Analysis of the Minority Report - Movie Review Example

The film "Minority Report" concerns a futuristic dystopia, in which criminal activity is stopped even before it has a chance to even begin. This is made possible by three siblings; two brothers and a sister, who are psychic. These siblings are kept under constant sedation in an antiseptic pool of water. From here, their predictions are fed into the advanced technology of the time, and the Department of Pre-Crime, with Cruise one of its best officers, is able to stop it in its tracks. This is what the audience is presented with at the beginning of the film; the "precogs", as they are called, predict a murder committed by a husband who catches his wife in the act of being unfaithful. Under great protest, the husband is arrested and incarcerated, away from harm. When Cruise's character, John Anderton, begins to question the validity of the Pre-Crime system, he is soon himself targeted as an "enemy of the state", as it were. He notices that the female precog has an extra vision; one that is not registered on the official Pre-Crime system, and begins to investigate. This brings about the events that lead to the conclusion of the film; the founder of Pre-Crime is himself shown as no more than a murderer. After losing everything in the pursuit of this truth, including his eyes, Anderton regains the most important part of his life: his family. This is only possible after he has accepted that his kidnapped son would never return to him. After this devastating realization, Anderton is able to make a new beginning; his wife returns to him, and they have the promise of a new child. The precog siblings are also able to make a new beginning in a sort of paradise setting, secluded from the world that would exploit them. When the corruption of those in power is exposed in the film, those who suffer, namely John Anderton and the precogs, find peace. In this way, the sacrifice of the good results in corruption, while the exposure and punishment of the corrupt means peace and redemption. I. THE ROLE OF POWER AND POLITICS In terms of politics, power is a prominent theme in the film. This manifests itself in a variety of ways. Most obviously, the powers that be in terms of the Pre-Crime Department are corrupt. Secondly, there are underlying elements of social and personal morality that seek to overthrow and expose the corrupt power that rules, as well as often oppress society and also individuals. Thirdly, some authors have suggested an underlying religious theme of suffering and redemption. The most direct manifestation of political power in the film is the founder of Pre-Crime. Like many politicians, he hides the true corruption of his past under a veneer of creating the perfect, crime-free world. In this, he succeeds only for a while. The film appears to suggest, according to Tricia Snell (2007), an underlying social code of morality that continually attempts to restore the good where it has been corrupted. The main power in the film is the Pre-Crime Department. It has however itself been corrupted by means of a murder its founder committed. The representative of morality in the film is John Anderton, who has himself been so damaged by crime that he initially fails to recognize the corruption of the one thing that still provides meaning to his life. After losing his son and wife, Anderton is blind to the faults of his one remaining anchor in life. When this final connection betrays him, Anderton is forced to use his inner sense of morality as a new anchor in a world that has betrayed him on both a personal and professional level. Snell (2007) also mentions the issue of human rights in terms of how the precogs are practically imprisoned and drugged for life in order to serve the well-being of humankind. The rights of the precognitive siblings are sacrificed for the right of society to a crime-free life. In this, Anderton serves as the connection between restoring the rights of the precogs and exposing the corruption of the Pre-Crime Department. According to this type of morality, not even the good of the many is worth the suffering of the few. Anderton restores a morality that extends to all members of society, in which nobody is excluded from a life of happiness and fulfilment. His reward for exposing corruption and restoring the lives of the precogs is then regaining his own life and the happiness that he had lost. At its basis, the underlying meaning of the film in terms of power then lies in the fact that absolute power in society never brings about the utopia that is envisioned by its creators. Pre-Crime was founded in order to make society safer. In many ways, this goal succeeded, but this success is questioned in terms of price. Anderton finds himself persecuted by an agency he had trusted with his life simply because he asked the wrong questions and exposed the wrong scandals. His very life and freedom - the two main rights Pre-Crime professed to restore to society as a whole - are endangered by the corruption he eventually exposes. This initial suffering and ultimate redemption of Anderton and the precogs have led some authors, such as Alex Chung (2004), to suggest a certain religious undercurrent in the film. Indeed, society's faith in Pre-Crime and the precogs resemble something of the fervour displayed by the devoted in religion. The main problem is however that this faith is misplaced, as it is focused upon an institution created