‘Minority Report’ Episode One Review

Minority Report Meagan Good and Stark Sands Photo
Megan Good as Det. Lara Vega and Stark Sands as Dash in ‘Minority Report’ (Photo by Bruce MacCauley © 2015 FOX Broadcasting)

Prior to watching episode one of Fox’s Minority Report, I watched the original 2002 Tom Cruise sci-fi film that inspired the new series. That refresher was probably not necessary given the amount of exposition throughout the series premiere airing on September 21, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT. It was helpful to have the film fresh in mind before tuning in to check out the TV show, but not having done so won’t leave you feeling completely lost.

For those who are familiar with Minority Report directed by Steven Spielberg (who serves as an executive producer on this series), expect to see effects that are similar yet updated from the movie. There’s a lot of swiping in the air going on as crime scenes are investigated using infrared technology, which is visually similar to the technology featured in the film. The new show also has updated versions of the feature film’s spiders, face-altering drugs, and even a supporting character who was integral to the Precrime program in the film shows up in this TV series sequel.

In brief, the series is set 10 years after the Precrime program that Tom Cruise’s character worked for was abolished, and the three precogs were set free from their milk bath to live out their lives without being hooked up to machines. In 2065 the Precrime program hasn’t been revived, but at least one of the precogs – Dash, played by Stark Sands – feels the need to use his special gift to stop murders, working outside the system and without the government’s knowledge.

His gift is incomplete without his twin brother, Arthur (played by Nick Zano), who sees the actual names of the victims, whereas Dash sees locations, flashes of numbers, and how the murders will be committed. Arthur is now using his gift to obtain success in the corporate world while their older sister, Agatha (played by Laura Regan), continues to live her life in seclusion and remains cut off from the outside world.

Dash is the audience’s entry into this precog world and seems to be a decent guy who lacks understanding of the real world but knows enough to be fearful of law enforcement and government agencies. Dash is compelled to do good, to continue to help innocent victims, and doing so leads him to place his trust in Lara Vega (Meagan Good), a detective who wants to use his talents to stop murders and promises to keep his identity a secret. The pilot episode also introduces Wilmer Valderrama as Detective Will Blake, an ambitious go-getter who has a history with Lara Vega.

Unlike Minority Report the movie, Minority Report the series allows the lead character to fail occasionally. Dash is like a fish out of water without a verbal filter, and it’s interesting to watch him discover the world around him as if he’s an alien plopped in the middle of Times Square with only a rudimentary knowledge of humans and how they interact.

Sands and Good have decent chemistry, but hopefully, this partnership won’t lead to a romantic relationship. That’s too easy and too cliched. It would also make Dash’s assimilation into this strange world come too quickly, and part of the appeal of the pilot was watching Sands as Dash work through how he’s supposed to react in new situations.

Dash starts off lost and frustrated, and Sands plays that confused and lonely aspect of the character realistically. As Dash’s confidence rises, Sands is allowed to display more of an emotional involvement and attachment to this post-Precrime world. Good is equally believable as a detective who is willing to color outside the lines in order to keep her city safe.

Minority Report‘s pilot episode was fast-paced with first-rate effects, thrilling action scenes, and an intriguing story that provides an introduction to the characters and the show. The writers have smartly infused the series with the same moral dilemmas brought up in the 2002 film, and the setup should provide plenty of opportunities to address the issues raised by having a precog helping to stop future crimes. Given the glut of police shows, Fox will have to play up the sci-fi angle of Minority Report in order to give this one-hour series a chance to find its audience and survive the first season.

GRADE: B

More on Minority Report:
Wilmer Valderrama and Laura Regan Interview
Stark Sands and Meagan Good Interview
Max Borenstein, Kevin Falls, and Darryl Frank Interview