Minority Report - General Discussion

[Lisin]

Media discussion here! 

[Lisin]

Discuss the cast here!

[Lisin]

Anticipation goes here!

[formerlyfreedom]

Official trailer

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fLl-DMzxrk

[FurryFury]

Used to want to watch it before the trailer was out, but it was so bad. Plus, I'm hearing a lot of criticism about the female lead (and her acting in the trailer's scenes sure didn't fill me with confidence). That said, I do love the the subject matter, so I'll still check out the pilot, but I don't have many hopes. I suppose Psycho Pass will remain my favorite story on the topic of pre-determined crimes (I strongly urge you to watch it, if you're into anime, it's awesome).

[seamusk]

I had a more positive reaction to that trailer than Furry did, but its tricks subject matter to do well so we'll see of course. I had no idea this was happening so it's a pleasant surprise. And thanks for tip on Psycho Pass, gonna check that out.

[FurryFury]

You should! Season 2 is written by another writer, so it's not nearly as great, but season 1 should be a must-watch for any cyberpunk fan, I think. It's quite dark, however, so if gore and some adult themes may trigger you, you should probably stay away.

I think it's on Netflix, but I'm not sure, I'm not in the US so I don't use these services.

[seamusk]

Yeah, Season 1 is on Netflix in the US it looks like. Thanks.

[Trini]

It looks interesting and I will probably check out the first few episodes; but Fox has a lousy record when it comes to sci-fi. (Still mourning Almost Human.)

[Miss Dee]

Well shit. I love the movie, and based on that I'm definitely checking out the show. Hopefully they'll know what they're doing.

[Chaos Theory]

Just so I can go to my bookie with the correct info: What is the over/under that "FOX in the Henhouse" will either cancel or put the episodes out of order? I am thinking midseason? Third episode? Once they realize it is science fiction? Any wagers?

 

For me this is going on my DVR until the season ends so if I do like it I will not be disappointed when Fox Cancels it five episodes in.  

Edited June 30, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[formerlyfreedom]

This is...interesting?

 

http://tvline.com/2015/06/30/minority-report-cast-nick-zano-precog-twin-arthur/

[Scarlett45]

I am currently in the panel at Comic Con, this could be really interesting. I'm looking forward!

[Trini]

Just so I can go to my bookie with the correct info: What is the over/under that "FOX in the Henhouse" will either cancel or put the episodes out of order? I am thinking midseason? Third episode? Once they realize it is science fiction? Any wagers?

 

For me this is going on my DVR until the season ends so if I do like it I will not be disappointed when Fox Cancels it five episodes in.  

 

Heh. I figure they know they have a reputation, so at least half the episodes will air before cancellation. Screwing up the episode order, now that's harder to predict.

[LeighAnne]

The fantastic people at Flicks and the City recorded the Minority Report panel at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1vIguRyO8w

 

[BetterButter]

Pirates Nab ‘Minority Report,’ ‘Lucifer,’ ‘Blindspot,’ ‘Carmichael Show’ Pilots Ahead of TV Debuts

[ribboninthesky1]

I've seen the leaked pilot, and I'm in.   It got off to a rocky start (Valderrama might be the weak link based on his line readings), but the chemistry between Good and Sands improved things for me a lot.  It's interesting, I didn't buy Good as a cop in Deception, but it works for me within the context of this show. I'm sure some of the logic in this show will be shaky, so it'll be the Good/Sands interaction that carries this for me during those times.      

Edited August 13, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[Happy Harpy]

I watched the pilot with no expectations, and it fell completely flat for me. Beta main characters aren't my thing, and I found no plot and worse, no character compelling enough. The one I liked better was the female cop, but she's nowhere near a Connie McDowell or an Abigail Mills imo. OTOH, some other characters really annoyed me. For me, the sci-fi elements were akwardly added (strange make-up = fashion of the future cliché etc.) and they didn't feel organic, just like a choice of style for a procedural -not that there's anything wrong with procedurals.

