REVIEW: The Adjustment Bureau

MOVIE
The Adjustment Bureau

CAST
Matt Damon, Emily Blunt

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 4, 2011

DIRECTOR
George Nolfi

STUDIO
Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 46 minutes





GRADE
A (88)






STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

Have you ever thought that you're life was written according to plan? I'm guessing that you probably never have had this thought, and neither has Matt Damon's character in The Adjustment Bureau. In The Adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt must run for their lives before they get "adjusted." On the outside, this movie looks like an action packed thriller, which it mildly is. But on the inside, it's actually more of a romantic thriller than an action thriller. And just because of that, the performances from Mr. Damon and Ms. Emily Blunt, who's always luscious and great, and a nice story concept, The Adjustment Bureau succeeds as being a thriller and a romance, but lacks on a terrific ending.

SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of Fandango.com)
Just as he is on the brink of winning a senate seat, politician David Norris meets a ballerina named Elise Sellas. Though David is smitten, mysterious men conspire to keep him away from the beautiful dancer. David learns he is up against the powerful agents of Fate itself, and, glimpsing the future laid out before him, must either accept a predetermined path that does not include Elise, or defy fate to be with her.
END OF SYNOPSIS

Like Beastly, this movie was delayed for a while. But in some ways, I believe that it was smart for Universal to postpone this movie, because I felt it was more of a spring movie than a fall movie. (this was supposed to come out on September 17, 2010) I don't know what it is, it's just that I get more of a spring vibe than a fall vibe. Now back to the movie itself. It was a good movie. It was very intriguing, somewhat complex, and very romantically involved. People have been calling this "A romantic Inception," but I don't see that. Romantic: Yes. Inception like: somewhat. "The Adjustment Bureau" is a group of men who work for "the chairman" making sure things go accordingly to plan, and they have Inception like powers with the power of a hat and their mind, I guess. So if you're looking for another Inception thriller, then you may want to stay away from this one, if you're not into romance movies as well.

Like I said, this movie had terrific performances from Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Ever since I saw Invictus, I instantly enjoyed Matt Damon and his performance in that, plus this past December's True Grit, where he played LaBeouf. In The Adjustment Bureau, this is my first time actually hearing his American accent rather than an African and western accent. He was a great presence in this movie, as was the ravishing and great Emily Blunt, who's only other movies I've seen include The Devil Wears Prada and Gulliver's Travels. They were great as the main leads, as you wanted to see how their story ended while it progressed. And in a great supporting role, who's always great in everything he does is the old but awesome Terrence "FREAKING" Stamp. He doesn't even need to lift a fist to be badass and a great villain. He's even better in this point of time than in the 80s when he was only known as General Zod in Superman II. For those who don't really care much about the story as much as they care about the story's characters, The Adjustment Bureau is an absolute must see.

So to conclude my final thoughts, The Adjustment Bureau is a good thriller that keeps you on the edge of you're seat, and a great romance, where you want the main leads to succeed at falling in love. It's actors are great, the story is original, and the hats that the bureau wears is just plain cool looking. If you are in the mood for an awesome action romance thriller with an awesome sci-fi feel to it at times, then you may want to check this movie out. This is definitely worth the trip to the local cineplex, and worth your time and money. The movie may only be a somewhat small 106 minutes, but the movie does feel longer than what it seems to be. I only hope that you don't think otherwise if you see this movie. Even though this movie could be enjoyed in the comfort of your home, I believe that the better movies of the year deserve to be seen on the big screen. This and Rango are the two must see movies of 2011 so far, but they are different in many ways. Nevertheless, they will both be enjoyed by the adults of the world and give them something to talk about. So what if you're life was already planned by a group of men in suits? What would you do to stay with the person you love most. If you want some tips, then here's you're first one: Don't get caught by The Adjustment Bureau. You never know what they'll do to you.







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