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Note: Film Forum will be posting on Wednesday next week rather than Thursday for the holiday. I'm curious—What's the best movie about American history you've seen? Send me your recommendations on good rentals for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

You probably know the premise of this week's box office champ—Minority Report—by now. Film Forum posted early reviews of the film last week. Suffice to say: Tom Cruise plays a cop who heads a prototype crime initiative in the year 2054 that uses psychic helpers to catch murderers before they commit crimes. But when he sees himself holding the gun in a projected murder scenario, he goes on the run, dodging his own team, to figure out if he has been framed, or if he is indeed a murderer. It's an action-packed sci-fi extravaganza, and the box office shows that Steven Spielberg still has the magic touch.

This week, religious press critics offered a wide array of responses to Spielberg's intense, sci-fi murder mystery, mostly positive. (My own review is at Looking Closer.)

Paul Bicking (Preview) complains that the movie includes "violent crimes … gruesome scenes [involving] a medical procedure … crude and vulgar terms." He concludes, "Minority Report doesn't get a majority vote."

But a quick scan through other religious press reviews shows that the majority is quite impressed indeed. A critic at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says, "Spielberg's direction is masterful. The narrative … presents issues of societal good at the cost of personal freedom, and the value of human life. The movie is also topical in questioning how far government should be allowed to go to protect its citizens from potential criminals, a front and center issue for Americans today." This reviewer also underlines the film's "spiritual flourishes." Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) agrees, calling it "a thoroughly entertaining thrill ride of a movie [that] provides much food for thought, especially along the lines of balancing the concept of predestination with that of free will."

Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says it's a "captivating, entertaining and unusual movie. I found myself wanting more when the credits rolled." She adds, "You'll be in the minority if you don't like this one!" (Ouch.)

Michael Karounos (Christian Spotlight) concludes, "While containing the inevitable Spielberg sentimentality, the film's conclusion argues for forgiveness over revenge, for mercy over justice, and for free will over determinism without being lugubrious. Literally and metaphorically, the film makes the argument that new eyes make for a new perspective … a clever polemic which will both entertain and provoke the viewer to think about metaphysical, philosophical, and political issues which have been and always will be important to our culture and to our faith."

Providing a sort of study guide, Dick Staub (Culture Watch) highlights points for post-viewing discussion: "There are numerous direct references to God and religion … but the real theological/philosophical grist is imbedded in discourses about concepts like foreknowledge, free will, and the essential fallenness and self-interests of humans."

Ted Baehr (Movieguide) says it has "a moral point of view" but he is critical of "problematic, adult moments." He concludes, "Older viewers might find this movie worth seeing more than once … [for] Spielberg's brilliant cinematic vision … and Tom Cruise's excellent performance, not to mention their fabulous supporting cast."

Phil Boatwright (The Movie Reporter) has one small gripe: "A hopeful, feel-good ending, which I normally support, seemed false and unsatisfying in a film that otherwise could be considered a masterpiece. Everything else works. The acting, the look, the effects, which are there to support the story rather than become it, and Steven Spielberg's direction, arguably the greatest film visionary in movie history."

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June (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46