Philip K. Dick's The Minority Report

The Minority Report, by author Phillip Dick, is a short story of the science fiction genre. The tale was adapted to film by director Steven Spielberg, and exhibits numerous changes to Dick’s basic narrative. Spielberg’s film leans more toward a radical translation because it maintains the fundamental integrity of Phillip Dick’s short story, yet reveals numerous changes to the central narrative and visual texture.
Both short story and film versions of the work depict protagonist John Anderton as department head of Precrime, a law enforcement organization that uses “precogs” to observe the occurrence of crimes before they happen. Suspecting conspiracy, Anderton finds himself facing murder charges at the hand of his own organization, and attempts
He goes to great lengths to present a plausible future reality. The film is grounded in this future reality or “science future” as opposed to science fiction (Balfour). The tension throughout the movie is between safety and freedom, a timely topic in 2002 that could allude to the events of 9/11 (Urie). Not to mention the whole plot of the movie centers around the notion that this Precog system is infallible. Only then can it be seen as reasonable grounds for arrest. Philip K. Dick did not go through this much depth and detail in his short story. The film adds a reality to that which is even seemingly impossible because it is filmable, and the genre of science fiction indulges in this possibility because of what is left indeterminate in print (Balfour Minority Report). Details of world-building are seemingly unimportant in the short story, so they are absent. The film however incorporated an assortment of diverse components to Dick’s basic story format. For example, the characters of Howard and Sarah Marks, a couple in the midst of marital strife, are not found in the literature version of the story (Minority Report). The short story does not include the kidnapping of Anderton’s young son, Sean, yet this feature figures prominently into the movie’s plot as Anderton’s motivation to joining and supporting Precrime (Minority Report). Furthermore, the murder of Ann Lively represents yet another pivotal
And, the presence of a futuristic element helps to make this true. For example, Anderton wards off his Precrime attackers in several scenes, one of which shows jet propelled police officers flying through the air as they fight (Minority Report). Throughout the film, Steven Spielberg employs flashy special effects to provide a visual excitement for his work that most literature is frequently unable to offer. Phillip Dick on the other hand rendered his action scenes in a manner that is blander in comparison, “Protesting and astonished, he was hustled outside the house to a waiting limousine. Instantly three heavily armed men closed in behind him. The door slammed and the car shot off down the highway, away from the city. Impassive and remote, the faces around him jogged with the motion of the speeding vehicle as open filed, dark and somber, swept past” (Dick 7). By using Tom Cruise as the leading character in his film, Steven Spielberg made a vast departure from the John Anderton persona found in the short story. Cruise is noted as much for his physique and his ability to portray larger-than-life characters in action-adventure movies (Balfour). Yet Phillip Dick described his protagonist quite differently, “the first thought Anderton had when he saw the young man was: I’m getting bald. Bald and fat and old” (Dick 1). The literary version of the story