Portrayals of John Anderton Essay -- Minority Report Movies Entertainm

Portrayals of John Anderton Imagine a world in which the thought of murder is a thing of the past; a world that has successfully abolished the system of jails and fines with the aid of gifted individuals that can predict the future (Dick 72). Such a crime free world exists in Philip K. Dick’s famous short story, The Minority Report. Using the adaptation made by screenwriters, Scott Frank and Jon Cohen, DreamWorks was able to release the film version of Dick’s short story in 2002. Furthermore, this futuristic age film was directed by the famous director, Stephen Spielberg. The main focus of the short story and film surrounds the lead character John Anderton and his efforts to understand the minority report. In comparing the portrayal of John Anderton’s physical characteristics and the conspiracy surrounding him in the short story and film, one can clearly state that the character of John Anderton has been well adapted onto the big screen, even far more developed, than in the short story. The plot of the short story takes place in the future, in which three gifted individuals known as â€Å"precogs† or â€Å"precognitives† can view the future and prevent an act of murder from taking place. The precogs’ prediction allows a specially trained group of agents from the Precrime unit, a policing organization, to apprehend the future criminal, effectively stopping the criminal act (Landrith). In the short story the founder and the commissioner of the Precrime unit, John Anderton, experiences the other end of the spectrum as a criminal when he is suddenly accused of a future murder. He is allegedly going to kill an individual by the name of Leopold Kaplan, the General of the Army of the Federated Westbloc Alliance, an aboli... ...of John Anderton is well portrayed in Dick’s short story and in the 2002 movie version, the character seems to be far more developed in the movie than in the short story. Through his physical characteristics and the conspiracy that surrounds the character, the movie was able to bring forth a character that is appealing to the audience and engaging to watch on the big screens. In this writers’ opinion, Spielberg, Frank and Cohen made the right choice to portray John Anderton in such a heroic manner. Works Cited Dick, Philip. The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick. New York, NY: Citadel Press Book, 1987: 71-102. Landrith, James. â€Å"The Minority Report: In Print and On Screen†. American Military University HM 214, Science Fiction and Fantasy. 12 April 2004. 24 Oct. 2004. .