Minority Report

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Without question, John Williams is the blockbuster composer of the world. Just fresh of the commercial world phenomenon of Harry Potter, and Spielberg's own A.I. Artificial Intelligence, there comes another Steven S. project running from the dark clouds of its futuristic setting namely Minority Report. The movie is one of those few outstanding thrillers that catches you with a script full of intelligence and a pace at times unimaginable to give you 2 hours and more of sensational entertainment. Of course speaking of Spielberg there is always one man certain that you will see him again and that is indeed John Williams, scoring the now already 18th classic film and film score to be released upon us. However if A.I. Artificial Intelligence was remembered highly even with its dark setting of sound, there is Minority Report that can't quite put the listener on edge even if it contains high charged pace action cues. And I know exactly why! Of late many more people have seen the kill of an extreme lengthy soundtrack because if the score is nothing sensational to begin with, it is hard to grasp on the score at hand. And Minority Report is exactly that, too many dead moments arise from the background that occasionally makes contact and the score itself doesn't carry either a theme you will whistle at the end nor a sensational listening experience itself. Basically Minority Report is just an average to solid score due to its occasional brilliance, but it could have been a far better listener on those occasions if they simply tossed the really dead moments out and gave it a length of 40 to maximum 50 minutes.

Still, people will like the long length but a person carrying 400 to more scores in his or her possession knows that he or she wants the time to make the score worth it, and after all those good and obvious bad ones, you know the listening experience is beginning to be the most important asset of the score. And here is where Minority Report lacks a serious twist if you compare it to either The Lost World or A.I. Artificial Intelligence, two of the scores it resembles the most. Those scores had moments that made the score feel alive and that is lacking more in Minority Report because only tracks make you feel interested when hearing them. One that categorizes itself with that is the opener, 'Minority Report' which feels like a compilation piece with its dark percussion and dissonant flutes out of The Lost World when in the second period, a rather soft soothing sound is heard. Still, most of the tracks are rather forgettable and carry just at the moments things that will intrigue you or better pick up your attention. 'Pre-Crime to the Rescue' covers in the begin the short racing theme to signify another pre-crime foretelling along with a suspenseful sound that builds and the somewhat only theme of the score is backed up by piano a la A.I. in 'Sean and Lara'. While effective and a nice little theme that grows on you, the effect of it is rather forgotten after listening to the score. Including in this track is soft choral flashes, equally showing us A.I. in its effect. Yet what is basically a dark, dissonant at times and background score is equally a riveting piece that punctuates brass and pace into two highly charged action tracks, and this time not including an electric guitar. 'Everybody Runs!' grows and gives us vocalist Deborah Dietrich appearing for another time while the big 6 minute 'Anderton's Great Escape' begins directly with furious brass and has 2 begin minutes that listen furiously and a heroic end side. Easily these two tracks are worth the attention.

Yet what else picks up the attention if only brief are the next tracks, including the first really good sign of vocalist Deborah Dietrich in 'The Greenhouse Effect', the rather comical string work in the begin of 'Eye-Dentiscan' and at the end of it, the tribal percussion straight out of Attack of the Clones. Sean's piano theme in appropriately 'Sean's Theme' and 'Psychic Truth and Finale' that covers a better orchestral moment when the finale is reached with dashes of hope but equally the more developing conclusive strings that uncover the revealing of the truth after several minutes. And of course more of the same of the first minute in 'A New Beginning' but basically all this culminates in perhaps 30 minutes of solid good score. Take 10 to 15 minutes more of that and you have ample stuff to make the best listening experience. Yet 73 minutes is way too much and hurts both the listening experience with its sometimes boring score and equally the chance of me listening to it again in full. This is such a score that if I want to listen to, will pick out just tracks, making a release of 73 minutes already stupid to begin with. Minority Report is solid stuff, works very well in the movie itself but when will people realize that not everything needs to be heard when it isn't interesting to begin with. A normal soundtrack listener can cope with perhaps 10 to 20 minutes of solid underscore, but if that score is doubled and expanded, then you start to bore yourself which isn't good. There are dark score examples that work because first they carry good material, even at the length. But don't make the experience drag if you yourself feel it is too much to begin with. Minority Report loses because of this its appeal to listen to it frequently and in full.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Minority Report (6.29)

2. "Can You See?" (2.12)

3. Pre-Crime To The Rescue (5.48)

4. Sean And Lara (4.46)

5. Spyders (4.33)

6. The Greenhouse Effect (5.09)

7. Eye-Dentiscan (4.48)

8. Everybody Runs! (3.10)

9. Sean's Theme (1.57)

10. Anderton's Great Escape (6.47)

11. Dr. Eddie And Miss Van Eych (3.08)

12. Visions Of Anne Lively (3.27)

13. Leo Crow ... The Confrontation (5.55)

14. "Sean" By Agatha (4.59)

15. Psychic Truth And Finale (7.10)

16. A New Beginning (3.29)

Total Length: 73.58

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=== Link to Composer Site: John Williams ===