Mini Review - Equilibrium

I kept thinking '1984' and 'Gattaca', with a little bit of 'The Matrix'. That about sums it up.

Christian Bale is okay in this role, but the movie is not really that great. My main problem with the movie is the core plot point: Emotions are outlawed and 'Prozac' is required (well, not that name brand, but everyone knows what they're referencing). Anyone that cries, is filled with joy, etc., is sentenced to death. I guess the purpose is to keep society calm, but everyone takes it, not just the proletariat, so I'm sure they are commenting on the use of these types of drugs and are not allegorically referencing communism or anything else.

The problem is this: How do you draw the line? Several times you see the 'clerics' (the thought police) smile or look angry. Aren't those emotions? It's poorly executed, but I guess it would be an even worse movie if nobody had any emotions at all.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about the secondary points, like killing puppies, hiding 'Prozac', illegal mirror frames, etc., but suffice it to say they are either cheesy heart-string pullers, devices used in similar movies 100's of times before, or are as silly as the core emotion plot point.

The end was too Matrix-y. It worked for The Matrix because they could defy physics, but it was just silly in this movie. Oh, and the part where he pistol-whips six guards to death, ones that have guns and are inches away from him, was hilarious.

My suggestion: Read 1984 and watch Gattaca. I'm sure you've already seen The Matrix.

Equilibrium (2002)