I'll pass. But since the movie was successful, I think the show has a chance to work (Edit: and by this I mean a chance for more people to sample it and like it).

Edited August 16, 2015 by Happy Harpy

[Crim]

I watched the leaked pilot too, and Psycho Pass this ain't. The sci-fi elements were a mixed bag, as some showed promise by virtue of just being damn fun. I don't think of humans as alpha or beta, so that wasn't an issue for me. Actually, I'm not sure what turned me off. Maybe it's simply that I am very rarely interested in procedurals. I think Elementary was the only one that grabbed me from the pilot, and that was due to the characterization and acting which promised something. This pilot was just bland. So bland. And that's part of the issue: with this potentially incendiary premise, being bland means you suck. If there was any indication that the show has something to say about the social, ethical, political issues that it could tackle, beyond rehashing the stuff from the movie, I missed it.

 

But one never knows. After all, Person of Interest was bland too, and it ended up being one of my favorite shows... after it stopped being a procedural (though just having my favorite character might have been enough). So I'll give MR some time in case it wants to draw in the procedural audience before it goes somewhere interesting.

 

(Valderrama might be the weak link based on his line readings, but the chemistry between Good and Sands improved things for me a lot.

I didn't like Sands much. It's not that his acting was weak; I just didn't find his character someone I am interested in watching again. And I found the interactions very predictable. This is a procedural through and through, so it tied everything up neatly in the pilot to get the pieces in position for all the following formulaic episodes. It just about killed my interest right there.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Crim

[Crim]

Photos and info on the pilot: http://www.screenspy.com/articles/tv/photos/minority-report-gallery-1x01-pilot/

[formerlyfreedom]

Ten years after the end of Pre-Crime in Washington D.C., one of the three Pre-Cogs struggles to lead a normal life, but remains haunted by visions of the future.

 

 

[David T. Cole]

It's not good! We talk about it a little bit in EHG 87.

[seamusk]

Seems like a good time to move the pilot posts to the pilot thread that is there now. I haven't watched the pilot. I watched the movie last night to re-orient myself. I forgot just how great it is. I know the tv show will make lots of changes to the universe (some for budget reasons and some because it takes place a little later in time), but i'm generally ok with that. Different mediums and budgets require different approaches. Still, I hope this is good. Either way i've got the dvr set up for it.

[Primetimer]

Steven Spielberg's 2002 movie about 'precogs' who foresee crimes is now a TV series. Should someone have tried to stop it before it started?

Read the story

[TeeVee329]

his brother Arthur is Nick Zano, ex of One Big Happy, 2 Broke Girls, and The CW's 90210.

 

I was gonna say that Zano is actually late of The CW's "Melrose Place", but a spin by Wikipedia informed me he was also on "90210".

 

Oh Nick...

[Mars477]

I haven't seen the pilot, but did the showrunners forget that PreCrime was supposed to be a bad thing?

[Trini]

Sorry, Fox. I'm still hurting after you took delicious Michael Ealy off my screen.

[Free]

I haven't seen the pilot, but did the showrunners forget that PreCrime was supposed to be a bad thing?

 

They don't care, so long as they can use that as their procedural/crime of the week for each episode.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I haven't seen the pilot, but did the showrunners forget that PreCrime was supposed to be a bad thing?

I watched a few minutes of the pilot. Did not find it engaging, and procedurals mostly are not my thing. But the concept isn't that wrong-headed, IMHO.

 

The problems with PreCrime in the movie:

 

1) The PreCogs were treated as subhuman slaves

2) PreCog evidence preempted due process (there was no arguing with it)

3) PreCog predictions could be manipulated.

 

Dash is acting of his own free will, so 1's not a problem. He doesn't have any special extra-legal role. AFAIK he just tries to help catch criminals the old fashioned way, just before the actual murder, so 2)'s not a problem. I expect that 3) will be the source of a few plot wrinkles. 

