By Douglas Helm
| Published
If you’re looking for a solid sci-fi movie to stream this weekend, the 2021 film The Adjustment Bureau might be just what you’re looking for. It has a solid cast and is based on a short story by one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time, Philip K. Dick.
While The Adjustment Bureau doesn’t quite live up to the lofty heights of the prestigious author who wrote it, it’s still a solid adaptation that is worth checking out.
The Adjustment Bureau is directed and adapted by George Nolfi from Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team. The film explores the delicate balance between fate and free will, which is always a heady subject and one that the film explores in an interesting way.
The story follows David Norris (Matt Damon), a charismatic politician running for Senate, who has a romantic encounter with a ballet dancer named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt).
However, David’s encounter with Elise leads to an intervention by a mysterious group of individuals known as The Adjustment Bureau, who have the ability to manipulate reality and ensure that people’s lives go according to the universe’s plans. Along with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, the film also stars Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, and Terence Stamp. While the premise of the story is interesting, and the cast delivers believable performances, the film was met with relatively mixed reception when it was released.
However, if you like philosophical explorations of free will and predestination, then The Adjustment Bureau might just deliver what you’re looking for. The film does have strengths outside of the stacked cast, such as blending the against-all-odds romance of Damon and Blunt’s characters against the deeper sci-fi themes. There are also engaging action sequences, so there’s a little bit of something for everyone in the film.
Upon its release, The Adjustment Bureau did decently well in theaters, eventually bringing in a $127.8 million worldwide box office haul. It had a solid opening weekend of around $21 million as well. Overall, the film was a moderate success, but there are certainly better Philip K. Dick adaptations out there.
Sure, there are better Philip K. Dick adaptations. Blade Runner and Minority Report exist, but if you’ve seen those, then The Adjustment Bureau is worth examining.
