Equilibrium

Would be a mindless action picture, except that it has a mind. It doesn't do a lot of deep thinking, but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x, it does make a statement:

Equilibrium improves as it rolls along -- either that or, ironically, it wears down the senses until the viewer succumbs.

Mostly plays like a routine thriller with a classy cast.

This operates at the intellectual level of the old "Star Trek" in its limp last season, and the professed humanism is belied by the extreme violence and Nazi-chic production design (not to mention a voice-over that traces the outlawing of emotion to "the revolutionary precept of the hate crime").

An accidental entertainment, Equilibrium is a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left.

Misses with its blowhard treatment of a silly, obvious script. Results might hazard "Battlefield Earth" comparison if new pic were a tad more fun.

If someone left "1984," "Fahrenheit 451," "Brave New World," "Gattaca" and the Sylvester Stallone potboilers "Judge Dredd" and "Demolition Man" out in the sun and threw the runny glop onto a movie screen, it would still be a better picture than Equilibrium, a movie that could be stupider only if it were longer.

Equilibrium is among the movies that left a deep impact on my mind. The big & best part is the set of philosophical points about emotions. The idea behind the movie is excellent & Christian Bale deserves an Oscar for his performance in this movie. Equilibrium is the best Sci-Fi movie with a unique concept. One thing that I like most about this movie is the Gun-Fu fighting style. Hong Kong movies are famous for this fighting style and Christian Bale looks like a master of Gun-Fu in this movie. The movie has an excellent atmosphere, action sequence, character development, costumes, camera work, and VFX. The amount of tension with every growing second makes the film more entertaining.

It's a good movie but not amazing, the story was nice, for the action it was unrealistic but enjoyable, the movie is easy to predict and the performance was normal nothing special.

I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, the action is superb and the story is reminiscent enough of dystopian classics while still maintaining enough original elements to make for an interesting premise and maintain this interest throughout the movie. On the other, writer/director Kurt Wimmer isn't particularly known for subtlety and intelligence in his films, which a movie like this most certainly requires in order to be successful. The story, a mashup of elements derived from other, bigger, and better films like Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World, follows John Preston, a high-ranking member of a secret police force established in humanity's last bastion following World War 3 and tasked with eliminating any and all items that invoke human emotion, as well as executing "Sense Offenders" who fail to take the emotion-blocking drug Prozium. Yes, rather than books or knowledge deemed dangerous by the ruling party in other similar works, humanity's problems are this time blamed upon our ability to feel, particularly rage and anger, but anything that invokes any emotion whatsoever is labeled for destruction--music, paintings, literature, you name it. The concept is interesting: without emotion someone is typically considered a sociopath/psychopath, and yet crime and violence are completely eradicated in the city-state of Libria (aside from the "necessary" execution of Sense Offenders in the Nether region beyond the city and in the giant furnaces beneath the streets). But rather than delving deeper into the societal implications of this, Wimmer instead settles for a disappointingly normal saga about Preston and what begins to happen to him when he accidentally misses a dose of Prozium before devolving further into a "rebellion versus evil government who seeks out the help of an ex-bad guy" plot. Typical. The cast is both a strength and a weakness. One great thing about this movie is that it brings out the best in Sean Bean, who as Preston's original partner Errol Partridge brings real emotion, conviction, and humanity to his brief appearances in the movie, remorseful for having served the government in pursuit of a misguided quest to rob mankind of what makes us human, before quoting Yeats poetry and taking a bullet to the neck in an abandoned church in typical Sean Bean fashion, though we're sad to see him go. He would have undoubtedly made a more interesting protagonist than Preston (portrayed by Christian Bale), who, aside from the moments in which he experiences flashes of emotion that cause breakdowns on the spot, is not terribly convincing or interesting. Wimmer doesn't try at all to make him likable nor does he give us much reason to care for him, as he shoots his best friend early on in the movie and was present at his wife's execution despite having fought to prevent the police from taking her when they raided his house. His speech is very monotone (if and when he does speak), and his main purpose in the movie appears to be to shoot people. Though that's more, I suppose, than Emily Watson's Mary O'Brien character was allowed to do, as after her arrest all she did was sit in an interrogation room and wait for Preston to come back and say something to her. And one other thing, though I won't spoil that. Taye Diggs, for a man without emotion, sure puts a lot more into his performance than Bale does, smiling and occasionally cracking jokes while still capable of being ruthless when it is demanded of him (though he's not exactly the greatest fighter without an armed strike team to back him up). The two standouts in this movie are Bean, because we wish we could have seen more of him, and Diggs, who is appropriately devious in his role as a secondary antagonist. One superb element of the movie is the action sequences, especially the gun kata utilized by the Grammaton Clerics that puts even John Woo's signature gun fu style to shame. The difference here is that while other forms of the art usually rely on pure reflex, Wimmer's style is more scientific, allowing the wielder, through analysis of recorded gunfights, to predict the angles of enemy fire and adjust their own fire to inflict the maximum amount of damage on opponents while suffering a minimal amount themselves. The gunplay in the film is fast, unrelenting, and brutal, and it looks cool as hell, beating out even "The Matrix" and "Desperado". As I stated above, there are things that I like about this movie, and things that I don't. Is it entertaining? Sure. Does it make a statement about humanity and society, and the direction we're headed? To an extent. But if you're looking for a meatier, more philosophical look on a less undesirable trait of our species, go watch one of the more classic dystopian movies rather than this one. Still, on a slow Saturday night, this will offer a fun and usually engaging ride, provided you don't read too much into it. 6/10

A conceptual Christian Bale sci-fi vehicle that can't quite commit to its one primary plot point. It's the future, and we're living in a totalitarian regime thanks to a government-mandated drug that saps humanity of all emotion. Bale plays the stern, cold head of the gestapo, responsible for tracking and exterminating the few remaining shreds of liberal thought left in the wild. Curiously, after incinerating every shred of artwork, poetry and literature he can find, this super-cop then retires to his ornately decorated office, where a big show is made of the beautiful architecture and lavish sculptural decorations. The story's failure to comply with its own focal point doesn't end there, as Bale's coworkers and bosses are surprisingly animated and emotive for men supposedly removed from their own feelings. The plot offers no revelations, with the protagonist stomping through a shallow character arc and an overly simple, black-and-white evaluation of the grand scheme. There's fruit to be harvested here, but Equilibrium is either too short or too lazy to reach for it. A few very good action scenes (leading to an unusually high body count) are its only saving grace.

Its ridiculous. Why? Because you are MORE likely to start wars wiht no emotion, not less. Its like the writer and director have zero understanding that Stalin, Putin, **** people are not emotional. Making everyone have no emotions mean they wont care if they kill someone. Its why people on Meth, crack are more likely to kill. It takes away their empathy and makes them feel invincible. Its not even an interesting concept , because it just doesnt make sense lol. If you are a murderous person you are probably more likely to kill unless the drug makes people like that docile. The movie is mediocre and very silly.