Factual error: The time period of the movie is 2054. There is an election day (April 22nd) that is on a billboard and then announced as a Tuesday. However, April 22nd, 2054 is actually on a Wednesday.
Minority Report (2002)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Neal McDonough, Samantha Morton, Steve Harris
Tom Cruise's boss set everything up to prevent the system falling apart. Colin Farrell realizes this but the boss shoots him. Tom Cruise is locked up, but eventually is released by his wife and they put two & two together. Apparently, the boss really abducted his son, because he knew that if he did, Tom would join and further the alliance out of grief to uncover the truth. There is a big banquet going on for the alliance and Tom makes it so he takes the boss aside and the whole assembly and everyone in the building hears the truth from the boss's mouth by an undercover camera. The boss pulls out a gun and we think he will shoot Tom but instead shoots himself. Now that everyone know the truth the whole operation is shut down. Tom Cruise and his ex wife get back together and we find that she will have another baby. The three pre-cogs go to live in a cottage in seclusion so they can finally be in peace.
More mistakes in Minority Report
Iris Hineman: If the unintended consequences of a series of genetic mistakes and science gone haywire can be called 'invention', then yes, I invented Precrime. (00:57:50)
Trivia: The flames in the fire at the end of the film when the camera pans out of the cottage are in the shape of AI, Speilberg's previous film!
Question: There's a quote that I don't understand: "The fact that you prevented it from happening doesn't change the fact that it was going to happen." I immediately thought, "Yes, it does change the fact that it was going to happen." If Witwer hadn't put his hand there, it would have happened. However, he did, thus "changing the fact that it was going to happen," right? Isn't this the point of the whole movie: determinism is foolish and that different actions produce different consequences?
Answer: The statement involves the idea of arresting people who did not commit the crime yet but are going to. Until the precogs tell someone to change things, the idea is that it will happen. If Anderton had rolled the ball and the other guy was not watching, it was going to fall. The only way to change it would have been for Anderton to say something. Things will happen unless the future is changed. Ultimately the idea is proven sketchy at the end at best.
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Answer: No, he didn't change the fact that it was going to happen. He prevented it from happening. But until he stopped it, it was going to happen. And no matter how many times you look back at that sequence, it was going to happen. Up until a point, it was going to happen. It was just prevented.
Garlonuss ★