Equilibrium

Rating:
Summary: Insipid
Review: This painfully predictable cliche-flick is as campy as it is moronic. It is the kind of...science fiction that would even get cut from the Sci-Fi channel. The plot is a rahash of Fahrenheit 451, but is done in an incoherent and inconsistent manner. The characters make dumb decisions at every point that they are able to (but prevail anyway, of course). The overarching theme is "feelings," and how they make us human. Ugh, it's like Janeway in Voyager, you just want them to shut up about the whole thing and quit trying to ram it down your throat.

I will give a few examples of the most egregiously ennui-enducing elements of the movie. I won't give an exhuastive list, both because it would crash your browser.

The box says that there are gunbattles in this movie, but I didn't notice any. There are a lot of scenes where people are killing other people with guns, but in NONE of the many sequences does a member of the winning side ever get touched. Each one is a slaughter.

The front of the box talks about how much better this movie is than "The Matrix." Here's a hint: if a movie has to resort to that claim, run the other way. The mood, technique, and design of the film are cheap Matrix knockoffs, unoriginal in every way.

If the movie took itself less seriously, it might be possible to just laugh these types of things off. With the actors looking so serious all the time, though, it just becomes hard to sit through the whole thing. Watch at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: It is pretty good
Review: the movie itself have a very powerful and deep meaning to it. It was meant for the audience to think about their feelings that they take for granted. To persude the audience to think in an odd way. to proclaim to that world is not based on what you see or do, but on what you feel.

I have not seen Far...heit 451, so i have no right to make any comparsion, but I have seen the Matrix, and the Matrix Reload. Compared between the two movie, each has it ups and downs. The Matix is very deep and complix, its fights are based on the speed of the character. Because the Neo (the main character) is supernaturally faster than the nake eye can see. the movie gives u a slow motion point of view. On the other hand, John Preston (the main character of Equilibrium) is not superfast,but he is fast. Not too fast, that you need a slow motion point of view, but fast. His accuarties is very...

Rating:
Summary: Not quite balanced, but very fun...
Review: At first glance, Equilibrium appears to be a cheap knock-off of Andy and Larry Wachowski's baby turned box-office smash, The Matrix. However, Equilibrium is a cool flick in its own right (if a bit too violent for its own good), and very much worthy of sharing the stylized gunplay and black designer clothing with The Matrix.

Written by director Kurt Wimmer, the script is solid for the most part, a rarity in the world of action filmmaking. The acting is also convincing throughout, with both Christian Bale's Preston and Angus MacFadyen's DuPont standing out; Sean Bean's brief appearance in the film is also quite good. There are a few holes in the plot, such as why some of the other Clerics show both anger and pleasure (Taye Diggs' character seems to grin like an idiot just a bit too often for a emotion suppressed Cleric). But as a whole, the acting and writing are both a cut above what you might expect from this unheard of movie.

In all seriousness, however, the focus of the film is undoubtedly its action. And what stylish action it is. The karate-gun fusion that is Gun Kata is simply a marvel to behold, and really gives the film its own kick. The film feels bigger and grander than its $20 million dollar budget (For comparison, The Matrix budget totaled somewhere in the $90-$100 million dollar range), and, according to the director's commentary, several of the action scenes were shot in one take due to a lack of time, which is very impressive given their overall quality.

Equilibrium is at heart an entertaining action flick, though its stab at bringing a little bit of intellect into the action genre is quite respectable. It doesn't try to be anything more than it is, and that's okay because all it is is pure fun.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I just saw "Hulk" today and I felt a bit depressed since it didn't live up to my expectations of what a good action movie should be. This movie more than made up for that. This is the best science fiction action movie I've seen in a LONG time. It's incredibly intelligent. Every time I thought I knew what was about to happen there was a twist. This movie is totally unpredictable unlike "The Matrix." This movie is better than "The Matrix" in every way possible. The fight scenes in this are so brilliantly done. I've never seen gun battles like this. It reminded me of some classic Japanese Animes I've seen. But "Equilibrium stands completely on it's own. It's completely original and I want to watch it again.

Rating:
Summary: A Silly Little Case of Deja Vu
Review: Borrowing from, perhaps, every science fiction or related genre films (FAHRENHEIT 451's censorship, 1984's Big Brotherism, BLADE RUNNER's search for truth, THX 1138's outlaw of emotion, THE MATRIX's kinetic action, the ZATOICHI series of samurai films, LOGAN'S RUN awakening Sandman themes, and even DEMOLITION MAN's brainwashed hero / antihero), EQUILIBRIUM never quite finds the perfect balance in the mix of sociopolitical themes ... but it sure boasts an impressive performance by Christian Bale as the emotion-killer 'Cleric' who slowly discovers his feelings, only to find survival and salvation in once again tossing emotions aside.

Think DANGEROUS LIAISONS. In the future. Dressed all in black. With guns.

In this cautionary tale of the near-future, emotion -- the source of all things human -- has been outlawed. Those found exploring their emotions are destroyed, burned to death in chambers of unforgiving stone and steel. Still, the lack of emotion occasionally hampers a story almost crying out to be told by Bale's John Preston. The few reserved smiles he shares whilst finding the humanity buried deep within himself are barely enough to keep one's interest. Those who make the trip, however, are rewarded with a crescendo by newcomer Bale. Easily, he makes the most of heavily-choreographed revolutionist climax.

