I'm having flashbacks to Fahrenheit 451 when I see the previews for Minority Report: the hunter becomes the hunted, an older, wiser mentor. I can't see the movie until Sunday so let me know what you think. Spielburg is still my first dream choice for F-451.

Well, I just saw Minority Report and loved it. I was right and wrong in my speculation.

Tom Cruise is the hunter who becomes the hunted (policeman not fireman). The future is covered with incessant interactive advertising that knows his name and that of others much like in F-451. Cruise can interact with film(holograms, etc.) much like Mildred did with her big screens in 451. The characters use tiny phones(but not as small as the seashell devices). There are even mechanical spiders who hunt the hunted (smaller versions of the mechanical hound?) Another funny coincidence is the flying policeman, much like in the original movie version of F-451 only this time it is much more refined and believable.

I was wrong about the older, wiser mentor that I thought was Faber. I was just guessing from the previews. The ending even had me thinking of 451, but I won't give it away.

Spielburg is the man for the re-make of 451. It would be the ultimate literary thriller and a challenge he can't ignor.

I am dying for a remake of Farenheit 451. I have read that Ray liked the one done (in Europe?), but I found it slow-paced and culturally irrelevant. I would love to see an updated version that plays up the philosophical ideas AND the action better. I'd also like to see Montag's wife's anxiety and "nothing" life portrayed in some detail, so I feel like I can sense her angst. I also want the spirit of the dialog preserved, so we don't get a watered-down version of the arguments between Montag, Beatty and Faber. I hope the casting on Clarisse is perfect, also; since she is the catalyst for Montag.

The story has several scenes that would contribute to a great action element to the film (if done well): The burning of the old lady in the house, the burning of Beatty, the chase by the dog, the media coverage of the chase, etc. There are also scenes where suspense could really be built up.

This is not some theoretical, namby-pamby story. There is room for action, suspense and drama. But I don't want it to get away form the fact that the book is about the power of ideas to the human condition.

I'm hoping for something really good and true to the book -- while recognizing that film and books are two different mediums.

I totally agree.

Wow! No one has ever "totally" agreed with me in my life! I must print this out, and show it to my ex-wife!

I have been wanting to go see Minority Report since seeing the previews. I just bought the Dick collection with the short story in it, though and want to read it, first.

Did you read the story? If so, would you recommend I read the story first, or go see the movie on its own merits, first?

Thanks.

I haven't read the short story yet. Actually, I'm still thinking about Minority Report and the Precogs so I'll wait awhile.

I read that Spielberg hired a "Think Tank" to pad the short story. The whole premise of precrime detection is exciting and troubling.

I just saw this amazing film. It is almost spoiled by a too-cute "tacked on" resolution. If only Speilberg had been brave enough to have the more unconventional ending that the story demanded, this film could have stood alongside classics like BLADE RUNNER and BRAZIL.
MINORITY REPORT does deal intelligently with a provocative premise, though, and there are some truly extraordinary action sequences.
Definitely worth seeing.

I'm very anxious to see the film.

I just finished the story (Philip K. Dick), and really enjoyed it. Since I haven't seen the film yet, I have no idea how "true" it was to the story, but the story has a great premise for an idea and the development is pretty cool, also.

The is an element similar to the one in "The Sound of Thunder" by Bradbury, where an event in the past, intruding from the future, impacts the unfolding of the past to the future. (Not quite the same, and I'm not doing it justice, but it's late and I'm sleepy.)

I also like the idea of there being three Precogs whose vision of the future gets rolled up into one report; but that underneath that report, there are separate reports. In this case, each of the three Precogs base a future vision on slightly different information, with each one being slightly influenced by the others. This results in two reports (the majority report) predicting a murder, but one report (the minority report) not predicting a murder.

This creates an ambiguity and probability to future-telling that is pretty interesting.

Also, the questions of putting the good of the individual against the good of the masses, and the question of when it is okay to lie to "the public" come up in the story.

Enjoyed the story, and am looking forward to the movie.

quote:

Originally posted by crumley:
I just saw this amazing film. It is almost spoiled by a too-cute "tacked on" resolution. If only Speilberg had been brave enough to have the more unconventional ending that the story demanded, this film could have stood alongside classics like BLADE RUNNER and BRAZIL.
MINORITY REPORT does deal intelligently with a provocative premise, though, and there are some truly extraordinary action sequences.
Definitely worth seeing.

The resolution is the only let-down. It had the same feel as the "cutsy" bookpeople announcing what book they were at the end of the movie-version of F-451. I'll have to read the short story now to real the real ending. Otherwise, it's a great movie.

Just a short note. I went and saw the movie tonight (Minority Report), and thought it was very good. I agree the end was a little bit of a "Kodak Moment" for my tastes, and that much of the action, technology and scenery were additions to the story. But, a movie sometimes needs to stretch out a story. You add cool, relevant technologies or social observations, or you can just make it a thin movie.

Sometimes you either like the book/story or the movie; in this case, I really did enjoy them both.