 

The movie showed Agatha able to predict some future events out of the tank, walking around, so it's not too much of a stretch to say Dash could do it too.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[Free]

The movie showed Agatha able to predict some future events out of the tank, walking around, so it's not too much of a stretch to say Dash could do it too.

 

I think Agatha is supposed to be stronger too, so the show will probably make it more of a struggle to have Dash and Arthur working together to solve the cases of the week.

[Enero]

I didn't think it was awful. There were moments when I was intrigued and moments when I was bored. Needless to say it didn't blow me away. But I'm still willing to give it a few more episodes to see if they settle into a rythym that's for the most part engaging.

I do like all of the characters. The leads aren't Behrie and Mison, but they do okay. I think if/ when they settle into their roles the characters and actors will mesh more. Speaking of which, Dash at times was a little dull. The character is meant to be deadpan and awkward due to his strange and isolated upbringing, but the actor struggles to pull it off. Tonight he seemed to do better with the scenes that required a little more emotion.

I enjoyed MR the movie. So I'm enjoying the premise of the show. I just hope they can make it work better in the upcoming episodes.

[TrininisaScorp]

We left this on after Gotham with no intention of watching, but we gave it a go. With zero expectations, we enjoyed it! Loved the look & feel. I think Megan Goode was really good & I liked Dash. We'll watch again next week.

[ReclinerTurnip]

At least now DC sports fans can be comfortable with the notion that the Nationals will win the 2054 World Series and they will resolve that pesky issue of a certain controversial NFL team name by converting it to the Washington Redclouds - uh yeah, "Go Clouds". That is what I mutter at the overcast weekend skies. According to various documentaries, professional football won't exist in 50 years due to the brain injury issue. Despite that, how does putting Native American symbology on a freakin' cloud and keeping the derogatory "red" reference seem a likely PC future outcome??

[sluggish neko]

The special effects were nice and... that's about all the nice things I can say. Wow, the dialogue was clunky. Stark Sands appeared to be on Ambien and Meagan Good was... boobalicious. I had some hope that Dash and Arthur would be identical twins and that Arthur would turn out to be eeeeevil so that Stark Sands can have some fun playing both parts, but that hope was dashed (pun not intended) when Arthur made an appearance and he was played by Zano.

 

I can't take Wilmer Valderrama seriously. He'll always be Fez from that '70s Show for me. I laughed after all his lines even though there was no punchline. Though that amused me, I won't be sticking with this series.

[TV Anonymous]

I can't take Wilmer Valderrama seriously. He'll always be Fez from that '70s Show for me. I laughed after all his lines even though there was no punchline. Though that amused me, I won't be sticking with this series.

 

Worse yet, for our family he will always be Handy Manny.

 

I am not sure I like the premise. Now that precrimes are deemed as something bad - either in the movie or here in the series as evidenced by the hospital - the series is going to revisit it and use it again? Are we going to revisit the idea that someone can be arrested and prosecuted for something he / she is going to do without substantiated evidence?

 

As well, I am a bit weary about FOX sci-fi. It can go two ways, the way of Fringe or the way of Almost Human. So far I do not see the brilliance of Fringe, yet. 

[Free]

I had some hope that Dash and Arthur would be identical twins and that Arthur would turn out to be eeeeevil so that Stark Sands can have some fun playing both parts, but that hope was dashed (pun not intended) when Arthur made an appearance and he was played by Zano.

 

Seeing how the leaked pilot turned out, I can see why they brought Arthur along and added his scenes into this episode.

[Chrissytd]

I missed a chunk of it so I'll to rewatch. I've never seen the movie so some things are probably fizzy to me but it was enjoyable. Love the scenery.

I can't take Wilmer Valderrama seriously. He'll always be Fez from that '70s Show for me. I laughed after all his lines even though there was no punchline. Though that amused me, I won't be sticking with this series.

That's how I felt. Whenever he talks, all I hear is Fez. I guess that's just how he speaks.

