{"id":14477,"date":"2011-07-26T05:36:42","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T21:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/?p=14477"},"modified":"2018-03-14T10:39:03","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T02:39:03","slug":"the-adjustment-bureau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/2011\/07\/26\/the-adjustment-bureau\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adjustment Bureau"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"adjustment-bureau-01\"The Adjustment Bureau<\/em><\/strong> (2010) \u2013 on rental. The late American author Philip K. Dick has churned out a large number of short sci-fi stories, many of which are invariably about the juxtapositions of time, space and destiny. Several of these stories have been adapted into films that have included critically acclaimed ones (like Blade Runner <\/em>and Minority Report<\/em>), to cult hits (Total Recall<\/em>), and lackluster jobs (e.g. Paycheck<\/em>).<\/p>\n

One thing\u2019s a given though; if his book is the source for the film, you\u2019re at least assured of a reasonably intelligent and thought-provoking piece. The Adjustment Bureau<\/em> is one such. The film stars Matt Damon as David Norris, a talented politician destined for greatness but finds himself running against a bunch of mysterious G-man like agents from a Bureau who watches over each individual\u2019s destiny and ensures it remains on track. And the trigger for that confrontation? His falling in love with a dancer, Elise played by the lovely Brit actress Emily Blunt, whom if he remains together, will cause him never to reach greatness.<\/p>\n

The themes of the film lie squarely in the question of fate and destiny vs choices. How do we really know what we go through each day is part of a larger plan, and what is the role of free will in it. Yep; there\u2019s no mistaking the religious undertones of the film\u2019s story, and while the film provides some its take of an answer at its conclusion, for the most part, viewers are left to decide whether to buy into its premise or not.<\/p>\n

As with many of such mild-fantasy films involving these story themes, you don\u2019t have to think hard to find story loopholes and paradoxes. So, the trick is to take them as a given and try not to let it affect one\u2019s suspension of disbelief too much. What counts as the film\u2019s strongest points is the chemisty enjoyed between Damon and Blunt and their individual performances. They\u2019re an attractive couple, and their banter lively and engaging. Though the (significant) basis in which Norris falls for Elsie is a little weak, his drive to get to her \u2013 against the Bureau\u2019s machinations \u2013 is relentless, and I found myself cheering him on.<\/p>\n

The two are supported by other excellent actors who play varied roles. Anthony Mackie plays a sympathetic agent who tries to help the two, John Slattery an opposing agent who enforces the company\u2019s will with ruthlessness, and the stone-faced Terence Stamp who plays an indomitable higher-up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an extended dance scene in the film that one might argue is unnecessary, but it\u2019s marvelously done and performed by Blunt. The DVD supplements has a little featurette that shows the amount of work she did to prepare herself for this dance role, and it was hard not to admire the kind of perseverance and hardwork needed for this one scene.<\/p>\n

In all; I enjoyed this romantic thriller. I imagine Ling will definitely like it too. =)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Adjustment Bureau (2010) \u2013 on rental. The late American author Philip K. Dick has churned out a large number of short sci-fi stories, many of which are invariably about the juxtapositions of time, space and destiny. Several of these<\/p>\n

Read More The Adjustment Bureau<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-at-home","category-entertainment","wpcat-6-id","wpcat-10-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14477\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}