# Equilibrium **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879 "2004-10-18T19:18:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/1 "2004-10-18T19:18:35Z")
I haven’t seen this film discussed here before… Damn! Saw this movie on TMC today. Kind of a cross between 1984 and The Matrix. Lots of guns and martial arts. I’ve seen Christian Bale in a few flicks. That dragon movie was neato. But I didn’t realize he was such a hotty until this film. He’s come a long way since Empire of the Sun! If you haven’t seen this movie and like futuristic government mind-control sci-fi, guns, martial arts, good looking men with slick hair wearing black uniforms, you should watch it on TMC or rent it. ---
**Author:** ![SilentButDeftly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@SilentButDeftly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentButDeftly)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/2 "2004-10-18T19:33:01Z")
Weird – I was just about to start a thread on this, myself. I don’t know why I added it to my Netflix list, but apparently I did, I got it in the mail, and watched it this weekend. “1984 meets the Matrix” is about right as a description. The “gun-kata” fights are amazingly done. Highly unrealistic, but that’s half the fun of it all. Definitely worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/3 "2004-10-18T19:39:39Z")
I thought it was hackneyed, predictable, and more cliche-ridden than an SNL skit, but it sure was fun to watch! ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/4 "2004-10-18T20:29:22Z")
I thought it was pretty cool, especially the ending…the glint in Bale’s eye as he watched the destruction below made you wonder if the Powers that Be weren’t right in suppressing emotions and if the chaos that followed wasn’t going to be worse than the repression. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/5 "2004-10-19T03:45:08Z")
Great fight scenes. Bad plot. Horribly cliched and unbleievable setting. Forgettable characters. But GREAT fight scenes. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/6 "2004-10-19T04:15:49Z")
Bad plot? Nah. I’ve seen many more action movies with worse plots, more cliches, more hackneying . Those words didn’t even come to mind when watching it. Maybe “cheesy” in a couple of spots. And there was a cute puppy in the movie! What could be better? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/7 "2004-10-19T04:18:23Z")
I caught the tail ending of it at my sister’s house, and has been jonesing to see the rest of it ever since. Every time I try to rent it it’s gone, and whenever I consider buying it, something else always catches my eye. I’ll watch all of it someday. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/8 "2004-10-19T08:32:43Z")
I’ve noted my loathing of this movie in previous threads; suffice to say that it has, at this point, carried over to most of the people _involved_ with the movie, retroactively. I now hate every movie Christian Bale has ever made or will ever make, **Batman** included. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/9 "2004-10-19T11:17:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve noted my loathing of this movie in previous threads; suffice to say that it has, at this point, carried over to most of the people _involved_ with the movie, retroactively. I now hate every movie Christian Bale has ever made or will ever make, **Batman** included. Well, that’s…pretty damned silly. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/10 "2004-10-19T11:32:56Z")
The badness of the movie defies logic. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/11 "2004-10-19T12:52:11Z")
I loved the final fight with Omar Epps. What a payoff after 90 minutes of buildup 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/12 "2004-10-19T13:19:17Z")
There’s nothing wrong with the plot that isn’t wrong with the plot of _Fahrenheit 451_ or _1984_. Pretty standard future dystopia, government control stuff. It’s a functional plot for a movie designed to show off some slick action sequences. Which, IMO, it did well. I liked it and Christian Bale was perfect for it. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/13 "2004-10-19T13:39:45Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > I loved the final fight with Omar Epps. What a payoff after 90 minutes of buildup 🙂 Taye Diggs, tweren’t it? I loved this one too. Sure, major cheese, but fun. I was surprised to learn: the character of “Father” looked so strangely familiar to me…Jon Pertwee’s son. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/14 "2004-10-19T13:43:59Z")
It’s a movie that came out after the Matrix, is SF (soft, but watchagonnado), has lots of guns, and yet has NO bullet time. I think that’s about 100 points in its favour right there, regardless of plot holes. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/15 "2004-10-19T14:03:32Z")
Sorry, yes, Taye Diggs. I get those two mixed up all the time. ( I do that with Thomas Jane and Aaron Eckhart too. I’m not racist, just unobservant 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Spurious\_George](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Spurious\_George](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spurious_George)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/16 "2004-10-19T18:36:26Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > …( I do that with Thomas Jane and Aaron Eckhart too. I’m not racist, just unobservant ) I do it with Jane and Eckhart too (but not Epps/Diggs). What is it about them? I liked the movie. The plot, not so great, but passable. The action scenes, all good enough to watch more than once afterwards. The girl is good (Emily Mortimer? Not Samantha Morton, with whom I constantly confuse her.) The creepy intelligent kid is good too. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/17 "2004-10-19T19:02:08Z")
:o I own this movie. Not because I think it’s a must-own classic of filmaking (although it’s very entertaining for it’s niche), but because everyone in it is So… Damn… Hot! Sean Bean reading poetry? Christian Bale being all kick-ass broody? Taye Diggs smiling like he can see _right though your clothes_? I’m just amazed the movie was made at all - I would’ve thought getting filmstock that wouldn’t melt whenever the leads were on screen would be impossible. ---
**Author:** ![gyt\_fx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@gyt\_fx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gyt_fx)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/18 "2004-10-20T14:23:45Z")
I love this movie. The fight scenes are incredibly, and greatly overcome any plotholes or bad cliches. But really… it defies most cliches in movies, and is somewhat different that POPular movies, which is why I think it isn’t as accepted by many people. But I just started reading 1984 in my English class (I haven’t read fahrenheit 451, but I think it adopts a little from The Giver, in the emotion supressing drugs; I could be wrong). :eek: I didn’t realize how similar they are! I mean… just think of the TELESCREENS in Equilibrium. Rather similar to 1984 I’d say. And although it adds twists to 1984, such as having telescreens that can pretty much read emotions, instead of just not Having emotions; I think that much of Equilibrium was adopted from 1984. Is anyone sure of this? Perhaps there is director commentary on DVD that might explain it? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equilibrium/269879/19 "2004-10-20T14:31:34Z")
Well, it’s closely based on F-451, where there are police that go around burning artwork. I forget it all completely but I think that there is a society of people who try to remember books and people who even try to protect books. And I don’t think I read it, but isn’t “brave new world” about government issued drugs that just keep everyone happy and quash any creativity?