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Equilibrium
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // May 13, 2003
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I've recently been listening to a band called Breaking Benjamin. (Trust me, this is going somewhere.) Their debut album "Saturate" is fantastic, and I've been able to look past the fact that every song sounds exactly like another band, and focus on the point that they rock. I got a similar feeling while watching "Equilibrium", a sci-fi/action film that is good in its own right, but will remind the viewer of many other movies.
The Movie
"Equilibrium" takes place in an unspecified future following World War III. The story occurs in a place called Libria. Here, the masses are watched over by Father (Sean Pertwee), a figure who appears on video screens all over the city. Citizens take daily doses of Prozium, a drug which eliminates emotional highs and lows -- this has done away with human aggression and war. Those who express extreme emotions, or who possess "emotional content", such as books, arts, or movies, are hunted down by the Grammaton Clerics, an elite group of police who are trained to sense those with heightened emotions. The Grammaton Clerics are skillfully trained fighters and are nearly untouchable.
** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ** John Preston (Christian Bale)is the top Cleric, who lives to serve Father. When he learns that his partner has stopped taking his Prozium, this creates a problem for John. Then, he accidently skips one of his own doses, and begins to question the use of Prozium and the beliefs of Father. What happens when an emotionless killer suddenly begins to feel? ** END SPOILERS **
I hate to drag out this old cliche, but unless you've been living in a cave for the past 50 years, you're going to easily recognize at least one fore-runner to "Equilibrium". The story borrows quite liberally from "1984", "Farenheit 451", "Demolition Man", "A Clockwork Orange", and "Judge Dredd". Surprisingly, I've read many accounts that compare "Equilibrium" to "The Matrix", but the only things that the films have in common are the silmilarities in the fight scenes. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer has not only adapted his story from other sources, but the film's look is reminiscent of films such as "Dark City" and Ridley Scott's famous "1984/Apple" commercial. As with all of those works, "Equilibrium" blends a sci-fi story with some fairly profound political statements. Ironically, the most powerful statement (for me) comes from the subtle decoration of an office glimpsed during the film's final fight scene.
But, like that Breaking Benjamin album, the familiarity of almost everything in "Equilibrium" makes the film enjoyable. This familiarity allows Wimmer to weave some very nice plot twists into the story. Also, the gunkata fighting process, which is introduced in the film, is quite cool. And while it's nearly impossible to be distracted by "Equilibrium"'s resemblance to other movies, don't stop and think about the story, because you'll regret it. The film is incredibly inconsistent in its portrayal of the character's emotion. Prozium is supposed to eliminate emotional highs and lows, but Taye Diggs' character appears to be absolutely giddy in every scene. Also, there is an important point from Preston's past that is never explained. I'm not sure if this was an oversight by Wimmer, or something that he wanted to leave to the audience's imagination.
The highpoint of the film may actually be the stellar cast. Bale, who got a lot of practice being emotionless in "American Psycho" is very good as Preston. His ability to be completely serious makes the charcter very believable and creates a true sense of tension during his inevitable change. Angus MacFadyen ("Braveheart") turns in a powerful performance as DuPont, the right-hand man of Father. Emily Watson is very good as Mary, a woman arrested for hoarding emotional contact. As noted above, the weak-link is the emotionally unstable Taye Diggs, whose character is hard to buy. (On the commentary, Wimmer admits that he cast Diggs because of his great smile and has had many people point out the inappropriateness of it.)
Video
For this DVD release, "Equilibrium" is presented in an anamorphic widescreen and has been letterboxed at 2.35:1. The image is very sharp and clear, although there is some noticeable grain at times. The bulk of the sets and costumes in the film are black, grey, or white, and this abesence of color makes the grain more visible. The rare splashes of color, especially reds, look very good. There is some overt artifacting at times, and some of the special effects look dicey, but otherwise the transfer is satisfactory.
Audio
This DVD features a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The track provides clear and intelligible dialogue, with no signs of hissing or distortion. The track offers a particularly stable dynamic range, as there is no great fluctuation in volume. The film has very nice sound design and surround sound is used liberally and creatively here. The gun-battles and city-street scenes sound very good, and there is a satisfying amount of bass response.
Extras
While the extras on the DVD are sparse, they are entertaining. The disc features two audio commentaries, one with writer/director Kurt Wimmer going solo, and the other with Wimmmer being joined by Lucas Foster. Both tracks are very informative, as Wimmer is very honest and frank about his influences and the budgetary restraints on the film. He and Foster both share very detailed accounts of the film's production, and between the two talks, we learn a great deal about how the film was cast and made. The only other extra on the disc is a pointless 4-minute "making of" segment which offers some brief interviews with the principal cast and a few behind-the-scenes shots.
