The Adjustment Bureau opens March 4, and I can't wait, mainly because I'm a collector of movies based on Philip K. Dick stories. As you may know, Dick (1928-1982) was a cult sci-fi writer who toiled in obscurity until the tail end of his life, when Blade Runner began to bring him some attention. Since then, many more movies have been made from his novels and stories, and here they are, ranked in preferential order.
1. Blade Runner (1982)
The granddaddy of them all, and one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Of course, now it's essential to own the Blu-Ray with all five different cuts of the film. I have reviewed the 1982 cut here and the 2007 Final Cut here.
2. Minority Report (2002)
I have a friend who can't stand the last-minute short cuts Steven Spielberg's movie takes, but by that time this astonishing movie had completely won me over.
3. The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Screenwriter George Nolfi makes his directorial debut with this mysterious, romantic chase movie, and he keeps the tone delightfully loopy and breathless.
4. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Richard Linklater's quasi-animated film may be the densest of all the Dick adaptations, but that just makes it worth more viewings.
5. Paycheck (2003)
Everyone hates this one, but I blame that on the fact that it stars Ben Affleck, and it was released just a couple of months after his disastrous Gigli. I like it; I think it's clever and fun, and John Woo's action footage is pretty much unequalled in modern cinema.
Sadly, I have not officially reviewed this Paul Verhoeven film, which I saw in the theater in 1990. If I remember correctly, it's an intriguing combination of brilliant and brain-dead.
7. Impostor (2002)
Here's where we start to get into shaky territory. This "B" movie, directed by Gary Fleder, plays a bit like Minority Report-lite, but it did come first, and it has its low-budget charms.
8. Next (2007)
This is the first one that's actually bad. It has an intriguing premise, but director Lee Tamahori turns in a sloppy, overpitched action movie that doesn't even seem to try.
9. Screamers (1995)
For some reason, I haven't seen this one yet, but it has the weakest reputation of all these films. I will check it out someday...
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