LET THE STUDENTS WATCH THE MOVIE “MINORITY REPORT”; THEN, IN PAIRS, LET

THEM COMPLETE THE PLOT WITH THE CORRECT VOCABULARY. AT THE END, THERE
ARE ETHICAL TOPICS TO ARROUSE THE STUDENTS CURIOSITY AND DISCUSSION.

The film is set in Washington, D.C. in the year 2054. As the film opens, Anderton (Cruise)
and his team are in the midst of apprehending a suspect. In this sequence, it is revealed that
the precogs only relate _______________ of the murder, _______________ name, and the
_____________ name. All other facts of the crime can only be ascertained by ________
given by the various images relayed around the time of murder. Images transfer from the
precogs' _________ to a computer display, where Anderton _______________ the images
in a manner similar to a virtual reality interface to better determine how the murders might
or will happen. Anderton ______________ during this process by Danny Witwer (Farrell),
an agent from the Department of Justice. Witwer is sent to evaluate the system because the
_______________ is about to vote on whether to expand the Precrime program nationally.
After apprehending the suspect, the murder ________________ on the displays. We learn
that this is called an ____________, a situation where the precogs think of the murders that
have been stopped, and that these "echos" are deleted when found to be such.
Later that day Anderton goes to his apartment, where he watches ________________ of his
six-year old son. It becomes evident that his son is ____________, and that he is now
divorced. The next morning, Witwer is given a tour of the precogs' chamber. The precogs
are seen floating in a translucent substance, which the technician explains helps
___________ the images that the precogs produce. After the tour, Anderton stays behind,
and the precog Agatha (Morton) emerges from the pool. She draws Anderton's attention to
the ceiling, which displays images of a woman ______________. Intrigued by a murder
which he's never seen, Anderton decides to investigate. He learns that the other precogs'
images are on record, but Agatha's recorded images are ____________. He also learns that
the woman, named _______________, is recorded as having gone missing after the
potential murderer _____________. He then conveys this information to Burgess (Von
Sydow), who appears unconcerned.
Anderton then returns to the Precrime offices and investigates a new case. A murder is to
take place in 36 hours. The murderer is revealed to be Anderton ____________. Believing
that he is being set up since he ______________ the victim (a man named Leo Crow),
Anderton takes it on the lam. He manages to escape Witwer and a team of Precrime officers
in a car factory and seeks refuge in the country home of a woman named Iris Hindeman,
who was one of the pioneers of Precrime. Hindeman reveals that the three precogs do not
always agree in their opinions _______________; when this happens, the ______________
opinion is left out. Thus, Anderton's only hope at proving his innocence is acquiring the
hidden "_______________" from which the film takes its _________.
Travelling undetected is difficult, since everyone is subjected to iris scans at all times.
Therefore, Anderton visits a shady doctor (played by Peter Stormare) and receives an
_______________. While sleeping to recover from the surgery he has a dream, where it is
revealed that his son was _______________. He awakens to discover that the Precrime
team is investigating the building he is in. The team dispatches "__________," robotic eye
scanners, to the various rooms to find and ID Anderton. Anderton tries to hide but is
scanned. The surgery proves successful and he is not identified as John Anderton. Later, he
manages to reach the Precrime offices. He takes Agatha out of the nutrient water—
permanently disrupting the precog hive mind that makes Precrime work—and escapes
again. Anderton then finds a hacker friend who accesses Agatha's vision of the murder. The
vision is identical to the one Anderton intercepted himself.
Anderton then goes to Leo Crow’s apartment where Crow is not present. While
___________ the room, he finds a pile of photos of ____________, one of which is a photo
of his son. Anderton suddenly comes to the realization that there is no minority report for
himself, and that Leo Crow is responsible for _______________ his son. Anderton had pre-
planned this murder, a long standing wish to kill the previously anonymous person who
took his son. Then, Crow ___________ his apartment and Anderton attacks him eliciting a
confession. While this is going on, Agatha tries to convince Anderton that he does not have
to kill Crow. Anderton reconsiders and reads Crow his ______________. Crow then says
that if Anderton doesn’t kill him, Crow’s family will get nothing: the entire murder was a
________. Crow then grabs Anderton’s gun to point it at his chest and manages a cop-
assisted suicide by worrying Anderton's hand. Anderton and Agatha then leave the
apartment.
Witwer and the Precrime unit arrive and investigate the crime scene. Witwer sees the
photos and becomes skeptical of what happened due to the "orgy of evidence". Witwer then
meets with Burgess to discuss his doubts with him. He shows Burgess the Ann Lively pre-
vision, but two different ones; one from Art and Dash taken from Precrime, the other a
minority report from Agatha. He shows Burgess that the two images have slight
differences, such as water lapping in opposite directions. Witwer intuits that this is caused
by a murderer killing Ann in the same way as in the vision after the original suspect is
apprehended, causing the real murder being perceived as an echo, and therefore, not being
stopped. Witwer then suggests that the murderer is a member of Precrime itself, and that
the murderer erased Agatha's report from the system to cover his/her tracks. Burgess
interrupts this analysis with a bullet, revealing himself as Ann Lively's __________; since
Agatha is with Anderton, Precrime is not able to ______________ Witwer's murder.
Anderton then hides in his ex-wife Lara’s house, while there he comes to realize that he
was set-up because of his discovery of the Ann Lively murder. Lively is revealed to be
Agatha's ____________, and was killed because she wanted to re-unite with Agatha. The
police then arrive, arrest Anderton and return Agatha to Precrime. Later, Burgess
accidentally reveals to Lara that he killed Ann Lively. Lara then releases Anderton from
prison, and as Burgess is giving a speech, Anderton confronts him on his crime by showing
everyone in attendance the Agatha pre-vision of Burgess killing Ann Lively. Burgess takes
a gun given to him as a present and starts after Anderton. Upon confronting him though, he
decides to commit suicide instead, as killing Anderton would get him arrested, and not
doing so after the precogs vision of him _____________ murder would destroy Precrime.
In the final sequence, Anderton narrates that Precrime was shut down, all of the pre-
criminals who were imprisoned by Precrime were unconditionally ____________ and
released, though monitored for a long period of time according to the narration. Anderton
ends up ______________ with Lara who is now ___________, and the precogs were taken
to a secret location to live in ______________.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Themes to be discussed after watching the movie (THE HIGHLIGTHED
PARTS WERE SELECTED TO BE THE CENTRE OF THE GROUP´S
DISCUSSION):

