[Reiner]

Uh, surely a movie which will cause a divided opinion like "The Matrix" (personally one of my fav movies).
Long anticipated movie by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Cruise and .... yeah, who else actually?
All the other actors were pretty unknown to me, except Max von Sydow though I actually had to look it up in IMDB.

Anyhow, this is a Sci-Fi movie and along the line of the above mentioned "The Matrix", i.e. you need to pay attention to understand what's going on. Thus it's not non-stop action as you might expect after seing the trailer but rather a thriller. I quite liked it however but must say the picture was extremely grainy and hazy.
I am aware that the pic should have a silverish / chrome-coloured look to it but I hope this wasn't intended and will not be on the future DVD release like that. To be honest it did just look terrible.

Most interesting and perhaps funny is how Spielberg imagines the future, from animated cereal boxes to individual ads via retina scan and the obvious (too obvious) product placements.

Lot's of SFX and CGI had been used as you would expect with a movie like that but the good new is most have been exectuted quite well. Not perfect but better than other movies recently.

So I guess if you liked "The Matrix" then this one is for you, else you probably won't enjoy it.
And of course unless you are a girl and like Tom Cruise ...

* * * * out of 5

Reiner,
I'm not a girl and I like Tom Cruise. I also like Speilberg. Cruise came of age in Magnolia where he finally proved he could act. Vanilla Sky IMO was another Cruise milestone. Frankly speaking, between them, I wasn't expecting a bad movie.
Speilberg has produced murky, grainy looking images in several of his productions. Notably Saving Private Ryan. SPR had an almsot sepia feel which was an attempt to give the movie an aged look thus making the viewer travel back in time and therefore making the whole experience more real.
A.I and now Minority Report, are both set in the uncertain, future. My view is that Speilbergs vision of the future is much like everyone else, unclear and blurred. Hence the excessive almost surreal looking grainy filmstock used. This opens in London on Friday and I don't fancy waiting around for the DVD.
I'll probably get a shock watching a movie without my pronto-pro at the ready but never mind, I've a feeling it may be worth it.

Regards
Eric

[Reiner]

I'm not a girl and I like Tom Cruise.

Couldn't you just say you liked "The Matrix" instead?

Understand what you are saying but IMHO the PQ was lousy, sometimes the actors dissappeared in some kind of "haze".
Perhaps it was the local print used?

I have noticed that quite a few movies are subjected to color filters: brown/yellowish in "Last Man Standing", blu(e)ish in "Payback", greenish in "The Matrix" and now silverish.
If it really was Spielberg's intention to grain or blurr the picture then he did a pretty good job at annoying me.

Interesting that the picture was grainy....

Lex reported on the "A.I. opinions" thread about Newsnight's theory that Spielberg makes films in pairs, which would mean A.I. would be paired with Minority Report. Remember how A.I. was kinda grainy too?

Sounds like I'll like this, which I didn't think I would. I loved the Matrix

Originally posted by Squirrel God
I loved the Matrix

At the risk of being struck down for disagreeing with a god, a few words on Matrix.

For: Carrie-Ann Moss in black leather, decent story line, Carrie Ann Moss, decent special effects (for 1999), Carrie Ann Moss.

Against: Keanu Reeves. Reeves cartwheels in the Lobby scene were nearly as gross as his acting. The film became 'out-dated' very quickly. A sure sign of a poor movie.

Eric

Originally posted by uncle eric

At the risk of being struck down for disagreeing with a god, a few words on Matrix.

For: Carrie-Ann Moss in black leather, decent story line, Carrie Ann Moss, decent special effects (for 1999), Carrie Ann Moss.

Against: Keanu Reeves. Reeves cartwheels in the Lobby scene were nearly as gross as his acting. The film became 'out-dated' very quickly. A sure sign of a poor movie.

Eric

I tend to disagree with you as i'm a fan of Mister Reeves i thought he was rather sexy

And Squirrel if you liked the Matrix and if you like games you'd love Max Payne

[Ian J]

I thought that I would get the next post in to stop either chip or rrrrrrjr from getting too close to Delphi.

I can't think of anything useful to say but many others manage that most of the time

[Mr.D]

Originally posted by uncle eric

At the risk of being struck down for disagreeing with a god, a few words on Matrix.

For: Carrie-Ann Moss in black leather, decent story line, Carrie Ann Moss, decent special effects (for 1999), Carrie Ann Moss.

Against: Keanu Reeves. Reeves cartwheels in the Lobby scene were nearly as gross as his acting. The film became 'out-dated' very quickly. A sure sign of a poor movie.

