Lacie McElyea 1

Lacie McElyea

Movie Critique

July 2, 2017

Lori White

ED 407 (31497)
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Minority Report Overview

Minority Report is a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and set in the year 2054. Minority

Report is centered on the main character, John Anderton, trying to figure out the reason for his own

crime using the pre-crime software and the human future-predictor named Agatha. Minority Report

is an interesting and complex movie; however, it is best known for the accuracy of its predictions of

emerging technologies. Throughout the movie, many technology tools are showcased that are in

use or in development in todays world. This critique of Minority Report will include an explanation

of the technology prediction process, a description and availability status of four technology tools

presented in the movie, and a personal reaction to the movie.

Process of Predictions

In 1999 Steven Spielberg invited fifteen computer and innovation experts to attend a three-

day think-tank convention to help predict and create a realistic world for the movie Minority

Report. The three-day think-tank convention focused on predicting the architectural, socio-

economical, political, and technological aspects of the world in the year 2054 (Technologies,

2017). To predict what the future held, the individuals participating in the think-tank analyzed

and discussed every aspect of the world in 1999 and formed a futuristic world that is majorly

advanced in every architectural, socio-economical, political, and technological aspect. Some of the

experts that participated in the think-tank convention were Peter Schwartz, Stewart Brand, Peter

Calthrope, Douglas Coupland, Neil Gershenfeld, Shaun Jones, Jaron Lanier, and many more. Steven

Spielberg and the fifteen experts discussed and accurately predicted the use of many emerging

technologies. For example, Steven Spielberg and his fifteen experts predicted the development and

use of spiderbots, retina scanners, 3-D holograms, and e-papers by the year 2054 (Technologies,

2017).

Spiderbots
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Spiderbots in Minority report were silver, very small, and had eight legs. The spiderbots

also have multiple on-board sensors that can sense movement, sound, and objects. In Minority

Report the spiderbots were used to scan peoples retinas to find criminal suspects, and they were

used to relay information about the suspects to the law enforcement (Staff, 2012). The spiderbots

in Minority Report are very advanced; therefore, spiderbots are not easily available to the public.

Spiderbots are, however, being created and used by the U.S. Military for reconnaissance missions.

The U.S. Militarys insect robots are very similar to the spiderbots presented in the Minority Report.

Also, around the year 2012 a group of spiderbots was placed in Mount St. Helens to detect

earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and the earths positioning (Staff, 2012).

Even though spiderbots are not easily available to the public, they could be modified and

effectively used in the field of education. Spiderbots or other robots with artificial intelligence

could be used to grade assignments within the classroom (Staff, 2016). Spiderobots could be

modified to include artificial intelligence that will scan and grade multiple choice tests, fill-in-the-

blank tests, and essay questions. Spiderbots that are able to quickly and effectively grade would

give the students immediate feedback and the teacher more time to teach the curriculum (Staff,

2016). Spiderbots are not, however, the only technology tool presented in Minority Report that

could benefit education.

Retina Scanners

In Minority Report retina scanners are everywhere. They are located on all of the business

doors, subway stations, and advertising billboards; furthermore, they were used to identify crime

suspects and personalize ads. Retina scanners were developed in the 1980s before Minority Report

was created (Fleming Companies, 2014); however, Steven Spielbergs movie predicted major

advancements in retina scanning (Technologies, 2017). Retina scanners map the unique

patterns of the blood vessels and surrounding tissue in a persons eye by shinning a stream of low-

energy light in the eye. Once a high-quality picture of a persons eye is captured, the retina scanner
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memorizes the eye patterns (Fleming Companies, 2014). Retina scanners are very accurate

because no one has the exact same eye patterns, and retina scanners are now used for many high-

security environments. For example, FBI agencies, CIA agencies, NASA, many banks, many prisons,

and many ATM machines now use Retina scanners. Retina scanning is also used to diagnose some

diseases (King, 2013).

Retina scanners are used by many agencies and corporations but could also be effectively

used in the field of education. Retina scanners could be used to increase the safety of children

within a school system. That being said, retina scanners could be placed outside of the school

doors, and each person that wishes to enter the building must have their retina scanned and

approved. Retina scanners could be a lifesaver for many students who attend low-security, high-

crime-rate schools.

