Heavy-handed, clumsy and full of clichés, George Nolfi's adaptation of Philip K. Dicks short story is a wholly underwhelming experience. Having not read the original take it is hard to know for sure but given the author's penchant for the more sinister, darker side of human nature, you can imagine the tone and more importantly, the complexity, was nowhere approaching this kind of tripe.

The idea behind the story is a good one, that we may not be the masters of our own destiny after all, our free will restricted by unseen forces who plan our predestined routes through life. If we were to challenge the paths set out for us, then what would be the changes or consequences caused…

This is how the film was sold to me on my TV Guide... "Thriller (2011). A politician is attracted to a dancer he meets at a pivotal moment in his life, but finds his every effort to get to know her is thwarted by a group of mysterious men. He realises these shadowy figures are manipulating him and moving him toward a predetermined fate, which he resolves to fight. Sci-fi thriller, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt."

Can you see how I may have expected more from this movie? This was nothing more than a Sunday afternoon romance film with an extremely cheesy sci-fi element to it - and an element that I found almost impossible to buy into at…

Typically films with high concept plots get by on the hook of the concept alone yet despite The Adjustment Bureau having a compelling conceit it is actually the chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt that not only draws you in but provides the whole momentum for the movie. And this chemistry is crucial because you have to buy into their instant love for each other and for the most part you do. The Adjustment Bureau elements are neatly handled and pleasingly efficient (they could have so easily dominated the entire film but the central relationship is given time to breathe and develop). The supporting cast are solid but that is to be expected when you cast the likes of…

Está bien la película, pero es demasiado... previsible, lineal... no, no es esa la palabra. Cobarde quizás. No sé. La cosa es que al final queda la sensación de que el director ha jugado sobre seguro, no ha querido en ningún momento tirarse a la piscina de cabeza o hacer algo rompedor, sino coger un esquema de probada valía y seguir el manual para hacer algo correcto y accesible, pero sin pulsar los botones que pudiesen llevarle más allá, aunque corriese el peligro de caer al vacío. El resultado es una cinta correcta y entretenida, agradable de ver y bien construida, pero que nunca termina de aprovechar todas las implicaciones de su idea de partida. Es decir, en el terreno…

"Adjustment Bureau" is about some odd figures in suits and hats who we discover control the entire destiny of mankind. They influence events in small subtle ways all the time in order to ensure that everything fits a (divine) plan. We are even told towards the beginning that they are known to some as 'angels'. These 'angels' have the power allowing them to move around the city quickly. The film is set in New York and the "angels" can open one door in a underground parking lot and make it instantly lead them into a top-floor office. It's a very clever little trick used creatively so that it always manages to impress.

Throughout the film the stakes are continuously upped.…