Minority Report

Work Title: Minority Report
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 2002
Writer(s): Philip K. Dick
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Scott Frank
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Jon Cohen
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: Yes
Summary:

In the year 2054, a so-called "pre-crime division" is working around Washington, DC. Its purpose is to use the precog(nitive) potential of three genetically altered humans to prevent murders. When the three precogs, who only work together, floating connected in a tank of fluid, have a vision, the names of the victim and the perpetrator as well as video imagery of the crime and the exact time it will happen, are given out to the special cops who then try to prevent the crime from happening. But there is a political dilemma: If someone is arrested before he commits a murder, can the person be accused of the murder, which - because of the arrest - never took place? The project of pre-crime, at the time being in a state of trial run, is going to be voted about in the near future. If people accept it, the crime rate is going to drop drastically, but it never will be known if there might not be too many people imprisoned, some or even all of them innocent. After John Anderton lost his son to a crime a six years ago, he took up drugs, and works the precog division like nobody else. One day, his own name arrives in the "perpetrator" chute, and the precogs predict that he will kill a man he never knew in less than 36 hours. John takes off, his trust in the system diminishing rapidly. His own colleagues after him, John follows a very small trace that might hold the key to his innocence, a strange unsolved yet predicted murder and a so-called "minority report", a documentation of one of the rare events in which a precog sees something different than the other two. (copied from IMDB.com)

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

people drive flying cars, technological advances, Washington, DC has not had a murder in 6 years

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Pre-cognitives Psychic Technology 3-D home videos Cyberparlor
  • Description of the technology: The pre-cognitives, also known as "pre-cogs" are three people who possess the extraordinary ability to foresee murders. Anderton uses psychic technology to piece together the images provided by the pre-cogs. He hopes to identify the future perpetrator of the murder, the future victims, and how and where the events will unfold. In one particular seen, Anderton watches a series of home videos he shot of his son and wife. The CyberParlor is a type of fantasy virtual reality palace.
  • Nature of task or activity: The pre-cogs supply future, moving images of murders that will occur because these murders are in the perpetrators' heads. They possess the ability to see a murder as far as four days in advance, but crimes of passion that are not pre-meditated show up last minute. Their visions are a series of disjointed images that are then interpreted by John Anderton (Tom Cruise) and the rest of the Pre-Crime Staff. The psychic technology allows Anderton to manipulate the images, "spread the images" by wearing a pair of gloves and moving the images around on a glass screen. Assuming Anderton is able to correctly piece the images and details together, he and his team then go the location and prevent the future murder from taking place. The 3-D home videos watched by Anderton possess clear sound and are 3-D even though they are holograms. The subjects in the videos are able to walk around in front of the screen. Patrons of the CyberParlor can act out any fantasy, good or bad. For example, one patron is shown surrounded by co-workers who are praising him and he is able to engage with them.
  • Performance of the Technology: The technology generally works well throughout the story. One issue arises when one of the visions from the pre-cogs includes Anderton committing a pre-mediated murder. At this point, Anderton goes on a mission to prove his innocence and in the process, realizes that the pre-cogs' visions were manipulated by the head of Pre-Crime, Lamar Burgess.
  • Description of creator(s): Pre-Crime and all of its technologies (the pre-cogs and the psychic technology) were created by Lamar Burgess.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): To literally put an end to murder in Washington, DC, with the hopes of spreading Pre-Crime to other areas of the United States.
  • Description of users of technology: The pre-cogs are a set of male twins (Dashiell and Arthur) and their female sister (Agatha). They are in their early 20s and are permanently connected to a machine that regulates their bodily functions while they are immersed in water. Chief John Anderton is a top level employee in Pre-Crime. He is a man in his mid 30s whose son was kidnapped while at a public pool. While he battles crime, he is also battling a drug addiction.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: The pre-cogs visions are reproduced on a series of screens above them. Their bodies shake in response to the visions they have and they yell out what the perpetrators and victims will say. Anderton does not have a physical response when using the psychic technology. However, when viewing the 3-D home videos, he engages with the characters as though they are real. Those in the CyberParlor literally appear to suspend their real-world existence and enter their fantasies.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: The pre-cogs are in a sort of vegetative state and are not aware of the outside world. Anderton is very aware of the psychic technology he uses to prevent murders. However, he becomes so immersed in the 3-D home videos of his wife and son that he seems to lose his awareness of the technology. It is unclear if patrons of the CyberParlor are aware of the technology. The seen is fairly short.
  • Valence of experience: The pre-cogs are kept in a drug-induced state so they are essentially indifferent to the experience despite the violent physical responses they have. Anderton appears to view the technology as a necessary part of his work, thus detaching himself from it. However, he very much enjoys the 3-D videos of his wife and son. The patrons at the CyberParlor clearly enjoy their presence experience.
  • Specific responses: N/A
Long-term consequences:

In the end, the Pre-Crime system is found to be corrupt and can be manipulated. While it prevented many murders of the course of the six years it was in existence, Lamar Burgess, the Director, was able to trick the pre-cogs into not seeing a murder he committed. After Anderton is falsely accused on planning to commit a murder, this flaw is discovered. The movie ends with Pre-Crime being disbanded.

Other:

Coder name: Eliza Jacobs
Coder email: eliza.jacobs@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University Philadelpia, PA