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Review #66: Equilibrium.
Set in a dystopian futuristic city after a Third World War, humanity itself has been suppressed using drugs that obliterate human emotions.
The reasoning is that human emotion is the cause of war, suffering and death, and must be eradicated, along with any form of human emotion including creativity, paintings, music and film.
A special police force has also been created called the Grammaton Clerics, used for dealing with anyone who has ‘ceased the dose’ and has begun ‘feeling’ again. The Clerics are a super-trained elite force at stopping anyone and anything that threatens the tranquillity of the city.
Head of the Clerics is John Preston. He’s the best there is, but hunting down and killing ‘Feelers’ for as long as he has, he himself decides to ‘cease the dose’ and turns his new found feelings, along with his super-skills against his peers and take down the oppressive and fascist ‘government’.
It’s an interesting movie for what it is. Many say it’s a Matrix style action flick but deep down it’s something more. It has an almost political message and a philosophical outlook on humanity.
The style of action is similar to The Matrix with almost superhuman movements and martial arts, but that’s as far as it goes.
The story itself is the thing that makes the movie worth watching, though extremely implausible in the way it has been played out, it borders on brainless cod politics, but it works brilliantly.
The acting is a little dodgy at times though.
Christian Bale is at his usual self, playing it deadly serious throughout but as an emotionless police officer, he still shows signs of emotion. When his character ceases to dose though, Bale really nails the part.
Taye Diggs as Bale’s partner is terrible as an apparently emotionless Cleric. He just smiles smarmily throughout and tends to show a lot of anger for someone who is dosing on emotion suppressing drugs.
The martial arts action is really what the film is about. It’s brilliantly choreographed and exciting. If anything, it’s better than The Matrix and has a more grounded and real feel to it too.
What lets the film down is that there are a number of questions raised about the rest of the world outside the city. Similar in vein to the questions raised by Demolition Man.
It all doesn’t quite make sense. Though, if you can look past all the plot holes…
All in all it’s a relatively low-key effort and it’s hard to see where the massive budget went, but for anyone who’s after a relatively brainless but thought-provoking actioner, it’s worth a watch.
My rating 80%
Set in a dystopian futuristic city after a Third World War, humanity itself has been suppressed using drugs that obliterate human emotions.
The reasoning is that human emotion is the cause of war, suffering and death, and must be eradicated, along with any form of human emotion including creativity, paintings, music and film.
A special police force has also been created called the Grammaton Clerics, used for dealing with anyone who has ‘ceased the dose’ and has begun ‘feeling’ again. The Clerics are a super-trained elite force at stopping anyone and anything that threatens the tranquillity of the city.
Head of the Clerics is John Preston. He’s the best there is, but hunting down and killing ‘Feelers’ for as long as he has, he himself decides to ‘cease the dose’ and turns his new found feelings, along with his super-skills against his peers and take down the oppressive and fascist ‘government’.
It’s an interesting movie for what it is. Many say it’s a Matrix style action flick but deep down it’s something more. It has an almost political message and a philosophical outlook on humanity.
The style of action is similar to The Matrix with almost superhuman movements and martial arts, but that’s as far as it goes.
The story itself is the thing that makes the movie worth watching, though extremely implausible in the way it has been played out, it borders on brainless cod politics, but it works brilliantly.
The acting is a little dodgy at times though.
Christian Bale is at his usual self, playing it deadly serious throughout but as an emotionless police officer, he still shows signs of emotion. When his character ceases to dose though, Bale really nails the part.
Taye Diggs as Bale’s partner is terrible as an apparently emotionless Cleric. He just smiles smarmily throughout and tends to show a lot of anger for someone who is dosing on emotion suppressing drugs.
The martial arts action is really what the film is about. It’s brilliantly choreographed and exciting. If anything, it’s better than The Matrix and has a more grounded and real feel to it too.
What lets the film down is that there are a number of questions raised about the rest of the world outside the city. Similar in vein to the questions raised by Demolition Man.
It all doesn’t quite make sense. Though, if you can look past all the plot holes…
All in all it’s a relatively low-key effort and it’s hard to see where the massive budget went, but for anyone who’s after a relatively brainless but thought-provoking actioner, it’s worth a watch.
My rating 80%