"We don't choose the things we believe in; they choose us."
Lamar Burgess

The main themes of Minority Report are the classic philosophical questions surrounding
foreknowledge and free will vs. determinism.[13][14] One of the main questions the film raises
is whether the future is set or whether free will can alter the future.[15] As critic C.A. Wolski
commented, "At the outset, Minority Report... promises to mine some deep subject matter,
to wit do we possess free will or are we predestined to our fate?" [13] However, there is also
the added question of whether the precogs visions are correct. [15] As James Berardinelli
commented in his review of the film "is the Precogs' vision accurate, or has it in some way
been tampered with? Perhaps Anderton isn't actually going to kill, but has been set up by a
clever and knowledgeable criminal who wants him out of the way." [15] The precog Agatha
also states that since Anderton knows his future, he can change it. However, the film also
indicates that Anderton's knowledge of the future may actually be the factor that causes Leo
Crow's death. Berardinelli describes this as the main paradox regarding free will vs.
determinism in the film,[15] "There's the biggest one of all: Is it possible that the act of
accusing someone of a murder could begin a chain of events that leads to the slaying. In
Anderton's situation, he runs because he is accused. The only reason he ends up in
circumstances where he might be forced to kill is because he is a hunted man. Take away
the accusation, and there would be no question of him committing a criminal act. The
prediction drives the act – a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can see the vicious circle, and it's
delicious (if a little maddening) to ponder."[15] Most critics gave this element of the film
positive reviews,[16] with many ranking it as the main strength of the film. [14][15][17] Other
reviewers however, felt that Spielberg did not adequately deal with the issues that he raised.
[13][18]

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become

true. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient
Greece and ancient India, it is 20th-century sociologist Robert K. Merton who is credited
with coining the expression "self-fulfilling prophecy" and formalizing its structure and
consequences. In his book Social Theory and Social Structure, Merton gives as a feature of
the self-fulfilling prophecy:

“ The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation
evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'.
This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. ”
 For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from
the very beginning.[1]

In other words, a prophecy declared as truth when it is actually false may sufficiently
influence people, either through fear or logical confusion, so that their reactions ultimately
fulfill the once-false prophecy.
KEY AWSWER FOR THE PLOT:

