Is Equilibrium any good?

Snake Plisken · 18-12-2006 4:55pm #1

Folks,

I watched Harsh Times last night and thought it was brilliant, also loved The Machinist, Batman Begins and American Psyco, Christian Bale is I think the greatest living Actor of our time (imho), but one film that I haven't seen is Equilibrium, I remember seeing the DVD box and thinking it looked like a cheap rip off of the Matrix, but with Bale in it, it must be pretty good as I think he picks the movies he wants to star in very carefully. So just wondering what everyone else thought of it. Is it worth buying?

Thanks

Snake;

bizmark · 18-12-2006 4:57pm

Think its quiet good tbh

Gordon · 18-12-2006 4:57pm

Worth watching if there is nothing else available, definitely not worth buying imo. American Psycho and BB deffo worth buying.

It's like an action version of 1984 if my memory serves.

Sad Professor · 18-12-2006 5:00pm

Didn't care for it myself. Nothing original about it. The fight scenes are all ripped from The Matrix. As for the story? Just read 1984 instead.

Thomas_S_Hunterson · 18-12-2006 5:00pm

Gordon wrote:

It's like an action version of 1984 if my memory serves.

Yea, a combo of 1984 and Brave New World, with absolutley no creativity whatsoever. It's grand if you're looking for a bit of mindless entertainment.

Vokes · 18-12-2006 5:07pm

Films are 50% better when Bale appears in them ...FACT

Good film

(and nice cameo by Sean Bean too)

, grab it if you see it on the cheap anywhere.

Karl Hungus · 18-12-2006 5:09pm

sean_keevey wrote:

Yea, a combo of 1984 and Brave New World, with absolutley no creativity whatsoever. It's grand if you're looking for a bit of mindless entertainment.

Plenty of elements of Farenheit 451 too.

It's worth a look, and Bale is great as usually, but don't expect anything great from it.

Pyr0 · 18-12-2006 5:11pm

I enjoyed it myself, actions scenes are pretty cool.

Saruman · 18-12-2006 5:12pm

I liked it.... Its not ripping off the matrix as such... not much slo-mo camera action. Good movie and worth a watch.

Necronomicon · 18-12-2006 5:13pm

Very enjoyable film.

monkeyfudge · 18-12-2006 5:14pm

The trailers really did make it look like a Matrix rip off, didn't they? But the film itself really isn't... Can't say I enjoyed it though... very forgettable film that doesn't really offer any new ideas.

bluto63 · 18-12-2006 7:25pm

It's a good film, but Bale just seems like a second choice Keanu Reeves.

If you like Brave New World, 1984 etc. might aswell check it out

amazingemmet · 18-12-2006 7:31pm

Its nothing like brave new world and lots like 1984, but with gun kata

The rumour mill says it was made before the matrix but canned and then revived when the matrix came out, Any shed some light on that?

Rhyme · 18-12-2006 7:44pm

Silly film, worth watching... not buying.

I bought it ;_;

TerrorFirmer · 18-12-2006 10:11pm

It's nothing like the Matrix, by the way, in any sense. Much better in my opinion, not to say it's an amazing film but it's a very solidly entertaining one, Bale is excellent.

projectmayhem · 18-12-2006 10:19pm

great film imo... well worth checking out. well acted, directed and written (pitty the same can't be said for ultraviolet)

ixoy · 18-12-2006 10:19pm

Sold as a Matrix-clone, but it's not actually. Nothing particularly smart about but it's enjoyable, made twice so by the always superb Bale. Give that man a damn Oscar!

Pepe LeFrits · 18-12-2006 11:13pm

Average.

humanji · 19-12-2006 9:27am

It's a grand little film. I think it has something to do with the Matrix (not sure if it's the producers or the choreographers or something). And I think it came out just after the Matrix, but was put off release for various reason (mainly because instead of watching it people would just complain that it's an exact copy of The Matrix even though it has little in common with it).

It has nothing that will come as a surprise, but the fight scenes are cool!

NotWormBoy · 19-12-2006 9:32am

Some of the scenes are fantastically done - and I'm not talking the action (though that was great).

Well worth watching - and buying too if its under a tenner.

Mitch Connor · 19-12-2006 9:36am

I think Film Four are showing it over the christmas period. At least i am certain i saw an ad for it on tv, and i think it was for film four.

ixoy · 19-12-2006 12:23pm

humanji wrote:

And I think it came out just after the Matrix, but was put off release for various reason (mainly because instead of watching it people would just complain that it's an exact copy of The Matrix even though it has little in common with it)

The Matrix came out after it. If anything, people should have complained that the Matrix copied it (which can be seen in comparisons of stills from the movies). Alas for the movie, it's not wildly known so when people do see it they think it ripped off the Matrix.

Gordon · 19-12-2006 12:32pm

The Matrix came out in 1999 - Equilibrium in 2002.

Sad Professor · 19-12-2006 12:35pm

It was released in 2002. It was filmed sometime in 2000 I believe. But I still think it was influenced by The Matrix.

Miguel_Sanchez · 19-12-2006 12:37pm

The Matrix came out after it. If anything, people should have complained that the Matrix copied it (which can be seen in comparisons of stills from the movies). Alas for the movie, it's not wildly known so when people do see it they think it ripped off the Matrix.

Completely wrong. In fact the film was only greenlighted because of the Matrix, the studio reckoned there was cash in them dar sci-fi hills.*

*This info comes from a distributor who gave a talk in our college around the time of Equilibrium's release.

