Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, the sci-fi/action movieMinority Reportwas a massive hit with audiences and critics. The film grossed over $300 million when it was released in 2002 and further solidified Cruise as an action star who could lead any film or franchise. This was in the middle of hisMission Impossiblefame and a few decades after he blew everyone away in the originalTop Gun.
Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novella “The Minority Report,” which was published several decades earlier in 1956,Minority Reportis a fast-paced, pulse-pounding story from start to finish. What makes this movie so memorable and what happens at the end?
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What Is Minority Report About?
Minority Reportis one ofTom Cruise’s best sci-fi moviesbecause he does such a great job portraying his smart character, Precrime Chief John Anderton. The movie is set in 2054 and features a federal government that has been working on a program that they think will stop crime from happening. The idea is that people who are called “precogs” have psychic visions of crimes and then a special police unit can figure out how to stop them from occurring. The idea is that the government will be able to stop all murders.
Minority Reportgives its action hero a real backstory and some emotional pain. John is in distress because his son’s kidnapping ended his marriage to Lara (Kathryn Morris). It’s clear that he’s in a bad place and that work is the only thing that he can be in control of. The movie follows John as a precog says that he is going to commit murder. John is freaked out and also doesn’t believe this, and he tries his best to hide.
While there are someunderrated 2000s action sci-fi movies,Minority Reporthas always been considered a fan favorite. And this is for many good reasons. Watching John Anderton try to figure out what’s going on is fascinating, and Cruise is as captivating as ever. He truly thrives in a good action movie where the story never lets up for a single second.
How Does Minority Report End?
TheMinority Reportending proves why Tom Cruise is an acclaimed actor. WhileCruise’s stunts are awesome, he can play characters going through emotional experiences as well. At the end of the movie, John and the PreCrime Director, Lamar Burgess (Max von Sydow) go head-to-head. John tells Burgess that he has two choices: murder John and end up in prison or let John live. The last option would stop Precrime from continuing.
Action movies and happy endings might not sound like they go hand in hand. But that’s exactly what the ending ofMinority Reportis. The precogs are able to live happy lives, Precrime ends, and Lara and John get back together. Lara is pregnant, which suggests that they will be able to move on and have a happier future than their past. The ending proves whyMinority Reportis one of thebest movies starring Tom Cruise. It delivers an optimistic conclusion that makes a lot of sense. John knows that Precrime doesn’t really work and that it became ruined and corrupted along the way, and he stands up for himself throughout the whole story.
How Is Minority Report Different From Its Source Material?
TheMinority Reportending is different from Philip K. Dick’s novella, which leans more into its science-fiction elements. In the novella, John has a partner named Lisa and they are going to be sent to a planet besides Earth. John says that the reports he read proved that he was going to murder Kaplan, and that there was no way for him to escape his fate. John explains to Witwer, who is now working in the Precrime unit in John’s position, that Witwer could meet the same destiny. In the movie adaptation, Danny Witwer is a Department of Justice agent played by Colin Farrell.
The novella makes John Anderton a much less likable character. He wants Precrime to survive and thinks that he needs to ensure that it seems like a successful program. He’s harder to root for and understand than Tom Cruise’sMinority Reportmovie character. It’s always interesting when amovie is based on a short story. And in this case, the source material is so different from the film adaptation that they are both compelling and they both stand on their own.
Rather than a straightforward adaptation,Minority Reportmakes a few changes, and they are all for the better. The novella’s conclusion might have seemed a little too corny if brought onto the big screen. Instead,Minority Reportis a great example of amovie with a satisfying and wise endingthat is as memorable as the rest of the plot.
