The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau Poster

I had not heard anything about the movie the Adjustment Bureau before going to see, it was presented as a science-fiction movie with not to much science-fiction in it and some romance so this seemed like a good compromise. I was surprised by the general tone of the movie, very lighthearted, which is not something you expect from movie based on a Phillip K. Dick short story (Adjustment Team), the science-fiction aspect is indeed very subdued, and very few special effects, which I was thankful for.

Some website describe the movie as a copy of Inception, which I find a strange idea. The story is quite different: a young politician (Matt Damon) is overseen by a mysterious man (Anthony Mackie) whose seems to manipulate his fate, and in particular, prevent him from meeting again the woman of his life (Emily Blunt). The plot is less complex than Inception, with no recursion, no flashback. One thing I was wondering about while waiting in the hallway was whenever the red cocktail dress the girl wears on the poster was some kind of symbol, it seems the girl in the red dress never really exist (see Matrix and Battlestar Galactica). Strangely enough, the thing that does not seem to exist is the dress, the heroine never seems to wear it.

Beyond the Dick novel, this is a movie about New York – most of the movie takes place in that city. The camera plays with the cityscape, and some of the shot of the building are really gorgeous. The political campaign is a lot about neighbourhoods and the hero is guest of the Daily Show. The end result for me was a very pleasant film, but given its lack of weight, I will probably forget it soon, except the bit about the hats…

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