Minority Report 4K UHD Review

Minor Report doesn’t get everything right about a future 2054. It assumes malls and Radio Shack would still exist. And holographic physical data storage too.

The rest? Minority Report is eerily prescient about the sweeping control of personal data, an American surveillance state, and policing without rights driven by a campaign of promised safety.

Tom Cruise runs through this world, pre-accused of a murder based on a supposedly flawless system meant to keep people safe. Never mind people are miserable. Minority Report suggests its world in ways that allow viewers to make the connections. A key action scene puts Cruise in an entirely automated car assembly plant – no one is even there monitoring the production of futuristic Lexus vehicles. Later, we learn of the many people living in government housing complexes, their jobs certainly taken by a capitalist need for profit above all, and they now live in squalor.

Aside from its sci-fi slant, too much of Minority Report became truth

It’s easy to see how this division of pre-crime came to be. All industry jobs disappeared (even at retail), people became desperate for basic needs, and a government proposed increasing rights violations in the interest of keeping people safe from those doing anything to survive. That those in charge – and of the profits – of the pre-crime live lavish, King-like lives is the perfect touch. Then came a vision of social media data harvesting to produce ads that personally call to anyone in their billboard’s vicinity. Aside from its sci-fi slant, too much of Minority Report became truth.

At its core a story about a man reconciling his grief, Minority Report served as an immediate post-9/11 warning about state suppression and surveillance. The police, although cast as protectors, use grotesque door-to-door tactics on the hunt for future criminals, invading spaces as protesters shout as to how they scare everyone rather than keep them safe. That police see this as normal is terrifying. Minority Report wasn’t only warning of cameras and broken law, but of an eventuality of lawless policing that today, as this is being written, feels eerily prescient and far, far too close to reality.

There’s a lot of spectacle in Minority Report. It’s easy to disengage and enjoy Cruise being Cruise, and watch the downfall of obvious corruption. The “one man versus the system” ideology is inspirational, if just as fantastical as the technology itself. Minority Report looks beautiful as it tells an alarming story, filled with warnings that like writer Phillip K. Dick’s original story that went unnoticed, whether by ignorance or denial.

The intense imagery that’s a hallmark of Minority Report translates beautifully to 4K. With the high-contrast in play, Dolby Vision punches up the brightness and emboldens already intense depth. Peaks have an intensity that isn’t excessive, but elevated compared to the Blu-ray. Black levels have heft as well, preserving the intent.

Cinematography employs an intentional haze to the imagery. This doesn’t dilute anything in regards to definition. Detail has outstanding presence behind a varying, often heavy grain structure. Minority Report’s grit is easily managed by the encode, even as it spikes. Behind that, texture is spectacular. While this isn’t a mammoth upgrade in terms of resolution (the Blu-ray already looked great), Minority Report does make gains thanks to a more spacious encode. Some dips in resolution due to the early 2000s digital composites aside (more apparent here than before), this is flawless.

The hefty blue color graded tint is preserved, dense and even vibrant, whether the palette is restricted or not. There’s a richness to the strict palette, and in-between the aggressive contrast, it’s lifted further. Moments of color expansion include rich flesh tones and primaries, where possible via the source.

Sadly not given a Dolby Atmos remix, the DTS-HD 5.1 mix returns from the Blu-ray. Thankfully, that was a reference disc then and it’s still a monstrous reference disc now. Bass is heavy, deep, and tight, producing a potent rumble. It’s varied, whether the throbbing engines of a ship that rattle a room or a concussion gunshot that delivers precise pop with each round.

Marvelous surround use captures the echo in the pre-cog chamber, music swelling outward, or the precision of the action. Minority Report doesn’t skimp on surround use. There’s a constant wall of sound whenever possible, activity high across the front soundstage as much as the rears. There isn’t a missed opportunity anywhere in the mix. Accuracy in audible motion – no matter the direction – is perfect. Jetpacks and vehicles make incredible motions through the soundstage.

Extras here are lengthy, informative, and on the Blu-ray, the same bonuses as before. The first set of five featurettes are pulled from the DVD edition, about 70-minutes or so worth of content not including trailers and the like. Discussions on the story (and how it was adapted) make up section one, the world of the film is in Deconstructing Minority Report, stunts continue on into a third portion, the visual effects of ILM make up number four, and small variety of features (mostly promos) make up section five.

A 34-minute interview with Spielberg features the director discussing his project with enthusiasm back in 2002. Inside the World of Precrime is a 10-minute look at the commercials used in the film, along with pre-production stuff tossed in with it. Phillip K. Dick, Steven Spielberg, and Minority Report brings in Dick’s daughter for her thoughts, along with the crew.

The disc rounds off with a series of shorter featurettes, including one on the props, another on the advertisements utilized, the science of it all, some raw footage from the set, and pre-vis. The only thing missing is a commentary, but it’s a Spielberg film.

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 54 full resolution uncompressed 4K screen shots grabbed directly from the UHD: