Equilibrium - A Review

This movie review is a bit back-dated. Watched it with YY during exam week, when I was sick of studying Management. But I really want to do this review because the issues in this movie is intriguing...


The summary of the movie is somewhat like this : In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions. Books, art and music are strictly forbidden, and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Grammaton Cleric John Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.

Kung Fu + Guns = Grammaton action

In a nutshell, the cultural setting of this movie is almost like the ruling of Hitler. It is absolute dictatorship where people were brainwashed and controlled by force and drugs. But there are always people who oppose such rulings and thus, the story of the movie.

The plot is not exactly fascinating. Rather, it has no plot. But the issue in it truly stimulates me. Prevention of war and violence through control of emotion and condemnation of literature? No one is suppose to feel anything? And the decimation of so many notable arts? No doubt it is an ideology, one that can never take place on Earth. How can human not feel anything? How can we forgo love, or grief, or anger, or anything else? Human cannot possibly advance or develop when we stop feeling anything. But no doubt, feelings such as anger, jealousy or hatred so propel people into argument and war.

Besides the issue in the movie, the plot is really gibberish. The actions do not make sense at all... Can you possibly predict bullet trajectory? Maybe against fellow citizens of the Grammaton, where people are more or less programmed into a robotic state of mind. But against underground resistance that has feelings? C'mon, those people feel, thus can be spontaneous.

Is this even possible?

And the setting and costume, it is like downright plagiarism of the Matrix. The only thing that held the movie together was the cast, consisting notable actors such as Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson and numerous big names.

See what I meant?

Rating : 5/10. So so movie. Could be boring because the actions are mostly nonsensical. And the plot is sooooo predictable...