Why Equilibrium Why

[Puckat22]

So lets get it straight from the start, This is not a rant about how bad Equilibrium is. It is mainly for me to find out more about why people like the movie. A bunch of people from my work watched the movie recently and love it. I watched the movie and just could not get into it. And it is not just them, Everybody really seems to like the movie. Now the great Mr. Bale is one of my favs. I Like him all the back when I first saw newsies bak in the 90's. But and movie that is about emotion being outlawed (Could happen) a movie were you sword fight with guns (Weird But? who knows) A movie were a man runs down a long hallway just blastin people on all sides of him and walk away without a bead of sweat or a drop of blood on his white shirt (Can not happen unless he time to OXY the shirt before entering the last room). When yopu watch a movie shouldn't you try to emotionally involve yourself? Thats what it all about right? trying to find a way to feel for Bale in that movie was like trying to muster up a tear when Sean William Scott relizes that Knoxville has been sleeping with his women. I consider myself very open minded too, I enjoyed Brokeback Mt. and even had a chuckle or two with the traveling pants, But to believe that there is a worldwide clock that rings and boom everybody takes their pills. I guess what I am saying is I just need some more logic behind this. "Equilibrium is one of the best movies out there" If there are fellow no believers in the film I would like to hear from you as well, I just would like to gather enough opions from both sides so I can have a more two sided view of the movie.

Thanks

[Puckat22]

Sorry about the grammatical errors had to write super fast, I am at work ya know!

[echo_bravo]

I can definitely see how people could be turned off my this film. I liked it because I didnt take it too seriously. Another reason I liked it was because it had my boy Bale in it.

You gotta admit though, that scene where Bale ran into that pitch dark room and just sprayed everyone with gunfire was fucking awesome!

[Joshmo]

The movie rocks 7/10

You are in the minority on this one...it happens

I cant stand most of Kurasawa's stuff and it doesnt bug m at all that many people do

[Puckat22]

Yeah Bale is the man without a doubt.

And yes I have noticed that I am very alone on not liking the movie.

Thats what I love about movies

[Cronos]

i love Equilibrium, i really love it (10/10) and like it even more everytime i see it. excellent performances, direction and action sequences.

i can easily understand why people wouldnt like it though

[Mr. Fred Krueger]

The film is a great combination of elements from 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and The Matrix. A very fun film that is also pretty smart. I love it. :)

[fooknasty]

I love this movie with such a passion. It is amazing in the ideas that it portrays and in the emotional aspects that it throws at you. If you do not feel for Bale's character at the end, after watching two women he loved be killed, then I am at a loss for words.

I can see where people might find it far fetched, but come on. Honestly, what movie doesn't??

[RustyRazor]

I dug it.
When a screenwriter is allowed to just let go and bring their story to life, Equilibrium is an example of that.
Some movies are just restricted so it doesn't scare off a "general" audience. Like I mentioned in a previous post, a number of people I know didn't like "Back to the Future II" because the whole timeline concept was too hard to accept.
But "Equilibrium", I give it three stars.

[Scarface98.9]

Originally posted by echo_bravo

You gotta admit though, that scene where Bale ran into that pitch dark room and just sprayed everyone with gunfire was fucking awesome!
I love the movie, but even I'm not a fan of that scene. I like being able to see what's going on with gunfights, but it's just me

[Badbird]

So what are you saying? You didn't like it because he didn't break a sweat? He was a trained super-soldier, he shouldn't break a sweat.

And as for the "time to take your medicide" stuff - this is several years in the future. And it's not the whole world, but just this one country. And not everyone took their medicine, hence the underground. But honestly, if the government was going to kill you if you didn't take it, I think most people would be very good about it. They've been forced into submission through decades of force.

I don't like to use the word "brilliant" because I think it gets tossed around far too often. But this movie is far more thought provokingthan a lot of Oscar bait that gets trotted out by both Hollywood and the indies.

But then agian, I'm biased.

[adamjohnson]

Though it ripped alot of ideas rom Fahrenheit 451, it still kicks ass.
8/10

BTW, why is Bale bleeding when he steps off the elevator at the end? What got him?

[Tony_Montana]

The whole no feelings thing didn't work for me. I mean Christian Bale was married, he must have had feelings for that to happen, right?

[someguy]

It's a science fiction movie.

[adamjohnson]

Originally posted by Tony_Montana
The whole no feelings thing didn't work for me. I mean Christian Bale was married, he must have had feelings for that to happen, right?

Well, thats the point of the movie, isn't it? How much can REALLY be suppressed of the human mind. Love? Hate?