Along with "Below", "Equilibrium" represents another decent film which Miramax allowed to fly well under the public's radar. If you'be been hesitant to check out "Equilibrium" for fear that it was a rip-off of "The Matrix", don't be fooled. The film is actually a rip-off of many other things, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining in its own right. The DVD provides a nice transfer, and the dual commentaries are very educational.
The Movie
"Equilibrium" takes place in an unspecified future following World War III. The story occurs in a place called Libria. Here, the masses are watched over by Father (Sean Pertwee), a figure who appears on video screens all over the city. Citizens take daily doses of Prozium, a drug which eliminates emotional highs and lows -- this has done away with human aggression and war. Those who express extreme emotions, or who possess "emotional content", such as books, arts, or movies, are hunted down by the Grammaton Clerics, an elite group of police who are trained to sense those with heightened emotions. The Grammaton Clerics are skillfully trained fighters and are nearly untouchable.
** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ** John Preston (Christian Bale)is the top Cleric, who lives to serve Father. When he learns that his partner has stopped taking his Prozium, this creates a problem for John. Then, he accidently skips one of his own doses, and begins to question the use of Prozium and the beliefs of Father. What happens when an emotionless killer suddenly begins to feel? ** END SPOILERS **
I hate to drag out this old cliche, but unless you've been living in a cave for the past 50 years, you're going to easily recognize at least one fore-runner to "Equilibrium". The story borrows quite liberally from "1984", "Farenheit 451", "Demolition Man", "A Clockwork Orange", and "Judge Dredd". Surprisingly, I've read many accounts that compare "Equilibrium" to "The Matrix", but the only things that the films have in common are the silmilarities in the fight scenes. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer has not only adapted his story from other sources, but the film's look is reminiscent of films such as "Dark City" and Ridley Scott's famous "1984/Apple" commercial. As with all of those works, "Equilibrium" blends a sci-fi story with some fairly profound political statements. Ironically, the most powerful statement (for me) comes from the subtle decoration of an office glimpsed during the film's final fight scene.
But, like that Breaking Benjamin album, the familiarity of almost everything in "Equilibrium" makes the film enjoyable. This familiarity allows Wimmer to weave some very nice plot twists into the story. Also, the gunkata fighting process, which is introduced in the film, is quite cool. And while it's nearly impossible to be distracted by "Equilibrium"'s resemblance to other movies, don't stop and think about the story, because you'll regret it. The film is incredibly inconsistent in its portrayal of the character's emotion. Prozium is supposed to eliminate emotional highs and lows, but Taye Diggs' character appears to be absolutely giddy in every scene. Also, there is an important point from Preston's past that is never explained. I'm not sure if this was an oversight by Wimmer, or something that he wanted to leave to the audience's imagination.
The highpoint of the film may actually be the stellar cast. Bale, who got a lot of practice being emotionless in "American Psycho" is very good as Preston. His ability to be completely serious makes the charcter very believable and creates a true sense of tension during his inevitable change. Angus MacFadyen ("Braveheart") turns in a powerful performance as DuPont, the right-hand man of Father. Emily Watson is very good as Mary, a woman arrested for hoarding emotional contact. As noted above, the weak-link is the emotionally unstable Taye Diggs, whose character is hard to buy. (On the commentary, Wimmer admits that he cast Diggs because of his great smile and has had many people point out the inappropriateness of it.)
Video
For this DVD release, "Equilibrium" is presented in an anamorphic widescreen and has been letterboxed at 2.35:1. The image is very sharp and clear, although there is some noticeable grain at times. The bulk of the sets and costumes in the film are black, grey, or white, and this abesence of color makes the grain more visible. The rare splashes of color, especially reds, look very good. There is some overt artifacting at times, and some of the special effects look dicey, but otherwise the transfer is satisfactory.
Audio
This DVD features a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The track provides clear and intelligible dialogue, with no signs of hissing or distortion. The track offers a particularly stable dynamic range, as there is no great fluctuation in volume. The film has very nice sound design and surround sound is used liberally and creatively here. The gun-battles and city-street scenes sound very good, and there is a satisfying amount of bass response.
Extras
While the extras on the DVD are sparse, they are entertaining. The disc features two audio commentaries, one with writer/director Kurt Wimmer going solo, and the other with Wimmmer being joined by Lucas Foster. Both tracks are very informative, as Wimmer is very honest and frank about his influences and the budgetary restraints on the film. He and Foster both share very detailed accounts of the film's production, and between the two talks, we learn a great deal about how the film was cast and made. The only other extra on the disc is a pointless 4-minute "making of" segment which offers some brief interviews with the principal cast and a few behind-the-scenes shots.
Along with "Below", "Equilibrium" represents another decent film which Miramax allowed to fly well under the public's radar. If you'be been hesitant to check out "Equilibrium" for fear that it was a rip-off of "The Matrix", don't be fooled. The film is actually a rip-off of many other things, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining in its own right. The DVD provides a nice transfer, and the dual commentaries are very educational.
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