[Free]

I am not sure I like the premise. Now that precrimes are deemed as something bad - either in the movie or here in the series as evidenced by the hospital - the series is going to revisit it and use it again? Are we going to revisit the idea that someone can be arrested and prosecuted for something he / she is going to do without substantiated evidence?

 

It was changed to accomodate the procedural use of precrime for this series.

[thuganomics85]

It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I really couldn't compare this.  Instead, I felt like I was watching a weird hybrid of Person of Interest and Almost Human.  The future aspects and technology really reminded me of the latter (plus, airing on Fox), and the whole "stopping crime before it happens", is right in the POI wheelhouse.  Only with more "visions" and less Michael Emerson, which isn't a good thing.

 

Overall, I was bored with it at first, but I did think it picked up at the end.  Haven't really warmed up to any of the characters or actors, but hopefully they'll improve.  Meagan Good sure did look, well, good.  I would be all for every episode having a gratuitous jogging scene.

 

And, yeah: anytime Wilmer Valderrama showed up, it just made me go "What the hell are you doing here, Fez?"

 

Not sure I'm wild about the big arc being Agatha and Arthur think Dash is somehow going to get them captured again.  Just isn't grabbing me.

 

Some of the future references were fun: of course, The Simpsons would still be kicking around.  I just wonder if they had to recast the voice actors, or has technology improved to the point of finding ways to preserve the original cast.  I want answers!

[Amethyst]

As someone who had low hopes, I enjoyed it.  The visuals were great for a supposed 2065.  But the dialogue leaves much to be desired, and Meagan Good needs to work on her delivery.  I feel bad for comparing her to Nicole Beharie, but...she ain't Nicole.  Stark Sands was good on Generation Kill, so I think he'll be OK here.  The scenes in Vega's apartment were the best and most natural imo, and the Simpsons gag was great. 

 

I actually think the show did a good job with showing the flaws of PreCrime once we saw the sanitarium were all the former criminals lived.  Like the film, they wanted to make it looked like everything was fine and the potential murderers were just put away and living in a dreamless state, but the containment destroyed their brains, so they couldn't function in normal society, even with PreCrime over.

 

Nice that the guy who played Wally in the film is playing the same role.  Looks pretty much the same.  Didn't he have a thing for Agatha?

 

What I didn't like: the arc about the suicidal guy seems pretty dumb, and I hate what they're doing with Agatha and Arthur.  It doesn't help that the woman playing Agatha is so bland.  And weren't Art and Dash identical twins?  Either way, that stuff had me reaching for the remote.

 

It needs work, but I think there's potential.  I'll tune in again next week.

[Amelie06]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one laughing at Wilmer. I can't take him seriously at all. He's a good looking guy, but all I can think of when I see him is Fez and his penchant for dating extremely young women. Lindsay Lohan was never right after dating him.

 

I liked this show. It wasn't perfect. There were some obviously awkward parts that need smoothing out. The info dump about Megan Goode's family was not great. She didn't seem like the type to just start spewing her life story to some rando psychic. I wish the director hadn't sexed her up quite so much. I mean, no one was wondering if she was fat or ugly. But the skintight pants and low-cut shirts seemed a bit unprofessional. But I get it, she's a badmamajama!

 

Stark Sands is a good actor, but he needs more to do. His social awkwardness sometimes made him seem like he had cognitive limitations. It made me concerned that someone needed to watch out for him. Make sure he was eating enough and had tied his shoes.

 

I laughed after Dash pushed Pigeon Man to his death and Megan looked over to see that she had killed Pigeon Daughter. They massacred that family in about 40 seconds. I do like that they both looked upset about killing. They did what they had to do in defense, but I like that they weren't just like "fuck yeah, let's go get a milkshake!"