3-D Holograms

3-D holograms, on the other hand, are not imperative to student safety but could still

enhance students educational experiences. 3-D holograms are used in Minority Report to virtually

display one of John Andertons memories of his wife and son. The 3-D holograms in Minority Report

allow John Anderton to view his wife and his son from multiple angles (Staff, 2012). Holograms are

created by photographically recoding a light field instead of an image. Laser lights are required to

view holograms, and holograms can be hard to distinguish from the actual object (Holography,

2017). 3-D holographic videos of people are, however, still in the stage of major development. For

example, Nasser Peyghambarian, a member of the University of Arizona and the National Science

Foundation, was still working on making viewing live 3-D holographic videos possible in October of

2015 (OBrien & Walton, 2015).

3-D holographic videos could be a great tool in education. Teachers and other educators

could use 3-D holographic videos to incorporate speakers from any state or country. Teachers

could also use 3-D holographic videos and images to allow students to observe life-size objects that
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cannot be brought on school grounds. For example, a 3-D holographic video and picture can be

used to show students the effect of nuclear weapons and analyze what a nuclear weapon looks like.

Also, students could use 3-D holographic videos and images to present information to the class. 3-D

holograms could engage and interest many students of every age and culture.

E-Papers

The last technology tool that will be analyzed from the movie Minority Report is e-papers.

E-papers are used all throughout the movie Minority Report. E-papers are papers that update

themselves; therefore, when any new news is received, e-papers automatically update. For

example, the e-paper would update if there were a crime or a murder near the person holding the e-

paper. E-papers are not made out of actual paper; they are made out of some type of plastic or

other hard material. Like 3-D holographic videos, e-papers are still under major development.

There are newspapers, magazines, and books that are available on Kindles and iPads, but there is

not an e-paper available that does not require a Kindle, iPad, phone, or computer. The LG Company

in Korea has, however, started producing a plastic e-paper that could soon become available (Staff,

2012).

E-papers would be a great convenience for educational teachers and administrators. If

students and parents were able to carry e-papers home, like the one presented in Minority Report,

the teachers and administrators could constantly, quickly, and easily keep the students and parents

updated. The e-papers can be used to inform students of assignments and parents of school

activities. Last but not least, e-papers would drastically cut down on the amount of paper that

teachers must use to send home school or classroom news.

Personal Reaction

Minority Report allows viewers to see the technological world in a whole new way.

Technology can be very powerful, and new technology is emerging every single day. One of the

most interesting aspects about the movie Minority Report and the technologies associated with the
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movie is that many of the technologies are already emerging. It is excited and scary at the same

time to see many of the technology tools used in Minority Report being developed right now. Last

but certainly not least, Minority Report also showed the frightening fact that technology could, one

day, cause the sense of privacy to be completely lost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Steven Spielberg created an intriguing film in 2002 that predicted a realistic

version of the world in 2054. Steven Spielberg and fifteen computer and innovation experts

created the predictions of the many emerging technologies; furthermore, the technological

predictions left many people in awe because of the amount of accuracy the predictions had. Steven

and the fifteen experts predicted the use of spiderbots and retina scanners that are already in use

today and the use of 3-D holograms and e-papers that are currently being developed. Minority

Report may be a look into what the future, associated with technology, looks like.
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Resources

Fleming Companies. (2014). How Does Retinal Scanning Work? Retrieved from

http://www.fleminc.com/newsblog/5/how-does-retinal-scanning-work

Holography. (2017, June 22). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography

King, R. (2013, July 12). Explainer: Retinal Scan Technology. Retrieved from

http://www.biometricupdate.com/201307/explainer-retinal-scan-

technology

OBrien, M. & Walton, M. (2015, October 26). Like being there: The next generation of

3-D holograms. Retrieved from

https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/nextgenhologra

m.jsp

Staff, T. (2016, March 14). 10 Roles For Artificial Intelligence In Education. Retrieved

from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/10-roles-for-

artificial-intelligence-in-education/

Staff, W. (2012, June 21). How Accurate Were Minority Reports Technology Precogs?

Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2012/06/minority-report-tech/

Technologies in Minority Report. (2017, March 11). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technologies_in_Minority_Report

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2017/01/18/11-Ed-Tech-Trends-

to-Watch-in-2017.aspx?Page=4
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