But the Pre-Cogs’ latest pre-vision finds Anderton himself tagged as a murderer. The victim is someone he’s never heard of, and yet, over the next 36 hours, he will be inexplicably drawn into a series of events that will conclude with Anderton shooting and killing him (or so sayeth the Pre-Cogs) . On the run from his own teammates and believing he has been set up, Anderton visits the inventor of Pre-Crime, Iris Heniman (Lois Smith, in a wonderfully catty performance), to seek answers to his baffling conundrum. One of the film’s most interesting paradoxes lies within the belief that Anderton knows his future, so he has the power to change it - to “choose”. But he finds himself immersed in discovering his own fate, and kidnaps the most talented Pre-Cog, named Agatha (Samantha Morton), to access whatever information stored inside her that will be helpful in clearing his name.

“Minority Report” is full of fascinating ideas and ethical questions about justice and destiny, and the screenplay by Scott Frank and Jon Cohen (based on a short story by Philip K. Dick) is smart and highly involved. However, Steven Spielberg, unquestionably one of the greatest directors the film medium has ever known, is the hero of “Minority Report”. Not only is this his most robust and entertaining effort since “Jurassic Park” nearly a decade ago, the film is also visionary in the way all great genre films are. The movie is dazzling to behold, with not one (not one) Industrial Light and Magic visual effect that is not in service of the story. The futuristic backdrop is not superfluous or distracting, but instead, a seamless extension of the engaging plotline. Several scenes are brilliant in the most memorable of ways. There are retina-scanning mechanical spiders that Anderton evades by submerging himself in ice water, a sequence that Spielberg shoots with a birds-eye view of an apartment complex. A spectacularly weird operating scene with Peter Stormare is bathed in grunge and grime, almost to a comical extent (I loved it). A rousing chase scene involves jetpacks and, later, the most inventive futuristic guns I’ve seen in quite awhile. The containment center at the Precrime building, with Tim Blake Nelson as the warden, is a gorgeous and haunting sight, with ordered rows of prisoners incapacitated in storage capsules. Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography features a white, florescent quality in certain scenes, while others are muted and grey. Suffice to say, the movie looks amazing.

Cruise makes for a convincing and compelling John Anderton, and his supporting cast is more than up-to-par. Screen veteran Max von Sydow does an exemplary job as Burgess, Anderton’s friend and mentor. Samantha Morton (“Sweet and Lowdown”), with a shaven head, is the film’s most emotionally-resonant character. The performance of note comes from Colin Farrell, the Irish-born star of “Hart’s War” and “Tigerland”, who invests Danny Witwer with charm, smarm and cunning wit. This kid’s gonna be a star - mark my words. In minor roles as Precrime officers, Steve Harris (Jad) and Neal McDonough (Fletcher) are likable additions to the cast. As I mentioned before, “Minority Report” has problems, and one is the direction of the whodunit plot, which contains a few loopholes in logic. Another is portions of Anderton’s back-story, which don’t ring as true as they should. And then there’s the issue of the running length, which is too long.

And yet, I feel guilty for not awarding the film my highest rating, because in so many ways, it’s a real achievement. Instead, I’m giving it the same rating as “Star Wars: Episode II” - but don’t be deceived. That was a bubblegum serial. This is mature and stimulating sci-fi, and Spielberg’s vision seems fleshed-out to a fuller extent than in “A.I.” (which was a mixed bag, hampered by a prolonged and mawkish conclusion, but spellbinding just the same). “Minority Report” does not quite replicate the full-bodied adventure and wildly cinematic experience of Spielberg’s finest blockbusters, like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jaws”. It’s a colder and more distant work. However, it’s still a work of art - one that is rich with invention and ideas, and blessed with a glorious vision, the likes of which I haven’t seen in years.