Film Review

Film Review
The powerful film is responsible for evoking a wide range of emotion within the audience which, as is often the case, are diametrically opposite. The films Minority Report and the Peeping Tom are no exceptions to this. Critically acclaimed the world over, the films directed by Steven Spielberg and Michael Powell respectively, take the audience through the roller coaster of emotions such as a deep sense of empathy with the characters, or, from a contrary, perspective, a sense of estrangement with the same. I chose to address the questions regarding the use of alternating perspective within the films since I consider it a critical element of presentation of the narrative. The shift from the view of a character as in their individual sense, for instance, when Anderton is wasting away his life, or when Lewis contemplates his victims’ death through his own recordings in Peeping Tom. Subsequently, I opted to evaluate the portrayal of motifs of attraction, owing to the various means by which it is often extenuated in various entertainment media. The effectiveness of the main love narrative at capturing the audience, such as the first time Lewis and Helen started conversing, is intrinsic to the success of the entire film and by extension, speaks to the viewers on a more profound level.
I chose to handle the aspect of marriage in the films as it forms an integral part of the narrative, for instance, in Minority Report, Anderton is desperately holding onto the memory of himself still married.

It is both what exists as a hurdle from him moving on, as well as his ultimate solid rock. In the film, Peeping Tom, the audience feels a considerable distance from the main protagonist, Mark Lewis when they witness him as a serial killer, filming the horrific faces of his victim’s just moments from death. The scenes depicting the killer brutally murdering his victims offer little towards identifying with the viewers. In the film Minority Report, the audience feels emotionally distant from the predominate character, John Anderton. This is owing to the fact that Anderton is depicted as a drug use which is no longer close to his confidant Lara. He seems despondent and stuck in the past, particularly with respect to the disappearance of his son, Sean.
The two films employ different perspectives throughout their progression in order to create the best possible means of relaying the narrative to the viewers. In this regard, both films employ effective perspective alteration techniques, such as being drawn from that of a single individual to a broader view of proceedings. In the Peeping Tom, instances where Lewis interacts with Helen, are made out to focus on their possible happiness, which serves well to contrast with the alarming number of elements which are wrong in the narrative. Through such scenes, the audience is able to appreciate still that Lewis might not be completely lost after all. In the Minority Report, John Anderton’s recollection of his family, prior to his son’s abduction also further the broader perspective scenes of the movie, as opposed to more confined ones which depict Anderton’s struggle to survive. Spielberg’s change of viewpoint is integral to the comprehension of the audience as well as their appreciation of the magnitude of loss Anderton has undergone.
In the film, the director may use several tools in order to bring to attention objects which may be otherwise not closely regarded but are the cornerstone to the narrative. These may comprise of such techniques as zooming in, the alteration of the color scheme of the important object or aspect as opposed to the rest of the picture. In the Peeping Tom, director Powell uses zooming in and out in order to call attention to a specific detail by focusing on the mirror on top of the camera while Lewis is undertaking his heinous actions. This is effectively done so in order to draw attention to the fact that, Lewis not only wants to torture and kill his victims but also wants to exhibit to them their horror-stricken faces as they descend into darkness. In the film Minority Report, Spielberg effectively uses the effect of cutting into the object to be highlighted. This can be enumerated when Anderton discovers the pictures of his son Sean within Crow’s residence. By doing so, he efficiently highlights the among of rage which would befall Anderton and serve as extenuation for his overreaction at intending to murder Crow.
The films, Minority and the Peeping Tom, often choose to exhibit the narrative from a personalized and inherent view, through the eyes of the characters, to a more distanced view of the same character, effectively turning them into the subject of the narrative in that scene, at that instance. In the Peeping Tom, the film alternates to a subjective view of the main protagonist Lewis during the scenes that depict his childhood. As the film extenuates, Lewis childhood was less than optimal, particularly when his father, who was a psychiatrist would subject him to the view of the camera at all times. In this regard, Lewis never had a moment away from being observed. The film, by employing the subjective view of Lewis enables the audience to understand the causal agent to his eventual state of psychotic behavior. The film Minority Report also exhibits the change of perspective from a first to a third person viewpoint, essentially during the scene as Anderton is being arrested by the police. In these moments we are able to observe the character in a lens away from his own eyesight. As such, the audience this change in perspective offers the viewer a sense that the authorities are always in pursuit of their departmentally and institutionally recognized suspect or offender. Knowing the Anderton is indeed innocent, the scene also extenuates to the audience that even the authorities can be a force for evil when an unethical or criminal person stands at the helm.
Romantic love is often a central motif in most undertakings of film or literature. In this respect, there are various methodologies through which the work of art can choose to portray the same. In the Minority Report, at the beginning, the romantic love that once existed between Anderton and Lara is portrayed as being immensely damaged and almost non-existent. Their affection for one another has largely been impacted by the overwhelming loss of their son. The film, in this respect, resonates with the audience on the fact that even a strong a bond as was shared by Lara and Anderton, is susceptible to fracture upon its impact with as devastating a loss as was experienced upon the loss of a young one. The Peeping Tom is also effective at extenuating the different aspects of romantic love through highlighting of the different life Lewis lived when he was with Helen. When with her, he seems happy and content, and she quiets the inner notions about murder and filming intrinsic to his broken persona. The film, through these scenes of the two characters together, seeks to highlight the fact that romantic love can be a force for good. In this respect, romantic love purges Lewis of his innate flaws and horrible murderous personality, and instead, creates a loving and caring individual who in the end, seeks only to share their lives with a loved one.
The themes of sexual desire, courtship and marriage are often represented divergently in various films. In Minority Report, themes od attraction are exhibited when the film courses back into Anderson and Lara’s past. The use flashback is particularly effective in this film and furthers the emotions experienced by people all around the globe as they meet new, exciting persons with whom they have an innate and often unexplainable feeling of attraction. Peeping Tom also explores the concepts of attraction through the journey which the audience is taken on as the film unveils the meeting between Lewis and Helen and the budding of their love. A progressive and current view of the love between characters is as efficient a tool for enumerating love as is the use of flashback in Minority report.
Thought the theme of romantic love is evident within most undertakings of film or literature, they, at times, diverge from the normal and instead choose to explore and depict the same in alternate perspectives. For instance, in Minority Report, the typical depictions of romantic love in film often propagate from a state of union of the concerned characters. Often they have already commenced dating or are involved in a marriage, or they are strangers who find each other and their romantic involvement progresses with that of the film. However, in the film, they have been separated as a result of the fault line that is the grief of losing their son. This diverges from normative narrative development in the film. However, in doing so, the film also achieves progression of reconnection between the characters. In the Peeping Tom, Lewis is unsure of how to relay his feelings for Helen and instead reverts to the use of his camera, an instrument he is all too familiar with. Though Helen is mindful of this, she is not completely deterred from it. She does, however, succeed in convincing him to let go of his camera when they are together and instead, exist at the moment with her. The extenuation of the theme of romantic love in this manner further highlights the undeniably strong bond that a couple in love experience.
In conclusion, the love narrative has been central in capturing the emotions of the viewers. The two movies have integrated the love theme successfully, but, from an unusual platform. This kind of divergence as expressed above makes these movies even more appealing by giving a different kind of perception from the tradition depiction of romantic love, sex, and marriage.