It's pretty obvious to me that every marriage is basically an arranged one. But when Bale saw his wife getting arrested he was at his most vicious.

[parsonz]

this movie was awsome how can people not like it

[stickmangrit]

it was an ok movie, but i do recall my single biggest problem with it being that everyone fucking bled sand. every single gunshot wound is followed by narry a drop of blood, but a mass cloud of dust spewing from the exit wound. yanked me right the fuck out of the movie every time.



though watching a man dual-wield Tac-12 shotguns was a fucking sight to behold.

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by stickmangrit
it was an ok movie, but i do recall my single biggest problem with it being that everyone fucking bled sand. every single gunshot wound is followed by narry a drop of blood, but a mass cloud of dust spewing from the exit wound. yanked me right the fuck out of the movie every time.



though watching a man dual-wield Tac-12 shotguns was a fucking sight to behold.

I agree. The movie was rated R. Why couldn't the grey dust be red mist?

[ZenDude]

Its red mist on my dvd copy. The problem is a technical one. Its cgi red mist and they must have put it in during post production and not thought about the need to stain the actors costumes. Love the movie btw!

[Spidey]

Next to Terminator 2, one my most favourite movies ever !
Only one plot problem, the citizens of Libria aren't allowed to possess any paintings or art. But in the final fight in Vader's office, you can clearly see paintings on the wall. :confused:

[Hollywood]

I think the reason i love this movie so much is becuse it came out of nowhere - it punched me right in the face - i was not expecting anything from it and it delivered the hammer. Everyone i show it to feels the same way - Christian Bale is the shit - the action sequence's are awsome - it is basically a GREAT action movie with a twist.

10/10

[vesaker]

k sveral pl have brought up good points and those points have been answered well which usually inst the case in these rant thread freom what i've seen.

But all the doubters of plot points in this movie need to keep a few things in mind....

1. it Sci-fi, the idea that any of this would happen in real life is farfected cause if it wasn't it wouldn't really be sci-fi as much as sci-fact

******Spoilers****** not sure if this is needed since this is a Rant thread but jsut to be safe ;)


2. The time of the movie has taken place after the 3rd world war and for my understanding (although i'm not sure) Lybria is the last civiled place on the planet as the ramining population of the world after teh war proabably consoidated together. There are of course others out in the Nethers but i don't think there are any other big cities or Countries if you will

3. Prozium didn't so much as stop the feelings of emotion as much as it surpessed them, which is why the have the Tetra Gramaton Clarics to to hunt the sense offenders down. I meen you see Bales character miss just one dose and is already feeling things. This is why they burn all of the art adnd music and what not cause it stirs the emotions and makes it harder for the Proziem to work

4. As pointed out earlier in a post Bale's character is the best at what he is trained for....The Best.....which is why you never really see him bleed or break sweats caused he has devoted his entire life to the training and has risen to the highest rank of the Gramaton Clerics.

The reason i loved this movie were that although its farfetched this is a possible future, now it might not look as pretty as it did in the movie but its possible. That and Bales characters discovery of emotion as i'm pretty sure when he was born this was the society and he grew up in it and was not like a convert or something like that. Which meens that he's no Redisocovering emotion but is discovering it for the first time.

But all and all watching him aboslutly decimate anyone and everyone who messed with him was really a treat, heh i remeber the first time seeing the movie and he's taking out everyone on the way to "Fathers" office and he chucks those 2 things down that they just sit there and you wondering "what the hell are those things?" adn then when you find out your like "Thats fucking Sweet!!"

[EVILxxx]

Originally posted by Spidey
Next to Terminator 2, one my most favourite movies ever !
Only one plot problem, the citizens of Libria aren't allowed to possess any paintings or art. But in the final fight in Vader's office, you can clearly see paintings on the wall. :confused:

I think the implication was that the higher ups weren't dosed on prozium. Notice how Brandt(Tay Diggs) smiles from ear to ear before his final "fight" with Preston.

[vesaker]

yeah that and (although he could have been full of shit) but Dupont admits to feeling and i guess essentually not taking his Proziem to Bale's character (sry for this Bale's character nonsense but fo the life of me i can't think of his characters name!) in hope that he wouldn't get waisted.



.......Pretson thats it :D:D:D bales character was Preston

[adamjohnson]

Tread softly, Preston... for you tread on my dreams.


GREAT movie.

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by adamjohnson
Tread softly, Preston... for you tread on my dreams.


GREAT movie.
I would like to point out that Sean Bean fucking rules. I mean, the man managed to all but steal every scene he was in The Fellowship Of The Ring. Great actor and a kind man, as well.

