Analysis of the opening two minutes of Minority Report

Minority Report

Released in 2002 Minority Report is a Sci-fi thriller directed by Stephen Spielberg, and starring Tom Cruise. The film see’s Tom play a main role as John Anderton who is part of a team of Precrime police officers. As they try and solve a case false information is give from a source and John becomes the suspect, the film see’s John try and prove his innocence.

In the opening sequence of Minority Report we see what looks to be a distorted flashback of a brutal murder, as a woman and a man are brutally killed, then man being stabbed in the back with scissors, and then the woman stabbed with the scissors repeatedly. The setting then goes back to the present ( the year 2054 ) and we see one of the ‘precogs’ which are three mutated humans that can see into the future. We then see John Anderton walk through the police headquarters. The audience are automatically introduced to a couple kissing, so are positioned to like them from the start making them the protagonists. The audience are positioned to like John as he is made out to be a superior character of high power through the way he is smartly dressed, and greeted by a black character as he walks through the office. The opening sequence reveals that the film is definitely set in the future, through the use of superimpose telling us that the film is taking place in the year 2054, but the set itself also looks futuristic, with alot of glass in the building, and high key lighting mainly.

A close up of the couple kissing is used as an establishing shot, showing their affection for each other, which then fades into a close up of a pair of scissors, which as we later see proves to be the murder weapon of the antagonist. A two shot is used showing the woman being stabbed, which then leads to numerous quick cuts of her husband, somebody drowning in a bath, and finally to a close up of her eye, this merges into the eye of a precog, seamlessly taking the audience to the present and the setting for the film. The rhythm of the editing through the opening sequence changes throughout, with some parts using temporal ellipsis, for instance as the murdered is walking up the stairs, and some scenes using temporal extension, such as when the man is stabbed in the back as he trys to get away. The non-diegetic music within the opening murder sequence has a dark and murky sound to it, created by mostly string instruments and some drums, the tempo shows parallel sound as it changes in order to match the action on screen. The volume crescendo’s as the murderer is walking up the stairs creating tension and suspense for the audience. The diegetic sound of the scissors being used to stab the woman is amplified to add intensity to the scene, other diegetic sounds such as splashing as someone is being drowned are also amplified for the same effect.

The opening sequence to Minority Report clearly sets out the tone and setting of the film, but does so without giving away a huge amount of the plot, but gives enough for the audience to feel the atmosphere intended to be created, and get an insight of what the film is about.

Jake Stout