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Overall Rating
 Awesome: 40.78%
Worth A Look: 33.98%
Average: 11.65%
Pretty Bad: 9.71%
Total Crap: 3.88%
5 reviews, 73 user ratings
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| Equilibrium |
by Scott Weinberg
"A slick and tasty science fiction stew."
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I’d love to know what the folks over at Dimension Pictures are smoking. In 2002 the genre studio bankrolled two damn fine movies, neither of which earned one-third of the marketing and cineplex saturation they deserved.One was David Twohy’s creepy haunted sub flick Below and the other was Kurt Wimmer’s wholly enjoyable Equilibrium. Now that both films have hit home video, it comes as no surprise to me that movie-fan reaction is overwhelmingly positive. These are two solid genre entries that could have turned some solid coin at the box office… ok, probably not. Movies like these nearly always turn their profits on home video, so maybe the Dimension suits knew what they were doing after all… but still I’m not fully convinced.
Detractors of Equilibrium have taken great pains to catalog all of the science-fiction novels and films by which Wimmer’s flick was clearly inspired. As if sci-fi movies haven’t been feeding off their ancestors for the past 20 years now. Yes, Equilibrium is a barely-veiled pastiche of Brave New World, 1984, The Matrix, Logan’s Run, Farenheit 451 and about a dozen others, but (as Wimmer himself clearly states in his audio commentary) it’s not like the film is denying those influences. Some see a film culled from 18 other sources; I see a sci-fi film written and directed by a man who clearly has a lot of respect for the genre and has used his various inspirations to create a ‘salad bar’ flick that more than capably stands on its own.
It’s the near-future and human emotion has been outlawed. In an ongoing effort to keep humanity’s volatile nature under control, the government offers Librium - a daily-injected serum that smothers emotion. Further, we now have “Grammaton Clerics”, impressive officials whose job it is to seek out and destroy all traces of humanity’s former artistry; music and other forms of human expression often lead to strong emotions…and we already covered how this horrifying society feels about human emotion.
In true sci-fi form we’re offered a hero who goes from ‘part of the machine’ to humanity’s last real hope. Christian Bale plays Cleric John Preston, an officer fully devoted to stamping out human emotion wherever he’s sent. Not only do Clerics destroy any ‘free-thinkers’ and pieces of artwork they come across, but they’re also schooled in the slick art of “Gunkata”. (Imagine high-end martial arts with a pistol in each hand and you get the idea.) But when Preston’s partner Partridge (played quite well by Sean Bean) comes down with a nasty case of ‘humanity’, it starts a chain reaction of events that eventually shake Preston from his drug-induced apathy.
And Preston’s superiors are none too happy about the change.
Look, if you’re gonna knock every movie that takes some inspiration from another, you’re going to spend a lot of time criticizing every single movie you see. Taken as a wholly enjoyable “Sci-Fi Greatest Concepts” compilation, Equilibrium more than works. Aside from its varied inspirations, the movie also manges to mark some new territory of its own; Wimmer clearly has a learned passion for science fiction, so it’s clear (to me, at least) that Equilibrium is not some “get rich quick off the ideas of someone else” sort of retread.
One glowing asset that the film can boast is an excellent cast: Bale continues his string of ‘authoritarian oddballs’ and manages to get the viewer fully ensconsed in Preston’s plight. Bale must work virtually “emotion-free” for two-thirds of the film (a goal much tougher than one would expect) yet still manages to make us CARE about what happens to the guy. Tough role; damn solid performance. Bean offers rewarding work in a very small role, and the list goes on and on. Angus McFadyen is clearly having a ball as the Big Brother-ish overseer; Emily Watson brings some welcome light and heart into a generally heavy movie; Taye Diggs steals a few scenes whole as Preston’s ambitious new partner, and a few always-welcome character actors (including Sean Pertwee and William Fichtner) capably populate the background.
My bet is this: if you’re ‘sci-fi smart’ enough to notice all of the sources that Wimmer was clearly inspired by, you’ll probably be able to appreciate Equilibrium for what it is: 50% homage to the classic science fiction touchstones and 50% damn solid in its own right. I see so many movies that RIP OFF other movies that it’s a real delight to find one that borrows its inspirations with some respect and creativity.Plus there’s a heaping handful of ass-kicking action scenes, and those are always cool.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6437&reviewer=128
originally posted: 04/30/04 19:14:55
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USA
06-Dec-2002 (R)
DVD: 19-Apr-2011
UK
N/A
Australia
N/A
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