[ilovemovies]

If you thought Equilibrium was bad, WAIT until you see Utlraviolet! They are pretty much the same movie, except Equilibrium is the movie done right and Ultraviolet is the one done COMPLETELY wrong!

[Badbird]

Originally posted by ZenDude
Its red mist on my dvd copy. The problem is a technical one. Its cgi red mist and they must have put it in during post production and not thought about the need to stain the actors costumes. Love the movie btw!

Eh? The only "red mist" I remember is when he breaks the one guy's elbow right in front of the camera.

On the comentary Kurt Wimmer says he specifically didn't use blood because he didn't want to have to cut any of the action in case it got an NC-17 for violence - so he used the black powder effect - which I think is just as effective, if not more. No blood = no NC-17, but it's still every bit as violent as it should be.

He also said that Prozium didn't elliminate emotions all together, but more likely supressed the highs and lows of emotion. The reason Taye Diggs was smiling was because his dosage wasn't high enough and needed to be adjusted - he was beginning to take too much glee in his job. Dupont probably wasn't taking at all, but Taye Diggs was, it's just that he was building up resistance.

http://www.equilibriumfans.com/ is a massive fan site and very comprehensive. Check it out.

[stickmangrit]

Originally posted by Badbird
Eh? The only "red mist" I remember is when he breaks the one guy's elbow right in front of the camera.

On the comentary Kurt Wimmer says he specifically didn't use blood because he didn't want to have to cut any of the action in case it got an NC-17 for violence - so he used the black powder effect - which I think is just as effective, if not more. No blood = no NC-17, but it's still every bit as violent as it should be.


eehhhh, bullshit. if Saw and The Passion can skate by with an R, than i somehow don't see the MPAA cracking down on "Red Mist" or simple bloodbags and squibs. besides, the MPAA seldom goes after violence for NC-17 these days, mostly just sex.

[Badbird]

Originally posted by stickmangrit
eehhhh, bullshit. if Saw and The Passion can skate by with an R, than i somehow don't see the MPAA cracking down on "Red Mist" or simple bloodbags and squibs. besides, the MPAA seldom goes after violence for NC-17 these days, mostly just sex.

Hey, that's just what he said. If you watch the movie This Film is Not Yet Rated, you'd see how currupt and full of shit the MPAA really is and that Kurt Wimmer was probably right in his decision.

I mean, there was lots and lots of on screen deaths in this movie. Add Saving Private Ryan blood squibs to that and he probably would have been asked to cut some of it. After all, Equilibrium was practically an independent movie the way it wasn't supported by Miramax, opposed to Saw, Saving Private Ryan, and The Passion which had big time studio support, big name directors, or both.

Seriously, you'd be surprised how fucked up the MPAA is. As I said before, I have no problem with Wimmer's choice - I think it gives the movie a unique look.

[Badbird]

Also, if I remember correctly, I believe Hard Target was the very first movie to get slapped with an NC-17, and it was strictly for violence. It was later cut to an R.

So while not as common as getting NC-17 for sex, it does happen.

[LedZeppelin1114]

Originally posted by Badbird
Also, if I remember correctly, I believe Hard Target was the very first movie to get slapped with an NC-17, and it was strictly for violence. It was later cut to an R.

So while not as common as getting NC-17 for sex, it does happen.

Actually the first movie was Henry and June, but Hard Target wasn't too far behind.

[kubotakhan01]

I dug equilibrium. Thought the action scenes were really cool to look at. As a matter of fact, When I saw this flick, I said out loud, " Cristian Bale would be a cool batman" (And that worked out pretty good too.)

[ZenDude]

The last battle. Check the white suit after some slashing action and red mist. No blood on the suit.

[vesaker]

Originally posted by ZenDude
The last battle. Check the white suit after some slashing action and red mist. No blood on the suit.

heh i always wondered how he kept taht bright white suit so squeaky clean during that whole ordeal, i guess i always just chalked it up to the fact that he's Preston and he kicks ass ;)

[DaMovieMan]

I didn't like it as much as a lot of people did. I think it was hyped up way too much for me..
To me it seemed like the idea had been done before, the gun-fights were cool but I was rolling my eyes by the end of them. Bale was pretty good in it, he's a great actor and some early scenes were very well-done (spec. the dog scene and when he caught Sean Bean reading Yeats)
As it neared a conclusion though, I was pretty bored and the ending was very very bad...very cliche and anti-climactic..
I'm on the fence for this one...

6/10


DMM