 

Nick Zano was actually a welcome addition. I can't believe I just typed that. I've never liked that guy in anything. He usually makes me roll my eyes so hard that onlookers have been concerned I was passing out. But. But, he was good in this. He has finally tapped his potential. For some reason, he just looks like a total douchebag to me all the time. Now that he's playing a douche, I feel like I can finally appreciate his performance. He was wonderfully smarmy as Arthur. He did managed to seem older and more worldly than Dash (who is almost certainly a virgin). I just don't get why the other two precogs managed to be fully functional people and Dash is kind of a sad, scared weirdo.

 

I'm not sure who is meant to be the love interest to our sexy detective lady, I just hope it isn't Fez. It's clearly being set up that they once had a thing, but that needs to stay in the past. Off screen.

 

I loved the Washington Redclouds. It made no damn sense as someone else already perfectly explained, but I appreciated that they changed the name. Right now, most Washington fans will shout down anyone who even brings up changing the name. I'm willing to work with an evolution on the name. Maybe after another 50 years it will be no Native American symbols and just called the Washington Clouds. People will glue cotton balls to their clothes to represent clouds.

[Free]

I just don't get why the other two precogs managed to be fully functional people and Dash is kind of a sad, scared weirdo.

 

Agatha, I think it's because of her experiences after the film.  As for Dash, it seems like he's been more sheltered when compared to the other too and Arthur has probably been out more, that's more based on assumption on what I've seen so far.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Free

[Driad]

 

I laughed near the end when the woman cop was wearing a low-cut top and a jacket fastened at the neck, leaving just her cleavage exposed.  Reminded me of female Klingons on Star Trek: Original Series, whose uniforms had an opening generally referred to as "Insert Dagger Here."

[Irritable]

I enjoyed it enough to watch again.  I loved the movie, and remember being disappointed that it ended before I could see more of the triplets living together on their own.  I enjoy the futuristic elements. like the super trains that can change cars while moving.  I do wish they hadn't shortened Daschel's name to Dash, because I think Daschel is one of the best names ever.

 

I feel bad for comparing her to Nicole Beharie, but...she ain't Nicole.

 

 

 

I couldn't help making the comparison, either.  The actress is fine, but It feels like someone at the top said this show needed an Abby Mills character, because everyone loves Abby Mills.  I suppose I shouldn't complain, since at least she wasn't modeled after an awful character, but some more originality here would have been nice.

[VCRTracking]

I liked the movie and was pleasantly surprised by the pilot. It was a natural extension from the ending of that film. There were nice callbacks like the use of the "sonic shotgun" and the little rolling balls that turn into insect drones. Also I checked and "Wally" the caretaker from the movie is the same actor playing him here so that was neat. The biggest surprise was Dash's twin turning out to be a selfish jerk using his powers for personal gain. And that he looks like Brad Pitt. Fez was distracting but I like the show enough to overlook it. Yeah Meagan Goode's wardrobe was already pretty damn hot, they went overboard in the third act and the denouement!

Edited September 22, 2015 by VCRTracking

[cynic]

... 

I couldn't help making the comparison, either.  The actress is fine, but It feels like someone at the top said this show needed an Abby Mills character, because everyone loves Abby Mills.  I suppose I shouldn't complain, since at least she wasn't modeled after an awful character, but some more originality here would have been nice.

 

 

...

I do like all of the characters. The leads aren't Behrie and Mison, but they do okay. I think if/ when they settle into their roles the characters and actors will mesh more. Speaking of which, Dash at times was a little dull. The character is meant to be deadpan and awkward due to his strange and isolated upbringing, but the actor struggles to pull it off. Tonight he seemed to do better with the scenes that required a little more emotion.

...

