Review of Equilibrium (2002) by Cody B — 24 Sep 2016

Far from a perfect movie, in fact I'd even argue that it's actually NOT a good movie at all, Equilibrium nevertheless manages to be extremely entertaining from start to finish. Borrowing heavily from such stories such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, maybe even ripping them off in many respects, the film strives to tell a story that is deep and heartfelt about the importance of emotion and individuality.

However, thanks to the film's ridiculously over the top action sequences or "gun kata" (kung fu with guns) and its apparent lack of self-awareness, its messages are nearly impossible to take seriously.

With that said, the fight scenes, as outrageous as they are, are still very well-choreographed and exciting. The visual style, while again ripping off of other styles, does have a few interesting moments of eye candy.

Even the performances, especially from Angus Macfadyen, are hilariously hammy. Special mention should go to Christian Bale as the lead who actually creates a very genuine portrayal of a man who's experiencing emotions for the first time in his life.

His performance is honestly too good for this schlock. There's even something to be said about the enthusiasm for the story being told by the filmmakers. This never feels like some cynical cash grab.

It feels like director Kurt Wimmer and the people involved wanted to make something really great and it truly shows here; a dumb movie with an Ed Wood type passion but with much better production values.

Overall, while this is far from a game changer and is often clumsy in its execution, Equilibrium works as a purely fun entertaining piece of fluff with the admirable ambition to say something more.