Eric

Well it doesn't strike me as particularly dated and its still the best example of cyberpunk film. OK it nicks all its ideas from william gibson and philip k. dick but thats not exactly a bad thing. I'd still rate it as the best sci-fi movie of the 90s. Some fairly big themes in there being evoked very subtly as well as lots of crazy gunfight! : be interesting to see if mr. speilberg manages to avoid having big signposts reiterate what the films about every 2 mins.

As for the VFX its still one of the best: take a look at morpheus running through the sprinkler drenched room and pay attention to the bullet time drops all over the place ... superb. Very few duff shots in that movie ( apart from the last one!)

Keith,
Did you work on that movie or is that an un-biased opinion

Eric

[Bert Coules]

OK... (The Matrix) nicks all its ideas from William Gibson and Philip K Dick ...

Actually, the core concept goes back way further than that. It appears, almost exactly as in the movie, in an early Green Lantern comic from the mid-fifties.

Bert
http://www.bertcoules.co.uk

[squid]

i do think that the film did have quite a fifties feel to it . it could have been a lot better if the matrix was set in that sort of era rather than the 90s . it may have aged a lot better if it was .

if they had made the artificial world more like in the film "dark city " i think it could have worked better . the way the fake world was set now just made it a little dull if you ask me . it was ok but could have been better .

i hope the second makes up for it


realy looking forward to seeing MR though

Originally posted by squid
it may have aged a lot better if it was .

Hi Simon,
Absolutely. In my installs, this was the thinking for doing murals along the lines of timeless classics like Batman.

Regards
Eric

[squid]

and very nice they are too from what i have seen

[Rachael Bitchlist]

I can't say I liked anything about MINORITY REPORT. I hated the washed out colour and grainy film. I got enough of that in AI. Everything portrayed about the future seems rather unlikely. The real villan was obvious to me. I hated the last ten minutes. When the bad guy was dead, the film drug on even farther candy wrapping the results for us, ugh!

I liked the Matrix and got a mild kick out of AI. I'm indifferent towards Tom Cruise. MINORITY REPORT gets my vote as a Dum-Butt Film Classic. I'd rather sit through BATTLEFIELD EARTH again than see MR a second time....

[kevb]

Originally posted by Rachael Bitchlist
I can't say I liked anything about MINORITY REPORT. I hated the washed out colour and grainy film. I got enough of that in AI. Everything portrayed about the future seems rather unlikely. The real villan was obvious to me. I hated the last ten minutes. When the bad guy was dead, the film drug on even farther candy wrapping the results for us, ugh!

I liked the Matrix and got a mild kick out of AI. I'm indifferent towards Tom Cruise. MINORITY REPORT gets my vote as a Dum-Butt Film Classic. I'd rather sit through BATTLEFIELD EARTH again than see MR a second time....

Thank you (insult removed by Jase). There are people here who would like to see the film and find out the ending for themselves'..

The Film has not been released in the UK yet.

[Bert Coules]

Thank you (insult removed by Jase). There are people here who would like to see the film and find out the ending for themselves'...

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but what exactly does the post you're complaining about reveal? That the bad guy dies? That's hardly giving away the ending.

Now if you'd taken exception to the use of "drug" as the past tense of "to drag" I would have agreed with you wholeheartedly...

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

[kevb]

Bad Guys nearly always die but I would like to find that out for myself.

When I see the film which, I have been given tickets to see for my birthday. I will be waiting all the way through the film for it to happen. I have been waiting to see this film for sometime because I like it’s premise not because of who is staring in it or who directed it.

Some people go out of their way to avoid spoilers or mark that their posts contain them.

I think that just to make a point that someone did not enjoy a film they have to give away major plot details is selfish and thoughtless.

If that’s wrong I am sorry.

[Bert Coules]

I think that just to make a point that someone did not enjoy a film they have to give away major plot details is selfish and thoughtless.

If that’s wrong I am sorry.

It's not wrong; I agree with you. Where we differ is in our definitions of "major plot details". "The bad guy dies" is so general, I can't see that it spoils anything. It's a bit like being told that "good triumphs over evil." This is mainstream Hollywood we're talking about: of course good triumphs over evil...

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

[kevb]

As I said in my previous post. Bad Guys nearly always die but I would like to find that out for myself.

Also I hated the last ten minutes. When the bad guy was dead, the film drug on even farther If thats not giving something Away.

You were right about this statement. Now if you'd taken exception to the use of "drug" as the past tense of "to drag" I would have agreed with you wholeheartedly... It is terrible.

[Rachael Bitchlist]

Originally posted by kevb


Thank you (insult removed by Jase). There are people here who would like to see the film and find out the ending for themselves'..

The Film has not been released in the UK yet.

