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FUTURE TENSE / Spielberg returns to form with menacing, suspenseful 'Minority Report'



In "Minority Report," Steven Spielberg has made the least sentimental film of his career -- and the shrewdest movie of the season so far. Creative energy and intelligence inform every frame. Nothing is left to chance. This is the kind of pure entertainment that, in its fullness and generosity, feels almost classic.
My son and I see it tonight, and since we're both big Spielberg we're already halfway to loving it. Bias? Heavens, yes. Meanwhile, the New York Times review is a little more restrained, but still one of praise. And Desson Howe at the Washington Post is flat-out snooty, with the zinger, "Everyone's too busy shooting, firing, running away or cajoling someone for information to get down and act."



But I love Ann Hornaday's summary (also with the Washington Post):



So where does "Minority Report" stand? As an adult summer movie it provides some provocative entertainment for those willing to stomach some of its more unsavory visual elements and grim story. As a futuristic thriller it is probably too conventional to rank as a cult classic on par with "Blade Runner" (also from a Dick story), and the intricacies of its plot don't add up to anything worth puzzling over. But as a Spielberg movie, it is yet another installment in an artistic trajectory that has become much more interesting in the past decade. Spielberg's dark side may not be where everyone wants to live, but it's somehow encouraging to know that he has one.More after I've seen the film.

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