I, like many others, have eagerly awaited the first collaboration between two established giants of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Their individual box office pulling power has separated us from $10 billion of our hard-earned cash so far. In 1983, Spielberg famously approached Tom Cruise, who had just finished filming Risky Business, and said "I want to direct you, I want to direct you in a movie". Yet Minority Report is their first joint project, despite past attempts to work together - Spielberg even prepped Rain Man for 6 months before leaving to do Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. So finally, last week, I went to find out if the film is as good as the hype...

Washington D.C., 2054: An experimental Precrime unit has reduced the rate of violent crime to almost zero. No one has been murdered for nearly six years. This elite police unit is headed by Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise), a man whose implicit belief in the system stems from a tragedy in his own past.

The screenplay, written by Jon Cohen and Scott Frank, is based on the short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. Dick has something of a cult status, and has had several of his futuristic, paranoid, conspiracy driven stories realised in the form of films, notably Blade Runner and Total Recall. He is notorious for underdevelopment of characters and their surroundings, preferring to focus on the situations he creates and the questions they raise. However, the screenwriters have done a great job of turning this raw material into believable characters in a real world.

The film opens in time for us to witness a double murder prevented by our protagonist ("You are under arrest for future murder"), which affords us an insight into how the system works. We also meet federal agent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) who, just days before a referendum on the nationwide rollout of Precrime, has been assigned to investigate the system and discover any flaws. This provokes an immediate negative reaction in Anderton, who believes the system is flawless. Until, that is, he sees himself commit murder in what must become the most important case of his life. He must use his detective skills, redundant for the past few years, to solve the murder of Leo Crow, a man he has never met. And he has 36 hours before he is due to pull the trigger...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Steven Spielberg... OK, I know, he's a man who needs no introduction. In fact, he's so well known that fans and critics alike have been surprised by both Minority Report, and his last offering, A.I. They are both dark tales set in the future, missing many of the director's usual upbeat, positive trademarks. However, having both box office success and critical acclaim under his belt, Spielberg has nothing to prove, so it shouldn't really come as a surprise to see him experimenting, and in fact, doing whatever he damn well pleases, thank you very much! If the result just happens to be a thoughtful, creative, futuristic, entertaining film, then even better. On the downside, the film ends with an almost too-tidy final scene, which grates a little after the climax. This is but a minor flaw, and in general, Spielberg achieves his vision of the future and executes a gripping storyline with the masterful hand of One Who Knows What He Is Doing. His 2054 is not a high-tech, inaccessible, almost alien, world. It is plausible, familiar, and one cannot help but feel, possible.

In order to create his futuristic world, Spielberg held a three-day brainstorming session with writers, scientists, architects, and urban planners to see what they thought might be used in fifty years. Look out for the 'sick stick' invented by Douglas Coupland (Generation X), a truncheon that induces vomiting. Not all of the inventions made it in, and the ones that did weren't showcased. This is part of the reason the film felt so natural. And there are no flying cars - instead they designed a 'magnetic levitation transportation system', which to you and I means cars that go up the sides of buildings as well as along the ground. Lexus were responsible for designing the more traditional cars in the film, which have quickened the pulses of many a boy racer.

The soundtrack, composed by John Williams, is tonal and atmospheric. In the main it foregoes his usual penchant for catchy, instantly recognisable, themes (Jaws, anyone?), although those who like to whistle along will be satisfied by tracks such as Anderton's Great Escape. In general, it really adds to the atmosphere without intruding.

'At last!' I hear you cry! Well, in summary, this is a highly entertaining and thoughtful thriller, with some fantastic set pieces, many of which I haven't mentioned in order to avoid spoilers. The characters are involving, the suspense is not huge, but enough to hold your interest, and the world created is sometimes chillingly close. Cruise and Spielberg have already taken $10 billion - go and give them some more...