Parents' Guide to

Minority Report

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Violent sci-fi detective movie isn't for the faint of heart.

Movie PG-13 2002 146 minutes
Minority Report Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Elmo9607
Elmo9607 Adult
March 20, 2009
age 15+

Fine for teenagers, a fun ride into the future!!

I really enjoyed this movie, however, I have seen it multiple times and still cannot stand to watch the eyeball operation! Beware: if you are squeamish about vomit, there is a highly visible scene where the character vomits during a fight. Overall it is quite entertaining and the special effects are amazing!
1 person found this helpful.
Vohaul
Vohaul Adult
March 19, 2021
age 13+

Creative dystopian film

I love dystopian and this film is great. It has some strong language, violence, and sexual scenes. There are some graphic moments as well. However, there is nothing to get it above the given PG-13 rating. I'll be sure and read the book. I've read Do Androids Dream twice. There are some references to drug addiction. The movie has numerous plugs: Aquafina, Lexus, the Gap among others.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

50 years from now, in Washington, D.C., detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) heads up an experimental "pre-crime" program that wires the brains of genetically altered "precogs" (short for "precognition") to computers that display their glimpses of the future. Anderton monitors the images to identify and catch murderers before they kill. There's no way to know if everyone who's arrested under this program would have become a killer, but since the program began there hasn't been a single murder in Washington. Anderton only feels alive when he's stopping a crime. At home, he's a lonely soul devastated by the probable murder of his son and a failed marriage, numbing himself with drugs and old home movies. The only thing he's able to feel is the satisfaction of sparing others from the agonizing pain that he's suffered. And then the precogs' identify Anderton himself as the next killer. He has to run -- and as he's running, he has to figure out how you prove that you're not going to commit murder.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (42):

The movie is visually stunning, with brilliantly staged action sequences and vividly realized characters. As with Blade Runner, also based on a story by Philip K. Dick, this is a very traditional noir-ish detective plot set in an ominous future where the apparent ease created by technology has overtaken human individuality. How much privacy and justice would you be willing to give up to bring the murder rate down to zero? Anderton finds that it's less than he thought.

The most striking scene in the movie is Alderton's meeting with the scientist who created the precogs (a brilliant performance by Lois Smith), who never anticipated the direction her experiment would take. Like Norse god Odin, Anderton must give up his eyes to find wisdom; it's only when he literally looks through someone else's eyes that he can understand what he's seeing. Colin Farrell is mesmerizing as Anderton's rival, and Max von Sydow brings great depth to his role as Anderton's boss.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about private vs. public good. Is it worth violating the rights of some innocent people in order to prevent violent attacks? How would Anderton answer that question at the beginning of the movie, and how would he answer it at the end? What about the rights of the precogs? Is it fair to ask them to give up any kind of normal life if it will prevent people from being killed? Families can also discuss Anderton's inability to come to terms with the loss of his son. How do people go on after devastating losses? Also, what do you think daily life will be like half a century from now.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate