A report on Minority Report

So, we went and saw "Minority Report" on Friday, opening night. And again last night, so we could actually see it this time. Friday night we were jammed into the front rows. It was an interesting view of Tom Cruise’s nose hairs. It was less than thrilling for seeing the movie.

I liked it. I thought it was excellent. I would be ecstatic if the last minute (literally) could be cut off. The last minute is so awful that it could destroy the glow from the film, so I ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. Spielberg has no equal working today, yet he constantly undercuts himself. Maybe he’s not cynical enough, maybe it’s a lack of faith in the material.

I have a minority opinion that "A.I." was better than most believe. It starts coming undone by the end, though, because it won’t end. It keeps going and going and going and going and… You get the picture. Everything it shows is beautiful unto itself, but it keeps coming. Gads, just let it end, Steve. Pick an end and keep it!

"Minority Report" isn’t that bad, but it’s in stark contrast to all that has come before. So, ugh, let it be gone. That tacked on, glowing sun, happy-ever-after ending they originally tacked onto "Blade Runner" is what I’m talking about. Thank God, Ridley Scott could cut it off for his “director’s cut” (one of the view times a “director’s edition” actually improves a film). Maybe Spielberg could do likewise here. After all, the “ultimate edition” of "Close Encounters" restores the original, beautiful ending to that film, “special edition” please kiss my ass.

But, I digress. "Minority Report" is beautifully filmed, lovingly assembled, and a run through the jungle of paranoia. It has several staged set pieces that could (and should) be used in film schools to show How It Is Done. The search by the mechanical “spiders” is one of the best, though I personally prefer one later on, involving a man with balloons.

Anyway, two snaps in a circle and a Z-formation for "Minority Report." One of the best science fiction films made, ever.

And speaking of Tom Cruise films, also saw "Vanilla Sky" over the weekend, on DVD. I need to see it again, because right now it stands as one of the grossest examples of deus ex machina I’ve ever seen. God awful ending! Horrible. Makes me ill thinking about it, and the director’s commentary saying how he’d be happy if it got people to discuss the film for 15 minutes, urgh! We’re discussing it, all right, because it has a for crap ending that destroys, nay, disassembles the entire film that preceded.

How bad is the ending? "Minority Report’s" ending is better, and see the above for my opinion of that.

Last film note of the day: Also saw "Lilo & Stitch" over the weekend (something for the kid’s, you know, and that includes me). Okay, so it has that sense of sloppy sentimentality that infests Disney films, but so what? That’s what you expect when you see a Disney film. "Lilo & Stitch" demonstrates that the House of the Mouse can still crank out entertaining films, animated or otherwise. It also validates what they tried to do with "Atlantis," namely make a family fun film without a string of nauseating songs. Oh, there’s music here, but it is actually part of the film, not stand-alone set pieces.

So, see it. Even if you don’t have kids, see it. Even if you hate animation, see it. The opening sequence alone, where you meet Experiment 6-2-6 (soon to be known as Stitch) is worth the price of admission all on its own. And that’s before the opening titles!