The film is set in Washington, D.C. in the year 2054. As the film opens, Anderton (Cruise) and his team are in
the midst of apprehending a suspect. In this sequence, it is revealed that the precogs only relate the time/date
of the murder, the murderer's name, and the victim's name. All other facts of the crime can only be ascertained
by clues given by the various images relayed around the time of murder. Images transfer from the precogs'
minds to a computer display, where Anderton manipulates the images in a manner similar to a virtual reality
interface to better determine how the murders might or will happen. Anderton is observed during this process
by Danny Witwer (Farrell), an agent from the Department of Justice. Witwer is sent to evaluate the system
because the country is about to vote on whether to expand the Precrime program nationally. After
apprehending the suspect, the murder reappears on the displays. We learn that this is called an echo, a
situation where the precogs think of the murders that have been stopped, and that these "echos" are deleted
when found to be such.
Later that day Anderton goes to his apartment, where he watches home movies of his six-year old son. It
becomes evident that his son is deceased, and that he is now divorced. The next morning, Witwer is given a
tour of the precogs' chamber. The precogs are seen floating in a translucent substance, which the technician
explains helps enhance the images that the precogs produce. After the tour, Anderton stays behind, and the
precog Agatha (Morton) emerges from the pool. She draws Anderton's attention to the ceiling, which displays
images of a woman being murdered. Intrigued by a murder which he's never seen, Anderton decides to
investigate. He learns that the other precogs' images are on record, but Agatha's recorded images are missing.
He also learns that the woman, named Ann Lively, is recorded as having gone missing after the potential
murderer was caught. He then conveys this information to Burgess (Von Sydow), who appears unconcerned.
Anderton then returns to the Precrime offices and investigates a new case. A murder is to take place in 36
hours. The murderer is revealed to be Anderton himself. Believing that he is being set up since he doesn’t
know the victim (a man named Leo Crow), Anderton takes it on the lam. He manages to escape Witwer and a
team of Precrime officers in a car factory and seeks refuge in the country home of a woman named Iris
Hindeman, who was one of the pioneers of Precrime. Hindeman reveals that the three precogs do not always
agree in their opinions about the future; when this happens, the dissenting opinion is left out. Thus, Anderton's
only hope at proving his innocence is acquiring the hidden "minority report" from which the film takes its
title.
Travelling undetected is difficult, since everyone is subjected to iris scans at all times. Therefore, Anderton
visits a shady doctor (played by Peter Stormare) and receives an eye transplant. While sleeping to recover
from the surgery he has a dream, where it is revealed that his son was abducted. He awakens to discover that
the Precrime team is investigating the building he is in. The team dispatches "spyders," robotic eye scanners,
to the various rooms to find and ID Anderton. Anderton tries to hide but is scanned. The surgery proves
successful and he is not identified as John Anderton. Later, he manages to reach the Precrime offices. He
takes Agatha out of the nutrient water—permanently disrupting the precog hive mind that makes Precrime
work—and escapes again. Anderton then finds a hacker friend who accesses Agatha's vision of the murder.
The vision is identical to the one Anderton intercepted himself.
Anderton then goes to Leo Crow’s apartment where Crow is not present. While searching the room, he finds a
pile of photos of children, one of which is a photo of his son. Anderton suddenly comes to the realization that
there is no minority report for himself, and that Leo Crow is responsible for kidnapping his son. Anderton had
pre-planned this murder, a long standing wish to kill the previously anonymous person who took his son.
Then, Crow enters his apartment and Anderton attacks him eliciting a confession. While this is going on,
Agatha tries to convince Anderton that he does not have to kill Crow. Anderton reconsiders and reads Crow
his Miranda rights. Crow then says that if Anderton doesn’t kill him, Crow’s family will get nothing: the
entire murder was a set up. Crow then grabs Anderton’s gun to point it at his chest and manages a cop-
assisted suicide by worrying Anderton's hand. Anderton and Agatha then leave the apartment.
Witwer and the Precrime unit arrive and investigate the crime scene. Witwer sees the photos and becomes
skeptical of what happened due to the "orgy of evidence". Witwer then meets with Burgess to discuss his
doubts with him. He shows Burgess the Ann Lively pre-vision, but two different ones; one from Art and Dash
taken from Precrime, the other a minority report from Agatha. He shows Burgess that the two images have
slight differences, such as water lapping in opposite directions. Witwer intuits that this is caused by a
murderer killing Ann in the same way as in the vision after the original suspect is apprehended, causing the
real murder being perceived as an echo, and therefore, not being stopped. Witwer then suggests that the
murderer is a member of Precrime itself, and that the murderer erased Agatha's report from the system to
cover his/her tracks. Burgess interrupts this analysis with a bullet, revealing himself as Ann Lively's
murderer; since Agatha is with Anderton, Precrime is not able to prevent Witwer's murder.
Anderton then hides in his ex-wife Lara’s house, while there he comes to realize that he was set-up because of
his discovery of the Ann Lively murder. Lively is revealed to be Agatha's mother, and was killed because she
wanted to re-unite with Agatha. The police then arrive, arrest Anderton and return Agatha to Precrime. Later,
Burgess accidentally reveals to Lara that he killed Ann Lively. Lara then releases Anderton from prison, and
as Burgess is giving a speech, Anderton confronts him on his crime by showing everyone in attendance the
Agatha pre-vision of Burgess killing Ann Lively. Burgess takes a gun given to him as a present and starts
after Anderton. Upon confronting him though, he decides to commit suicide instead, as killing Anderton
would get him arrested, and not doing so after the precogs vision of him committing murder would destroy
Precrime.
In the final sequence, Anderton narrates that Precrime was shut down, all of the pre-criminals who were
imprisoned by Precrime were unconditionally pardoned and released, though monitored for a long period of
time according to the narration. Anderton ends up reconciling with Lara who is now pregnant, and the precogs
were taken to a secret location to live in seclusion.