by human beings. Pre-Crime in turn places its faith in the precogs, who are also human, and as noted by Chung, subject to error and manipulation. Furthermore, as the film shows, the vision of her mother's murder continues to haunt the female precog, and eventually means the downfall of Pre-Crime. While Chung appears to suggest a Christian theme of suffering and redemption in the film, it appears more viable to view this theme also in the light of power. Political powers have often used religion as a tool to control society. This has been done by both politicians and church leaders. In "Minority Report", Pre-Crime represents both the political and religious power as a tool for the control of society as a whole. Once again, Anderton serves as the symbolic contrast to this: his faith is sincere, and his suffering brings true redemption. II. CHANGE AND TECHNOLOGY Technology and the exchange of information are the building blocks of modern society. In "Minority Report," technology betrays the main character. Even though it happens with consent, society is also largely controlled by technology. This is increasingly the case as technology evolves today. Society is subject to databases and records; each credit card, bank account, drivers license, birth certificate, and all other types of registration is a potential source of control for those in power. Like society, John Anderton is a willing participant in the control over his own life for the sake of a crime-free society. When he tries to extract himself, those in power attempt to eliminate him. The only way in which he can escape detection by means of eye scanning is by having his own eyes removed and replacing them with donor eyes. It is somewhat disconcerting that the technology in the film is not so far removed from reality as the average film audience might think. Indeed, both prediction and display technology are being investigated for implementation in government institutions today. This could have both positive and negative implications for society. Since 9/11, for example, technology has been developed to increase the surveillance scope of the government in the United States in order to curb terrorism. Critics have noted that this has more negative than positive implications in terms of the rights to privacy and freedom. Sharon Weinberger (2007) note that the United States Department of Homeland Security is in the process of developing a technology reminiscent of the precogs in the film. Project Hostile Intent (PHI) is projected to predict whether a person intends to commit a crime by means of a complicated series of surveillance and biometrics devices. Specifically, the technology would analyze facial expressions, gait, blood pressure, pulse and perspiration in order to predict criminal intentions. This could have wide-ranging implications in terms of accuracy and human rights. According to Weinberger, the first trails of the project is planned for 2010, with full implementation by 2012, despite the fact that many are not convinced of its viability. The display technology, where John Anderton uses gloves to manipulate data displayed on a panoramic screen, is developed for use by the military. According to authors such as Jonathan Karp (2005) and Will Knight (2005), the advantage of this technology mainly relates to the volume of data the military is expected to handle on a daily basis. The new technology is projected to help speed up the processes involved in intelligence analysis during military operations. The viability of such technology for use in the military was pioneered by Pamela Barry, who was inspired by the film. Information overload is one of the biggest challenges the military faces today, particularly in the heat of battle. Barry believes that the margin for error can be mitigated by implementing the technology used in the film. Her belief in this potential was sufficient to contact John Underkoffler, the scientist involved in creating the system for the film. With the sponsorship of Raytheon, Inc., the technology is in development and has been presented to various military agencies. In conclusion, "Minority Report" presents the audience with a film that entails both a warning and a sense of hope. The corruption of power in society is balanced with the inner morality of individuals such as Cruise's character. These individuals are far from powerless, being driven by a desire that is almost religious in its fervour. This desire focuses on justice rather than power, and as such provides the world with a counterbalance to corruption. Sources Chung, Alex. (2004). Devine Intervention - Minority Report. Reverse Shot. http://www.reverseshot.com/legacy/spring04/minority.html Karp, Jonathan. (2005, Apr. 12). 'Minority Report' Inspires Technology Aimed at Military. The Wall Street Journal. http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs024/min_report/wall_st_jrnl.htm Knight, Will (2005, Apr. 15). 'Minority Report' interface created for US military. New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article.nsid=dn7271 Snell, Tricia (2007, Feb 6). Movie Analysis: The Minority Report. The Copy Writing Guardian. http://guardianofcopywrite.blogspot.com/2007/02/movie-analysis-minority-report.html Weinberger, Sharon (2007, Aug 13). Homeland Security's Minority Report Ambitions. SecureID News. http://www.secureidnews.com/2008/09/08/homeland-security-developing-minority-report-technologytag=Social_Issues Read More