Review of The Adjustment Bureau (2011) by David A — 19 Jun 2012

The worst thing about this movie is the science fiction isn't believable. We are not convinced the Adjustment Bureau could exist, because the "Chairman" isn't remotely like the God of the Bible, which so many people do believe exists. So, first make the Chairman more like God. The Chairman is a weakling who needs many henchmen (no hench women) deriving their powers from their hats, given to them by their boss! Get rid of the hats and add some women or let the Chairperson do all the work directly, like God does or make the henches non-human. We are told humans fail miserably when they have their precious free will, causing wars and ultimately, the end of the world in nuclear war, which even the Chairman couldn't undo. This ineptitude is the Chairman's motivation for his adjustments, to prevent a mess that even he can't prevent. Again, this fatal flaw in the Chairman isn't believable, when he probably created the entire cosmos.

There are two best things in the movie. The first is the love story and the good chemistry between Damon and Blunt. Their acting skills are excellent. The second is New York familiar places, imaginatively filmed, even though it is a venue used for the thousandth time in movies.

At least one more slow down should be provided later in the picture, where the two characters reevaluate their circumstances and change course to improve their chances. After the initial date, the pace never slows down again all the way to the end, enough to give even today's viewers a headache.