While the film's dueling guns philosophy (gunkata?) feels occasionally out of place in a world denied emotion, the writer/director keeps tipping his story back and forth between the more interesting elements (emotional discovery in human expressions, the nature of relationships in a world turned cold, etc.) and the less interesting, predictable instances (long-held camera shots of Librium, the city, and the seemingly endless march of its hypnotized citizenry). Photographed in dark hues, some of the images symbolizing emotional discovery -- a rainbow over the dark city, the smile of Preston's young son, the glimmer of a puppies eyes -- are almost swallowed whole by the film. The resonant as best the can in a world meant for robots.

All in all, EQUILIBRIUM is not a bad film, even measured as derivative of some of the finer films mentioned above. The pacing is a bit uneven, but Bale manages to keep the viewer's interest. The texture is overwhelming, but the constant search for hints of emotion on John Preston's face lift the story above the ordinary. What's frustrating is the film it could have been ... had it found better balance.

Rating:
Summary: not some poor man's matrix...
Review: to compare this movie to the overhyped matrix, is a injustice.
despitr it'swellian influences, equilibrium stands on it's own as an action sci-fi flick. no cheesy dialogue, but more like comic book noir. the fight scences were the best since the BLADE films. the pacing of the story was slow and a bit dull but so was the matrix.

at least you can identify with bale's character, the ending although predictable. completed the story, thus no need for a sequel. it's the best sci-fi b-movie since the terminator or escape from new york. skip senseless [stuff] like XXX or the borne identitiy and buy this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Better than MATRIX!
Review: This movie was absolutely amazing. The Story line was great and original. The action sequences were fast paced and downright AMAZING. I especially liked how they didnt try to rip off the matrix like most movies. There shouldnt even be a question whether or not you should see this movie. Everyone who loves action and new plots should own this. Acting was great as well.

Rating:
Summary: Passafist Reviews Equilibrium
Review: Sometimes movies come out as reactions to fads in popular culture. Equilibrium is that kind of movie. It will always be compared to The Matrix, which is fair assessment. Much of the look of the picture seems to pay homage to that film, but its story plays closer to Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and least to me Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

Sometime after World War III, the world was in Chaos. A man came foreword to restore order; he is Father (Sean Pertwee, The 51st State). He implements a social program in which the population takes a drug that denies them feelings. For feelings are major human flaw. Those who do not take this drug are called `sense offenders.'

So of course in the opening scene we watch as 30 sense offenders get slaughtered and the Mona Lisa get burned. We meet a Cleric, the highest-ranking police official in this society, named John Preston (Christian Bale). He recently lost his wife, who was also `sense offender.' In his own unfeeling we see a man about to crack under the pressure. One morning he misses a dose of his drug and we watch as he begins to feel again.

I'm not sure yet, but I believe much of this film is tongue in cheek. It seems like it was winking back at the audience, begging them to get the joke. The film takes itself so seriously you begin to doubt how serious the film is. I hate to invent a genre but it's almost a Dramatic Spoof.

There are a series of gun battles that are just amazing. Most seem to be done without wires, without bullet time, without computer effects. This is a film that probably had a smaller budget than The Matrix but look just as good. There's this one scene that I won't tell you about, but WOW. The choreography was perfect.

Christian Bale is electric in his role. There is this moment where he's telling a puppy to run away. He has a stone face but a sad vulnerability behind his eyes. It's amazing.

Taye Diggs seems to be smiling his way through the film as John's new partner Brandt. He plays the part perfectly, subtle but with fireworks hiding behind him.

And Emily Watson is just gorgeous, as Mary O'Brien, she has a small role, but it's powerful. When her and John touch for the first time. You feel for the first time.

All in all it was a shame that this film had such a small release in the theatres. It's fun and well worth the hour and 40 minutes you spend with these characters. In a world of unfeeling films, Equilibrium gives unfeeling characters a sense of feeling.

Rating:
Summary: I consider this a MUST-SEE!
Review: Equilibrium is a brilliant film. The acting, directing, writing, score, and cinematography are all excellent. The fight scenes are original and spectacular. Of course, there is the oldest battle in the history of time, good vs. evil. This movie centers around the very quality which makes us human, emotions, and what might happen if everyone repressed them. The timing of the story is impeccable. If there was ever a moment in the movie when I thought I might get bored, an unexpected twist occurred to glue me to the screen again. As soon as I finished watching it, I wanted to watch it again and again, the true test of a great film!

Rating:
Summary: Buy it now!
Review: if you haven't seen this movie yet, buy it right now. (what are you waiting for? you're already at amazon, for cryinoutlaud.)

it's about the importance of emotions, and the danger of statism. ultimately, "freedom" means "the freedom to think, and act on one's conclusions, so long as one does not violate the rights of others." even if certain thoughts are dangerous, removing them from society by force is far more dangerous. the hero is the man who was once the most feared enforcer of this oppressive orwellian way of life, who wakes up to the truth of the situation. a powerful reminder that a man used as a weapon is a sword that can turn in your hands, especially if you use him for evil.

plus, all thinking aside, the action is just plain awesome. every fight is coreographed beautifully. the cinematography is amazing; the story is told as much through color and lighting as dialogue and action.

this movie is excellent, and should be seen by everyone, especially those of us who think that themes and ideas like these are important, and our freedom and minds are worth fighting for.

isaac z schlueter