Throughout history, people have questioned whether or not we have truly been given free will – the ability to choose our own path in the world – or if our fate has been pre-determined and is completely out of our hands. What would you do if you were told that your life is on a path that you cannot control? Would you go along for the ride or would you strike out and try to find your own way? In the new movie, The Adjustment Bureau, David Norris (Matt Damon) must attempt to forge his own path and fight against those who have determined that his destiny has been decided.
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David Norris has spent his life trying to make something of himself, and has fought against the odds, finding himself in the political arena, running for a seat on the US Senate in 2006. During the night of the election he steps away from the crowd of supporters to go over his concession speech and happens to meet a young woman named Elise (Emily Blunt), who is hiding from hotel security after crashing a wedding. The two instantly connect and Elise advises him to be honest and speak from the heart, and right as they are about to kiss, security chases Elise away. Norris goes before his supporters and gives an honest, yet comedic, speech about politics and his view of the world, which ends up getting him considered as a contender for the next election in 2010.
Meanwhile, a group of mysterious men are working behind the scenes and are orchestrating events. Agent Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) is ordered to intercept Norris and cause him to spill his coffee, thus making him late for a specific meeting. Mitchell falls asleep and Norris does get on the bus and finds Elise, and the two reconnect. Norris makes it to the meeting on time, only to find that this mysterious group of individuals are altering his friends and have found a way to freeze everyone. Norris tries to escape from his pursuers only to get stuck in a “Scooby Doo”-type situation of everyone going through the same sets of doors over and over again. He is eventually caught by these agents who explain that they are a part of the Adjustment Bureau, and that his life has been determined and they are guiding him on the path that has been set out for him. Norris asks if they are angels and he is told that they have been called that in the past. Who is the one pulling the strings and deciding the path that humanity will take? He has many names, but in this movie he is referred to as “The Chairman”. Norris is told that if he reveals the existence of the Bureau, or attempts to find Elise again, they will come back into his life and leave him lobotomized.
Norris continues his quest to find Elise, even with forces out to stop him. But when the two eventually do reconnect, will they be able to stay together, or will The Adjustment Bureau pull them apart?
Based on the trailers, this movie seemed to be much more of a conspiracy story than a religiously themed thriller, which was somewhat misleading. I did enjoy that it was something different and not your same-old action story, but I was hoping for something more exciting behind the reasoning for The Adjustment Bureau’s existence. Having a mysterious department of the government deciding our fate seemed like a cool concept, but this angle still worked to make the movie entertaining. Matt Damon did a fantastic job a Norris, and really added a fantastic believability to the events that we transpiring. Norris was an extremely genuine individual and I think that Damon couldn’t have done a more perfect job with his portrayal. Emily Blunt gives a great performance as Elise, who the audience quickly attaches to in her opening scenes with Damon. The chemistry between the two actors is very strong and makes the romance and determination very believable. Terrance Stamp ends up in his typical typecast role, playing his usual bad guy character, with very little variation from his regular routine. The most impressive element of the movie was the cinematography, more specifically the sequences focusing on the characters moving between spaces and running between doorways. These scenes were extremely entertaining and took a very stylistic approach to your typical chase sequences.
ComicsOnline gives The Adjustment Bureau 3.5 out of 5 movies that feature Matt Damon!
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