The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau is a film that has moved into its own smart genre of that of the science fiction romance. Matt Damon stars in this science fiction thriller that deals with a man who glimpses his future that Fate has laid out for him, only to realize he wants something else in his life after a chance meeting with a mysterious woman played by Emily Blunt. The Adjustment Bureau is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, called The Adjustment Team. What makes The Adjustment Bureau a truly great movie is that it sends a powerful message: don't be afraid to go after what you want.

Matt Damon, continues his string of strong performances in the role of David Norris, a candidate for the New York senate. Damon continues to impress me in every role he takes, his dedication to roles is what sets him apart. He commits so fully to the role of David Norris that I truly believe that Damon could be a politician in real life. I have been a huge fan of a lot of Damon's roles and I believe this is definitely one of my favorite roles for Matt Damon. In this role Damon is his most charming, lovable and most moving. To go along with Damon is Emily Blunt as Elise the woman that David believes he was meant to be with. Blunt shows that she is definitely no longer just a star in the making, but she has truly arrived. Blunt is captivating in her role and has such a great elegance. The elegance is shown through her great dancing ability and the gracefulness she has when dancing. The chemistry between Damon and Blunt is truly captivating.

The supporting cast is workable. The cast of men who make up the Adjustment Bureau do a solid job at conveying a great amount of mystery around how they go about things and how they go about keeping everyone on "the plan" that has been laid out for them. The part that really made them work though was the complete opposites in bureau men Mitchell played by Anthony Mackie and Thompson played by Terence Stamp. Thompson you want to hate against from the moment he comes into the picture because of what he will do to get the plan back on track. While on the other hand we feel the internal conflict that Mitchell is encountering as he sees the free will determination that David Norris has for this girl.

Overall I loved the story for this movie. The story flowed fluidly throughout the film. I did not feel like the story died or even slowed down at any point that I felt the thought of I wonder how much time is left in the movie. With most movies where the story is continually moving it lacks the character depth to really allow the audience to feel the emotions of each character. The Adjustment Bureau does a splendid job at keeping the story moving while giving us the character depth. One such instance is when Norris sees Elise dance at the studio for the first time, because he has fought against "they" to get to the studio. I loved that in the story this movie could have gone very complex and built layer upon layer, instead they went very simple and it was set out for the viewer minute by minute.

The film's charm is definitely in its explanation for things. The way the bureau works and how they function is a wonder in itself. You'll never look at a door or a man wearing a hat the same way again after viewing the film. Perhaps the most interesting is Thompson's explanation of how events in history like The Great Depression and The Holocaust came about. The story is very imaginative and different from the norm, which is always a fantastic change in pace when it comes to film. At the same time though, those who like having absolutely everything explained to them will probably be disappointed. The Adjustment Bureau explains enough to get the wheels in your brain turning and leaves some things open to your interpretation, which could hurt someones overall opinion of the film depending on the viewer.

The Adjustment Bureau is a great science fiction thriller that gives a great romantic story on top of the great underlying storyline. I am giving The Adjustment Bureau three and a half buckets out of five. Damon and Blunt are amazing together, this is definitely a movie that one should see in the movie theater to get the full effect of everything. This will eventually be a movie that I will add to the movie collection.

-The Movie Man