Rating: 
Summary: Martial Arms
Review: As many previous reviewers have noted, this movie is a combination of a "Farhenheit 451" or "1984"- type dystopian future movie with a "Matrix"-like action component. Actually, the action is more like a combination of "The Matrix" "The Terminator" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (without the flying, though). In a short "making of" featurette included with the DVD, the director speaks of his desire to wed the two genres, but the movie doesn't entirely work on either level. The non-action portion of the movie is actually fairly uninteresting and unoriginal, and nothing really surprises you as the main character makes his transition from fascist enforcer to "sense offender" outlaw. There are no really especially surprising or original elements anywhere in the movie, really. Even the opening narration/stock war film montage seems ripped off directly from "The Road Warrior." As an action movie, it suffers from the first major action sequence not occurring until a full hour into the movie. And when the big action finale arrives, there is no real drama, because Christian Bale's character is just an unstoppable super-hero killing machine, like The Terminator (or Nicolas Cage in "Windtalkers" for that matter) who'll get out of any situation unscathed, no matter how many baddies surround him, or how many bullets are fired at him. As science fiction, it doesn't rate as highly as the original "Matrix" or "Minority Report." Still, it's not a bad, lightweight grade B, comic book action type movie, but not a classic, even in that genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Equilibrium
Review: I watched this for the first time today 5-20-03. This is an excellent movie. If you are a fan of good scifi then this film is for you. I intend to buy this film and add it to my DVD collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-done, albeit derivative
Review: "Equilibrium" borrows heavily from the ideas and styles of other "dark future" science fiction movies, including Brazil, 1984 and The Matrix and its symbolism is often heavy-handed. Nonetheless, I found it engrossing, and some of the elaborately choreographed fight scenes are right up there with the best of recent offerings. Overall, the movie is at least as good as "Minority Report."
Rating:
Summary: !!!
Review: As stated over and over this movie in terms of action is in a league all it's own. The story most closely resembles Farenheit 451, a post war time where feeling has become a crime. Christian Bale does a terrific job and you can really see his character at war w/ himself. Excellent movie, great action. See this movie.
Rating:
Summary: At least theres action...
Review: i must admit, i was a little aprehesive about this movie at first, cause all the first half hour was (minus one really cool action scene) was a rip off of the Matrix, Farenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World. had i been rating the originality of this movie, it would be a one. but i'm not, i'm rating whether or not it was fun. and it was. it has some very original action sequences. to me, that was what made the movie. the story was sub-par (bordering on annoying...) but i felt the action made up for it. some people can accept this, some people can't. thats fine. you will either love this movie, or hate it. i loved it. i thought the action was on level with that of the Matrix, and each fight scene was completely different than the rest. all in all worth at least watching, but i don't guarantee you'll like it. just don't expect too much out of the story...
Rating:
Summary: where did this movie come from?
Review: This movie had been so hyped up on message boards that I was looking for the ultimate hidden gem with this movie. While I'm not sure it quite stands up the brilliance that is has been described as being, this is a very fine movie. The setting for Equilibrium is after World War III. Having survived three world wars, humanity might not be able to survive a fourth. It was decided that the greatest danger to humanity was humanity itself. More specifically, it was human emotion that drove men to war. To ensure that no war or murder would ever happen again, emotion was suppressed. Every man, woman, and child had to daily take medication to suppress emotion. There was no more murder (excepting the state sponsored kind), and feeling was a crime...called a sense crime. A new agency was put into place to enforce the sense laws. These men were known as clerics. Christian Bale plays John Preston, the highest ranking cleric in the city/state. It is his job to hunt down the sense offenders in the city. We see Preston going about his job (violently at times) until he captures a sense offender named Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson). Mary seems to remind Preston of his own wife (a sense offender, herself) and it is at this point when we see John Preston take an interest in feeling, and in the forbidden objects (music, most vestiges of the past). You can guess where the movie goes from there. This could be an excellent novel is the story was fleshed out a little bit. The main aspect of this film that will draw in viewers is the action. It is intense and at times unbelievable. But, during the course of the story, we are told how such a thing is possible...and this helps more than one might think. Not only do we believe that John Preston can pull off this action, we believe that with the proper training we also are capable of the same. The gun battles are almost a dance, they are that well done, and I don't know how to describe some of the fight sequences. In particular, there is a gun battle where the guns are almost used as swords where one mistake can end the battle....simply beautiful. It seems that every science fiction movie will bear comparisons to The Matrix. This is entirely unfair and absurd. This movie is different than the Matrix, not necessarily better or worse. It has its own style and is an excellent movie in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic movie, so no sequels, please.
Review: I think most everyone who saw Equilibrium would agree it was the most pleasant surprise of 2002. It's first-rate entertainment that pretty much had it all: a solid story, a stellar cast, visually appealing sets, and the most wildly thrilling action sequences of its kind since The Matrix. Thus, it is inevitable, especially considering the movie was financed by Dimension Films, the purveyor of realising schlock straight-to-video releases, that a direct-to-video sequel will be proposed to cash in on this movie's burgeoning fan base. As a huge fan of Equilibrium, I cannot emphasize what a terrible idea that would be. This is a movie that clearly concluded its story and left just enough for viewers to chew on their own time. Don't disgrace this film with unnecessary sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Amaizing movie
Review: Incredible action,stunning vizuals,very good acting,smart
and inteligent.
Rating:
Summary: Stop comparing this to the Matrix!
Review: I was one of the lucky few who saw this in the theater and enjoyed every minute. One thing that becomes quite obvious early in the film, except to maybe the most dull of movie watchers, is that this film is not to be taken literally. The story unfolds as a parable where a fascist society controls the masses under the guise of society's best interest.
All of the performances carry the futuristic fairy tale through its motions in a fresh if not original narrative down to the final battle.
My only problems with this film are the people who are marketing it and the people who are watching it. The creators of the Matrix wisely recruited the veteran talent of Yuen Woo Ping for fights and stunts. I love his work in the dozen and a half movies I've seen that showcase his it. But NOTHING done in the Matrix with respect to fight choreography is new and has been done better by Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Equilibrium offers not only an original looking choreography but there is a reason to it aside from looking cool because you can. Neat fight scenes and a dark future are the only things this movie and The Matrix have in common so to all those professional and amateur movie reviewers alike, please stop illustrating your narrow knowledge of film by continuing to compare every dark future film to The Matrix, you might as well be comparing all these films to Johnny Pneumonic.
See this film, expect a fun parable and enjoy yourself. If you still don't get it, then give it another chance with the commentary on.
Rating:
Summary: Tell the critics to "-" off!!!!
Review: I can't understand the critics lambasting this movie - the whole vision of it totally blew me away. It reminded me of the first time I went to see "Blade Runner" and the critics, at the time, mocked that picture too. Well, phooey to them and rent the thing. I mean it!!! The cinematography is outstanding. I found the story pretty original and the action scenes kick .... Wimmer stresses and stresses and stresses ;o) how much he couldn't accomplish on a tight budget and timeframe - well, that's a bunch of c.... The whole feel of this thing is superb and outstanding. Geezus, he did a fantastic job. Kudos to Christian Bale and Emily Watson and the rest of the cast. Yes - the subject matter has been done before but Wimmer had the sense to add his own style to the whole piece. I loved this movie!!! It moved me not only as a dog lover ;o) but as a human being. Geezus. It is not "Minority Report" which I did not enjoy at all. See this movie! Please?! CMS
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