Trailer Review: THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

Do we control our own lives?

This is often something that I think about, being a writer, having an interest in various conspiracy theories, and of course the big kahuna; Aliens; why not, think that I'm not control of my own life. Movies that try to make this the main plot of their story are always very appealing to me, good or bad, because there are so many movies that are similar, that its interesting to see what new features can be added to the already established canon.

Director George Nolfi directs Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in a story about a congressman who falls for a ballerina. But that supposed to happen or was it? This is Nolfi's first directing credit he's written movies such as Ocean's Tweleve, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Sentinel, and Timeline. So obviously Nolfi has experience writing such thrillers, make sense that his directorial debut would be one as well. The movie is based off a Philip K. Dick short story called "Adjustment Team". Yes I like Bureau better too.

We all know Matt Damon pulls a good performance in ANYTHING we see him in and I'm really happy the world is getting more and more Emily Blunt; she's awesome. I think the parring of these two fits well and the on screen chemistry looks very believable. The movie co-stars John Slattery and Terence Stamp as two men of the Adjustment Bureau. These characters also bear a certain but more sophisticated resemblence to the tall, top hat wearing "adjusters" in Alex Proyas' Dark City. Who if I'm correct were aliens of some sort, the joy of that movie is part of me is still figuring it out. Also the idea of adjusting and even changing an event for the better or possibly worse has also been explored in another Philip K. Dick adaption; Steven Speilberg's Minority Report.

I know its kinda terrible to compare movies but with even similar looking characters is very difficult not to. The all around look and feel of the movie has a gritty undertone to it, there's texture and it adds to the environment we are in. While the chemistry looks great between Damon and Blunt, my only fear is that the movie will be hijacked by their fight to be and love one another. From the trailer, obviously it looks like the entire plot of the movie and I hope that the stakes to be together are very high. So high that it possibly makes their efforts completely futile by the end of the movie. That sense of never escaping and that realism would be great and I hope it goes somewhat in that direction.

As mentioned before I'm definitely going to see this movie. It appeals to the theorist in me and just looks like a really good Twilight Zone-esque thriller.

As always the final review will be when the credits roll and the house lights go up.

The Adjustment Bureau tries to secretly alter out lives on March 4th 2011


Dueces!
StuntmanBob