Fringe Observers vs. The Adjustment Bureau ~ Fringe Television - Fan Site for the FOX TV Series Fringe

Fringe Observers vs. The Adjustment Bureau

      Email Post       3/07/2011 11:50:00 AM      



If you've seen the trailer for the new movie The Adjustment Bureau, you can't help but notice their striking resemblance to the Observers in Fringe.

As Wired Magazine points out:
Members of both groups wear hats and suits. Both carry briefcases or books. Both have existed for centuries on the periphery of human consciousness. Both take orders from unknown superiors and periodically create unintended consequences when they feel compelled to intervene in the lives of the subjects under their watch.

But unlike the spooky Fringe operatives, the Adjustment Bureau’s dispassionate caseworkers (played by John Slattery, Anthony Mackie and Terence Stamp) come across more like post office employees than celestial overseers.

“They set us on the course that we are supposed to be set onto so we will follow the grand scheme,” said director Nolfi in a statement about his PG-13 movie, which was inspired by sci-fi writer Dick’s 1954 short story “Adjustment Team.” “They might as well work in the IRS; they’re just doing their jobs.”
On the other hand, Fringe's Observers are not supposed to get involved at all, but as we have seen, that is not always the case.


There is one person in the movie you may recognize from Fringe, Michael Kelly who plays Matt Damon's assistant Charlie Traynor. He played "The Rogue" aka John Mosley in the Fringe episode "The Arrival".
(Thanks to Bluesboy for pointing this out!)

The Adjustment Bureau is inspired by the short story "Adjustment Team", written by Philip K. Dick, who also inspired other classic sci-fi movies such as Blade RunnerMinority Report, and Total Recall.

Fringe’s Observers are supposedly modeled on Marvel Comics’ Uatu the Watcher, a bald alien assigned to observe other species.


14 Comments:

Anonymous said...

You know...that guy in the beginning of the trailer who yells at Damon in the bathroom - he is the rogue observer from 1xO4 The Arrival...He was looking for that beacon which Walter had to hide...remember?

Bluesboy

Anonymous said...

Wow...I didn`t expect you`re gonna put that on the main page :-D. I`m flattered. I just warn you :-D. I started to do this on Fringe Czech fan site and with in the weeks I became the number two on the web - I translate interviews with cast and producers (I know it`s not necessary here :-D) and I`m scaning web sites for news about Fringe and then I put it on fringe.sff.cz ...So be prepared :-D

I`m just kidding (about slowly "taking over")but it really happened with that Czech site (was not my intention - I do it cause I love Fringe) :-D

Bluesboy

Cazza said...

That's why I think The new fringe promo should be played at the
movies especially people going to watch the adjustment bureau

Runciter said...

how can a SF-fan not mention Dark City, the most obviously Adjustment Team-connected movie?
the other three doesnt have much to do with it, but of course they are famous, so more noobish SF-fans (like -sadly- most Fringe-viewers) know their names...

Dennis said...

I wasn't trying to say those movies were inspired by Adjustment Team, but that those are films inspired by Phillip K Dick. I changed the wording so what I was saying is hopefully more clear.

I haven't seen Dark City, but I looked at the large Wikipedia article about it and the small article about Alex Proyas, and there is no mention of either being inspired by "Adjustment Team" or Phillip K Dick...

Lostie said...

Has anyone seen this movie and is it any good? Interested to hear feedback from other Fringe fans.

SZ said...

Ooh, this looks interesting - always up for a psychological thriller:-D

OldDarth said...

The Observers tag is a clever misnomer by the show.

It is the Fringe team via Broyles in The Arrival that introduced the Observers label with the attendant inference that observing is all they do.

But the August episode and various episodes with September show us otherwise. They do get involved.

Dennis said...

They are not supposed to get involved:

"This coin looks similar to the one you're thinking of. But it is from another place. There is more than one of everything. I have said too much, I am not supposed to get involved. I have taken you as far as I can." - The Observer in "There's More Than One Of Everything"

The times that we have seen them get involved is to fix their own "irregularities":

THE OBSERVER: They are all unique. That is not reason to interfere with the course her life was meant to take.
AUGUST: We have interfered before.
THE OBSERVER: Only to correct a mistake of our own making.

OldDarth said...

That is all that has been revealed so far.

Doubt the Observers will sit on the sidelines if less than favorable events begin to occur.

And as noted, August DID step in.

Dennis said...

The point is, the Observers are not supposed to interfere - their job is just to observe.

However, in "The Adjustment Bureau", their job IS to interfere.

They have different "missions", even though not everyone does what they are supposed to do...

OldDarth said...

Understood, thanks for the clarification.

Anonymous said...

And you never know where they'll turn up:

http://tinyurl.com/4grr75u

CrazyDreamer said...

Im glad my question got cleared up cause it was bothering me. I was really hoping that the writer didnt copy from Fringe. When I first saw the trailer I was looking for J.J. Abrams name at the bottom but it wasnt there. Well we at least know that they have two different meaning to the stories

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