Zapho · 19-12-2006 12:45pm

I really enjoyed Equilibrium. Its definately not Bales best movie, but its a real entertaining movie. Good plot, great action and decent enough acting. Now that its been mentioned, I'd better watch it again....

Pugsley · 19-12-2006 3:11pm

I really enjoyed it, not that smart or creative, but a good way to spend 2 hours imo.

Pigman II · 19-12-2006 11:37pm

If you like Bale then you'll like this movie.

ixoy · 20-12-2006 9:49am

Gordon wrote:

The Matrix came out in 1999 - Equilibrium in 2002.

True but I was talking about "Dark City" obviously. I mean this is a thread about "Dark City" at the time isn't it

Silly muddled me...

ianmc38 · 20-12-2006 11:00am

I found it very enjoyable. Unoriginal but entertaining nonetheless.

is_that_so · 21-12-2006 6:48pm

On Film4 tonight

Snake Plisken · 22-12-2006 2:44pm

Well I caught it on Film4 last night (thanks isthatso) and it didn't find it very matrixy at all and I thought it was a pretty good film. Although it looks like they might have made a couple of scenes similar to the Matrix, even down to the final scene with Bale looking into the camera. Overall I'd give it a 7 out of 10 and probably buy the DVD if I saw it cheap

Snake

bombidol · 22-12-2006 5:50pm

Feckin love that film. Prefer it over Matrix anyday. Matrix is just an Invisibles rip off. Equilibrium is blatantly an ode to 1984 etc but its well done. And simply by watching it you can tell Bale was getting some practice in for Batman.

iguana · 24-12-2006 1:44am

Snake Plisken wrote:

Is Equilibrium any good?

NO

Sarky · 24-12-2006 1:56am

It's on my list of films I'll watch semi-regularly with a group of friends. I quite like it. Nothing amazing or original plotwise, but there's a nice future dystopia feel to the film The Matrix just didn't have. And the gun kata results in some superb action bits, as well as being a freaking cool idea to boot.

Well worth watching at least once.

24-12-2006 10:44am

Karl Hungus wrote:

Plenty of elements of Farenheit 451 too.

Finally! Someone else who sees that too.

The main reason I dislike this movie is that it borrows too heavily from two of my favourite books, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.

Steve01 · 24-12-2006 5:06pm

Something of a cross between 1984 and The Matrix. S'okay

Galvasean · 27-12-2006 5:51pm

bluto63 wrote:

It's a good film, but Bale just seems like a second choice Keanu Reeves.

Bale is one of the greatest actors alive. Keanu Reeves is just Keanu Reeves. He can barely act.
Keanu is a poor man's Bale.

xanthor · 28-12-2006 10:51am

It's above average, the story isn't as linear as you might expect, but it sags in spots. Especially the bit with the dog.

Galvasean · 28-12-2006 4:28pm

xanthor wrote:

It's above average, the story isn't as linear as you might expect, but it sags in spots. Especially the bit with the dog.

Really? I thought that was one of the best bits. It's rare that a film makes me care what happens next and that scene did just that. Or maybe I just have a soft spot for animals.

Lurk · 30-12-2006 12:12pm

Jeff_Lebowski wrote:

Completely wrong. In fact the film was only greenlighted because of the Matrix, the studio reckoned there was cash in them dar sci-fi hills.

Agree with this...it's a mediocre film that reeks of trying to cash in on the Matrix. Love Bale and can't help thinking that he sold out in this one.

Galvasean · 02-01-2007 1:21pm

Gotta admit though I saw this about a month before I saw Matrix Reloaded.
Guess which was better?
Clue: It wasn't M:R

Miguel_Sanchez · 03-01-2007 10:45pm

I laughed my ass off when I watched this film.

'A Brave New Farhenheit 1984' they could have called it. No real original ideas in it I thought. And, come on - the martial arts with guns was **** really. Funny, but ****. He knows where everyone is but somehow they can never hit him even though he just stands still in the middle of the room!

Great stuff.

iguana · 03-01-2007 11:05pm

Jeff_Lebowski wrote:

I laughed my ass off when I watched this film.

'A Brave New Farhenheit 1984' they could have called it. No real original ideas in it I thought. And, come on - the martial arts with guns was **** really. Funny, but ****. He knows where everyone is but somehow they can never hit him even though he just stands still in the middle of the room!

Great stuff.

You left out the bit where

he is fighting Taye Diggs and he just jumps around him with his swords twirling and then steps away. Then Taye Diggs starts falling apart and as he turns his head his face falls off.:D

mewso · 05-01-2007 9:28am

Lurk wrote:

Agree with this...it's a mediocre film that reeks of trying to cash in on the Matrix. Love Bale and can't help thinking that he sold out in this one.

Has anyone counted how many films tried to copy the Matrix? I lost count. This was one of the few that despite being influenced by The Matrix had some of it's own ideas in there. Regardless of it's influences be it Matrix, 1984 etc. it was an entertaining film imho.

Galvasean · 05-01-2007 4:21pm

musician wrote:

Has anyone counted how many films tried to copy the Matrix?

Perhaps more importantly has anyone counted the number of films the Matrix ripped off?
The helicopter scene is lifted directly from Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.
The scene in Reloaded where Neo is covered by Agent Smiths and he knocks them all off ina big explosion is taken from Commando, only there in place of Neo and the agen Smiths its Arnie and a bunch of police. Ye, the Matrix actually robbed Commando! (hard as it is to believe)

Is Equilibrium any good?

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