Equilibrium
Yet another film with the message that government is bad and humanity is good. So, does this movie make us want to join the resistance in hopes for the end of the villainy, or does it make us join the government so that this doesn't happen again?
In the first couple years of the 21st Century, the government has taken complete control of everyone's lives just to end World War 3. Anything that would allow someone to feel any form of emotion has been banned, including books, art, animals, and films. The police that protect this nation are known as the Clerics, with one of the strongest being John Preston (Christian Bale). These Clerics are sent to the area where most resistance fighters are located to kill them on a daily basis. After a raid, John notices that his partner is taking a book with him. His partner explains that he wants it to be destroyed properly. Later that day, John discovers that his partner has yet to turn the book in. He searches him out and finds him reading it. This alerts John that his partner is a sense offender, someone who has refused to take their medication that prevents them from feeling emotions, and kills him. Afterwards, he meets his new partner, Brandt (Taye Diggs). After some chatting, John returns home to his kids. The next day, he begins to question a woman that is sentenced to death, Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson). He believes that she knows something about the underground resistance, but she doesn't give him an answer. Instead, she begins telling him of what it's like to feel. This gets John thinking, which also causes him to not take his medicine the next day. As he proceeds through the rest of the week without taking his medicine, he begins gaining more and more feelings. Eventually, he comes to the point where he can't take it anymore and decides to help the resistance take down the government.
As an action movie, you'd expect at least some decent action scenes. Well the ones here are way above decent. There's three forms of fighting here that the Clerics are trained in. You have your basic martial arts and swordplay, but there's also some gunplay as well. These are pulled off incredibly well by Christian Bale and make the action sequences a blast to watch, especially the fight of John vs. Brandt. Also, it's really interesting to watch John go through the movie once he gets his emotions back. He becomes an interesting character, somewhat, and even more fun to watch.
However, that's really my only positives. Let's start this with the very first noticeable problem with the film. The setting. It's set within the early years of the 21st Century. No specific date is ever given, but it still feels like it's too early. This should of been set in the 23rd or 25th Century at the least. A far off future where it would be believable. Having it set in the early 21st Century just doesn't work. Then there's the concept of no feeling. This is where a ton of problems kick in. It just seems like a way to allow these actors to bring their absolute worst game to the table. None of them can feel or have emotion, so none of them seem to try. Even when Bale gets his emotions back, he still doesn't seem to want to try and have emotion. The movie also doesn't have a whole lot of structure built around this concept. They tell us that this medicine causes them to not feel, yet there's tons of instances where the ones under this medicine seem to be feeling happy. There's also not a whole lot of explanation for how the world works. They show that these people get married, but how? If they can't feel love, how is their mate chosen? Are they chosen by the government or are they actually allowed to feel love for a short time? Then they show that they can have kids. How are the kids born? Do these people have sex? If so, do they enjoy it? If not, then are the kids created in a lab? How are their jobs chosen? If they can choose, then why choose to be a Cleric? For passion and love for their society? Or, once again, does the government do it? These questions and many more are never answered.
So would I really recommend this film? Not really. The film may be fun if you're going to watch it with friends, but on its own merits, it's not a good movie. The story is weak and it can't stand on action scenes alone.
In the first couple years of the 21st Century, the government has taken complete control of everyone's lives just to end World War 3. Anything that would allow someone to feel any form of emotion has been banned, including books, art, animals, and films. The police that protect this nation are known as the Clerics, with one of the strongest being John Preston (Christian Bale). These Clerics are sent to the area where most resistance fighters are located to kill them on a daily basis. After a raid, John notices that his partner is taking a book with him. His partner explains that he wants it to be destroyed properly. Later that day, John discovers that his partner has yet to turn the book in. He searches him out and finds him reading it. This alerts John that his partner is a sense offender, someone who has refused to take their medication that prevents them from feeling emotions, and kills him. Afterwards, he meets his new partner, Brandt (Taye Diggs). After some chatting, John returns home to his kids. The next day, he begins to question a woman that is sentenced to death, Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson). He believes that she knows something about the underground resistance, but she doesn't give him an answer. Instead, she begins telling him of what it's like to feel. This gets John thinking, which also causes him to not take his medicine the next day. As he proceeds through the rest of the week without taking his medicine, he begins gaining more and more feelings. Eventually, he comes to the point where he can't take it anymore and decides to help the resistance take down the government.
As an action movie, you'd expect at least some decent action scenes. Well the ones here are way above decent. There's three forms of fighting here that the Clerics are trained in. You have your basic martial arts and swordplay, but there's also some gunplay as well. These are pulled off incredibly well by Christian Bale and make the action sequences a blast to watch, especially the fight of John vs. Brandt. Also, it's really interesting to watch John go through the movie once he gets his emotions back. He becomes an interesting character, somewhat, and even more fun to watch.
However, that's really my only positives. Let's start this with the very first noticeable problem with the film. The setting. It's set within the early years of the 21st Century. No specific date is ever given, but it still feels like it's too early. This should of been set in the 23rd or 25th Century at the least. A far off future where it would be believable. Having it set in the early 21st Century just doesn't work. Then there's the concept of no feeling. This is where a ton of problems kick in. It just seems like a way to allow these actors to bring their absolute worst game to the table. None of them can feel or have emotion, so none of them seem to try. Even when Bale gets his emotions back, he still doesn't seem to want to try and have emotion. The movie also doesn't have a whole lot of structure built around this concept. They tell us that this medicine causes them to not feel, yet there's tons of instances where the ones under this medicine seem to be feeling happy. There's also not a whole lot of explanation for how the world works. They show that these people get married, but how? If they can't feel love, how is their mate chosen? Are they chosen by the government or are they actually allowed to feel love for a short time? Then they show that they can have kids. How are the kids born? Do these people have sex? If so, do they enjoy it? If not, then are the kids created in a lab? How are their jobs chosen? If they can choose, then why choose to be a Cleric? For passion and love for their society? Or, once again, does the government do it? These questions and many more are never answered.
So would I really recommend this film? Not really. The film may be fun if you're going to watch it with friends, but on its own merits, it's not a good movie. The story is weak and it can't stand on action scenes alone.