The Adjustment Bureau: Movie Review

Have you ever wondered if we truly have free will? Yeah, most of the time, we feel that we do have a choice when it comes to our day-to-day decisions. For example, you decide what to eat for lunch, either you will go to work or not or when to go to that dream destination of yours. But we must all admit that even though it seems that we have total control, we also sometimes think that we have a destiny - that every decision we make now has already been predetermined for us and all those small decisions will ultimately combine to define what our future will be. Pretty deep stuff huh? Well, "The Adjustment Bureau" seeks to combine both elements into one movie. Read on to find out if we think it was able to mold both contradicting ideologies into one great package.

David Norris (Matt Damon) is a young and charismatic politician running for a seat at the Senate. When the New York Post reveals a scandalous photo of David the day before the elections, his early lead from his rival quickly evaporates. David eventually decides to start making his concession speech when he meets a woman named Elise (Emily Blunt) inside the men's bathroom. The two find themselves attracted to each other and they kiss each other. David eventually needs to do his speech and he is unable to get Elise's number. The next day, when David is of to work, he bumps into Elise again and finally he gets her number. David arrives at work but finds that his friend Charlie (Michael Kelly) is frozen and being observed by men in black suits. David makes a run for it but he is eventually captured. The men reveal to David that they are from the Adjustment Bureau and hey have a plan for him and they are making sure that it is followed.

"The Adjustment Bureau" tries to mold destiny, freewill, faith and science fiction into one cohesive film and what we can definitely say is that while it was effective in most areas, it fails to be believable on some. The problem with "The Adjustment Bureau" is it fails to explain everything in detail. Yes it reveals enough to keep the story going but what about it being believable? Now we know it is a science fiction film but aren't movies from this genre give you the feeling that they are at least plausible? As for the acting, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were a great couple on-screen and the supporting cast was as great as the two leads. "The Adjustment Bureau" is a great film - in fact, it makes you think about your life, our lives. But in the end, a story that is non-compelling ruins the whole experience.

Rating: 4 reels





Why you should watch it:
- was able to combine religion, science, destiny and free will into one interesting story
- Matt Damon and Emily Blunt had good chemistry

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- even though it had great ideas and plot points, it fails to expound on them further
- a storyline that is interesting at first but fails to be compelling in the end