I haven't told you anything that will detract from your viewing. All I told you is that the film has a villian. You'll see.

[Mr.D]

Well it does preclude the option of there being a twist ending where the bad guy wins but then again as the title of this thread indicates its about a film thats just newly released which someone wants to talk about so maybe if someone is bothered about knowing the plot its wise not to read this thread in the first place ...no?

I'm still peed off they never acknowledged that the Truman Show borrows heavily from "time out of joint" by philip K dick also.

The other thing that people miss the point on about bringing Dick's work to the screen is... its mostly quite funny.

BladeRunner , Total Recall , Screamers, The Imposter (not seen), Minority Report... any of them strike you as as works of the deliberately absurd ?
Thought not.

Interested in seeing what they do with A Scanner Darkly though : Dick seems hot in hollywood right now.

Uncle Elric no I didn't work on the Matrix although I know a few who did and I know ESC are hiring for the sequels but missus wants me to stay put in London (tried her on Weta and she would have none of it but ILM still looms : boring place to work though... and star wars sucks)

Looks like I'm stuck with the james bonds and harry potters: maybe they will cross over : Harry Potter: The man with the golden broomstick.

Originally posted by Mr.D
Uncle Eric no I didn't work on the Matrix although I know a few who did and I know ESC are hiring for the sequels but missus wants me to stay put in London (tried her on Weta and she would have none of it but ILM still looms : boring place to work though... and star wars sucks)

Looks like I'm stuck with the james bonds and harry potters: maybe they will cross over : Harry Potter: The man with the golden broomstick.

Keith,
From what Gordon tells me its not boring at all, I believe he was fasinated. I'm still waiting for my invite so I can make up my own mind and buy you a pint of course, grovel grovel.
As for Harry Potter, could you not misplace the entire sequel. Pretend you lost it or something.

Regards
Eric

The first 3/4s are very impressive but the last 1/4 turns in to the usual drivel,which I have come to expect from this director.Would like too off seen maybe James Cameron direct this it needed a harder,darker edge.(thats cameron before T2)

[BadAss]

Got to agree. Why oh why does Spielberg still feel the need to put in all this mushy mushy sentimentality into these types of films? They appeal to a certain audience who wants to be entertained not have to deal with this sort of emotional rubbish. I wouldnt mind if it was done well, (A.I was) but its looked like it was stuck on at the end so he could still show himself as a thought provoking film maker. Over the years he's become more interested in his own fulfillment as a film maker and not that of an audience pleaser. All his films now look like theyve come off a production line, made as cheap and quickly as possible.

Well im not a big Spielberg fan-as you know-but I thought this was a brilliant film.

I read the review in the Daily Mail before I went to see it-and the review was spot on..gave it 5 stars and just said genius.

I enjoyed this film more than L.O.T.R.,
Doug

[gringottsdirect]

I would have preferred it if instead of Steven Spielberg it was Stanley Kubrick.

Originally posted by gringottsdirect
I would have preferred it if instead of Steven Spielberg it was Stanley Kubrick.

love this guy. grinninggot you are climbing up the charts of my faverite members list very fast

[raigraphixs]

Hi,

Saw MR (UK) last night. I went with big expectations, as always!!, as the media really build up some films.

I loved the first 30 mins of the film, the rest of the film, it slowed down too much, the chase of john, started well too quickly, a few more murders getting stopped would of been better.

The grain was off putting, it was like it was made about 20 years ago, there no need for it, i dont think people would of loved or hated it any different, if it was clean and sharp and colourful.

'Total recall' , that works brillantly, and is even more enjoyable than MR, me thinks. MR went onto too much of a detective/murder mystery, good guy, bad guy, and that part was not original enough to hold my attention, a good ideai lost.

Loved the spiders sequence!!!

7/10

all the best

rai

Saw the movie last night. I thought it was great. Different league to Total Recal

[kevb]

I saw it today and thought it was very good.

There are a few good twists and turns. Some nice ideas and concepts for 2054. I liked the look of the film(haze/fog) subdued colours. It's not going to be to everybodys taste but I thought it fitted the setting and story just fine.

It's not going to win any awards but it fulfills its promises as a popcorn flick with a slightly better story than usual. Even my wife didn't keep checking the time to see when it would end.

Crusie is good(Usually I wouldn't go out of my way to see a film with him in) as are the rest of the cast.

It is in no way like Total Recall and should not be compared to it. They are two totally different films. One was directed by Paul Verhoven and the other by Steven Spielberg for a start as different as chalk and cheese.

If you don't like Steven Spielberg films don't go any see it and you won't have to complain.

It would have been better still without Rachels Comments. Sorry Rachel but I was waiting for it to Happen.