection (although I still have a problem with "Baby"), either I was too young or I wasn't in the right frame of mind to appreciate them at the time.

 

[Norm]

I must say I hate the menu on this DVD. Its to confusing and hard to navigate, and I hate those mini trailers at every menu page!

 

[greg_t]

I am getting to hate these drawn out menus too. I watched Minority report a couple of nights ago. Very good movie, much better than I expected. I noticed no problems with the DTS. I thought the mix was very well balanced and natural sounding. I had no issues with the transfer either.

 

[Jeff Bamberger]

Found some interesting background info on Janusz Kaminski, the director of photography for Minority Report:
http://www.cameraguild.com/awards/kaminski.html
or for those who don't want to follow the link:

"Those who think cinematography is simply the mechanical act of capturing an image on film have never spoken with a cinematographer. Or more precisely, a cinematographer with heart," said two time Oscar winning cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, ASC.
Kaminski came to America from his native Poland in the 1980s. His association with Steven Spielberg began after the 1989 airing of Wildflower, a Lifetime television movie he photographed for Diane Keaton. Spielberg hired him to shoot the television production Class of '61. Since then he has added to his list of credits the Oscar-winning Schindler's List, The Adventures of Huck Finn, Tall Tale, Little Giants, How to Make and American Quilt, Jerry Maguire, the Oscar-nominated Amistad and The Lost World.
Kaminski's collaboration with Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan included discovering different visual textures with an imaginative mix of camera films, lab processes and specialized techniques, such as "deconstruction of the slickness that you usually get with modern lenses" – in Spielberg's words.
Kaminski achieved that look by stripping the coatings off the lenses. He also flashed the film and used the Technicolor ENR process to alter contrast. Spielberg wanted deeply saturated colors, an idea he attributes to watching 16mm Signal Corps Ekatachrome footage documenting the invasion of France by the Allies.
"We wanted to create the illusion that there were several combat cameramen landing with the troops at Normandy," Kaminski said in an American Cinematographer interview. "… We succeeded in emulating the look of that footage for the invasion scenes… with both camera tricks and other technological means."
Lenses in 1940 were technically inferior to today's, so Kaminski had a set of older Ultra- speeds stripped of their protective coatings to emulate the look of 50 years ago.
"Interestingly, when we analyzed the lenses, the focus and sharpness didn't change very much, though there was some deterioration; what really changed was the contrast and color rendering. The contrast became much flatter. Without the coatings, the light enters the lens and bounces all around, so the images become kind of foggy but still sharp. Also, it's much easier to get flares, which automatically diffuses the light and the colors to a degree and lends a little haze to the image."
Kaminski would often mismatch the lenses if he had two cameras running, using one with coated Ultra-speeds and one with stripped lenses. That lent a certain lack of continuity in picture quality, suggesting an appropriate disjointedness.
Kaminski and his crew shot many feet of film with the camera shutter set at 45 or 90 degrees, a technique that was especially effective in filming explosions. Every particle of blasted sand seems to be visible. The idea, which was born in pre-production testing, helped to create a sense of reality and urgency.
Another technique was borrowed from cinematographer Douglas Milsome, BSC, who also used it in an epic war film, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. The camera's shutter is thrown out of sync to create a streaking effect from the top of the frame to the bottom. It's another way to enhance realism by giving the images the less-than-perfectly controlled look of actual battle footage.
Kaminski, who recently completed his directorial debut for New Line Cinemas—the supernatural thriller, Lost Souls, said he hopes to now switch between directing and being a director of photography.
Next Kaminski is going to partner up with Spielberg again in the shooting of Minority Report starring Tom Cruise and Bill Condon.
Kaminski graduated from Columbia College in Chicago, then went on to the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C. He is married to actress Holly Hunter.

 

[Mark-W]

Just another "I concur!!!" on the menus being too
elaborate. Yawn..Get me to the movie and special features
without a bunch of excess baggage...it is not ambience,
it is just irritating after the first "oh ah."


Mark

 

[EricW]

at least the menus are skip-able. you don't have to watch them.

 

[ozar]

Just purchased the DVD and watched it, but I really can't find 'anything' about this movie that I like.
Perhaps another viewing is in order and it will change my mind...

 

[Ray H]

What's so annoying about the menus? You can skip the intro. Is it the transitions? I do recall the transition from main to scene selections to be a bit long. But at least they're not as annoying as T2's.

 

[Tim Glover]

Bob, no offense...but why did you buy it? Hey, seriously, I've bought some dvd's before without seeing them and based on others reviews, it seemed like a good purchase until the movie started. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. I would hate getting stuck with a movie that sux. Try for a trade on the Software forum. Good Luck.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Next Kaminski is going to partner up with Spielberg again in the shooting of Minority Report starring Tom Cruise and Bill Condon.

Obviously, this was written before Minority Report was postponed so that Spielberg could make A.I. (also shot by Kaminski). Another dated reference: Kaminski and Holly Hunter are divorced.

M.

 

[michael deakin]

Am i the only one who thinks this is reminiscent of "The Fugitive".
mike

 

[David Von Pein]

Am i the only one who thinks this is reminiscent of "The Fugitive".

True. And I, for one, would have loved to see Barry Morse chasing Tom C. through this movie.
Plus: there's a more than passing resemblance to the 1950 classic Edmond O'Brien film, D.O.A., where Edmond has but a short time to track down his own murderer. But, in Minority's case, we've got Mr. Cruise attempting to track down the
'murder-ee'.
I liked the film quite a bit.
Gotta admire the editing. It appears the editor had the most difficult job here. Puts me also in the mind of 1991's JFK, which was also highlighted by incredibly well-edited pieces of film.
Can't wait for those vertical highways to arrive in our towns. (Must be hard to drink a beverage on those things though. )