'Minority Report' Poster Deconstruction

The poster for 'Minority Report' gives obvious emphasis to the character played by Tom Cruise. The lack of any other characters on the poster shows the significance of the character in the film's narrative and also the attraction of an audience towards watching a film that features Tom Cruise. Cruise's name is at the top of the poster, and this shows the importance of his name in attracting a potential audience for a film. The fact that it is the only name signifies that there are few other important actors within the film, or that Cruise's name alone sells the film to an audience.

The stance that Cruise has adopted shows the action-theme of the film, especially with the added effect of the streaks of light around him. The background image, which reads “Pre Crime” also adds to the sense of action within the narrative, alluding to police involvement. This shows the element of crime-thriller within the narrative also, and the audience makes a connection between Cruise's character and “Pre Crime”. The image of “Pre Crime” is created to give the impression of a law enforcement badge in the USA, and “Pre Crime” is indeed a department of law enforcement in the USA in the narrative of the film. The lack of this badge on Cruise's character suggests that he is a senior member of law enforcement, therefore wearing his own clothes, or that he is working against the law. In the narrative of the film, Cruise's character is actually both. The costume of a black leather jacket, which is typically associated with rebellion or “cool”, indicates that Cruise is playing a rogue character, to whom the audience will sympathise with, and his worried, but seemingly in thought, facial expression also heightens this.

The typography of the poster, a white bold font, corresponds directly with the background colours of shades of blue. This again highlights the inclusion of the law in the USA, as the typical US uniform of law enforcement officials is blue. The lighting effects, however, indicate that the narrative features a futuristic form of law enforcement, also highlighted by “Pre Crime”. Although in smaller text, the name of the director, Steven Spielberg, also draws the attention of a potential audience as Spielberg is the most respected and revered director of his time.