Such was the power and influence of "The Matrix" when it was released that film companies were rushing to capitalise on its success with their own effects-laden, bullet-ridden blockbusters. And perhaps few films mimic their inspirations quite as closely as this one, although you can add "Fahrenheit 451", "Blade Runner" and others to the mix as well. It is derivative, almost to the point of parody, but the action and story more than make up for the lack of any depth or original ideas.
Welcome to the near future where humanity has recovered from the devastation of World War 3 using an emotion-suppressing drug called Prozium. The result of everyone taking this drug is that all human feeling - love, rage, anger, etc. - has been eradicated and society is operating under a totalitarian organisation led by Father (Sean Pertwee) where extremely violent Clerics have orders to hunt and kill anybody who expressed a sense of anything. One such Cleric, John Preston (Christian Bale), accidentally misses a dose of Prozium and slowly finds himself rediscovering his humanity and siding with the rebels underground and especially the condemned Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson), a Sense Offender that John brought in. But as John begins to realise what he must do, his zealous partner Brandt (Taye Diggs) begins to suspect the traitor to their cause...
Although this movie may have some good ideas at the core, "Equilibrium" concentrates on burying them beneath a wave of "Matrix"-style action which is called Gun-Kata in the film. No doubt about it, the film looks amazing and especially when Bale begins to fight the system, leaping about all over the place like Daffy Duck with a couple of Berettas. It is undeniably cool but it does detract from the story which is not only intelligent but worthy of your attention, despite some simply massive plot holes. Bale is a natural at suppressing emotion - which is what makes him so good as Batman - so is perfect in the role of Preston but Watson also does well, despite a limited amount of screen time. Diggs, however, felt a little out of place. I realise he's just another pretty-boy model who can recite lines when needed but why exactly is he flashing his perfectly white teeth in a grin when he's supposed to be suppressing all emotion? Just a thought.
Like another all-action blast (namely "Desperado"), "Equilibrium" might not be big or clever but it is a whole lot of fun although not as tongue-in-cheek as Robert Rodriguez's film. It's a strange cross between something like "The Matrix" and some older, more serious sci-fi like "Fahrenheit 451" or "Soylent Green". It's just a pity that more thought wasn't put into the script because it strives to be something like "Blade Runner" but ends up more like "The Island", another sci-fi film that had a promising set-up but decided to go down the route of excessive cinematic action scenes. However, "Equilibrium" is more entertaining than "The Island" - not only is the action more impressive but this film has a quality to it that belies its fairly modest budget. So long as you don't yearn for the sight of Carrie-Anne Moss in a leather catsuit, this is a solidly entertaining slice of sci-fi action but one that, with a bit more smarts to it, might have been right up there with its classic inspirations instead.
Welcome to the near future where humanity has recovered from the devastation of World War 3 using an emotion-suppressing drug called Prozium. The result of everyone taking this drug is that all human feeling - love, rage, anger, etc. - has been eradicated and society is operating under a totalitarian organisation led by Father (Sean Pertwee) where extremely violent Clerics have orders to hunt and kill anybody who expressed a sense of anything. One such Cleric, John Preston (Christian Bale), accidentally misses a dose of Prozium and slowly finds himself rediscovering his humanity and siding with the rebels underground and especially the condemned Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson), a Sense Offender that John brought in. But as John begins to realise what he must do, his zealous partner Brandt (Taye Diggs) begins to suspect the traitor to their cause...
Although this movie may have some good ideas at the core, "Equilibrium" concentrates on burying them beneath a wave of "Matrix"-style action which is called Gun-Kata in the film. No doubt about it, the film looks amazing and especially when Bale begins to fight the system, leaping about all over the place like Daffy Duck with a couple of Berettas. It is undeniably cool but it does detract from the story which is not only intelligent but worthy of your attention, despite some simply massive plot holes. Bale is a natural at suppressing emotion - which is what makes him so good as Batman - so is perfect in the role of Preston but Watson also does well, despite a limited amount of screen time. Diggs, however, felt a little out of place. I realise he's just another pretty-boy model who can recite lines when needed but why exactly is he flashing his perfectly white teeth in a grin when he's supposed to be suppressing all emotion? Just a thought.
Like another all-action blast (namely "Desperado"), "Equilibrium" might not be big or clever but it is a whole lot of fun although not as tongue-in-cheek as Robert Rodriguez's film. It's a strange cross between something like "The Matrix" and some older, more serious sci-fi like "Fahrenheit 451" or "Soylent Green". It's just a pity that more thought wasn't put into the script because it strives to be something like "Blade Runner" but ends up more like "The Island", another sci-fi film that had a promising set-up but decided to go down the route of excessive cinematic action scenes. However, "Equilibrium" is more entertaining than "The Island" - not only is the action more impressive but this film has a quality to it that belies its fairly modest budget. So long as you don't yearn for the sight of Carrie-Anne Moss in a leather catsuit, this is a solidly entertaining slice of sci-fi action but one that, with a bit more smarts to it, might have been right up there with its classic inspirations instead.