Oh yeah, these two definitely are not Beharie and Mison, but this show struck me as wanting to be SH so much that I actually posted my first thoughts over there. I guess I'll put them here too:

I just watched the Minority Report premiere. It was....well, let's just say it was no Sleepy Hollow. The striking thing though was you could tell it really really wanted to be Sleepy Hollow, at least in terms of the main partnership. There's the obvious racial aspect, but also Goode plays a no-nonsense cop who's very good at her job and Sands plays a man with important knowledge who is unfamiliar with the world that he finds himself in (since he spent a decade isolated in PreCrime). He helps her solve the crimes while she helps him navigate these new circumstances. There were also a lot of attempts at snark and banter that sadly fell flat for the most part. I suppose I could compare it to other buddy cop shows, but the similarities in circumstance, the fact that this is a genre procedural on FOX, and the optics just lends itself to a SH comparison. Meagan Goode's character even dresses like Abbie with her tee shirts and leather jacket, except everything is tighter and lower cut. And with Abbie's season 3 haircut, they have very similar hair. Rounding out the similarities, Goode even has a Hispanic colleague that she apparently used to have a thing with who already has managed to be more annoying than Luke.

Which brings me to why I'm posting in this thread. I read a review that mentioned that one of the reasons for the colleague's inclusion is that the showrunners have no intention of pairing up the main duo romantically. Huh, well that sounds familiar. Funny how both these shows somehow manage to escape the will they/won't they trope. It's like they have something in common!

 

Anyway, besides the SH comparison, I thought the episode was very shaky. I usually like Stark Sands and I actually think he will be fine once he settles in, but I'm concerned about Meagan Goode. She needs to get better fast. The supporting cast seemed fine, except for Valderama who they should jettison as soon as possible. I'd also like them to ease up on the futuristic touches. Less is more sometimes. I'm willing to give the show a chance though. I'm curious about the visions the other twins are having about them being recaptured. I love a good government conspiracy. 

Edited September 22, 2015 by cynic

[sjohnson]

Sorry, Fox. I'm still hurting after you took delicious Michael Ealy off my screen.

Yes, Ealy is the more attractive Almost Human character.

As well, I am a bit weary about FOX sci-fi. It can go two ways, the way of Fringe or the way of Almost Human. So far I do not see the brilliance of Fringe, yet. 

Personally I wasn't blinded by the brilliance of Fringe, which I couldn't even go back to for the finale. But I did see some of the same disdain for the police setting that Almost Human had. The actress playing the female lead was very appealing, but the show didn't let her seem like a real cop, not even a real cop of the future. (By the way, crime show and procedural are not really synonyms. Procedurals are actually interested in verisimilitude of procedures, and this show isn't.) 

 

It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I really couldn't compare this.  Instead, I felt like I was watching a weird hybrid of Person of Interest and Almost Human.  The future aspects and technology really reminded me of the latter (plus, airing on Fox), and the whole "stopping crime before it happens", is right in the POI wheelhouse. 

 

 

Well, The Blacklist and Blindspot also have the stopping crimes before they happen aspect, plus almost every crime show does the stopping a crime story multiple times. On reflection this is astounding, considering that in real life you're amazingly lucky if the police get there during the commission of a crime, much less before. But I agree that the Almost Human feel is really, really strong. I couldn't keep watching Almost Human, so personally I think I'll learn the lesson and quit while I haven't lost too much time.

[jcin617]

I enjoyed it well enough, which is about all I was hoping for from this.   But it does have "early cancellation" written all over it.  Both the premise and Fox's notorious track record for sci-fi series.   I thought in the movie that Arthur and Daschel were identical twins - at least, that was my recollection from the end of the movie.   

[Mecca]

I just don't get why the other two precogs managed to be fully functional people and Dash is kind of a sad, scared weirdo.

 

My guess is seeing people get murdered all the time can either turn you into a socially ackward weirdo or so jaded by humanity that you question why we need saving in the first place.  I wish the show had went more towards the latter.  Dash is a little too doe eyed for someone who has seen countless crimes.  I think the main role of the twins should have been reversed making the jerky brother a reluctant hero who kind of begrudgingly helps people.

 

I'll give this show a couple of episodes, but so far, I'm not seeing anything worthy of keeping me tuning in. 

[formerlyfreedom]

Dash and Vega team up again to find a killer who is currently down on love. Meanwhile, Dash continues to reach out to his siblings for help.