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DVD Review
Equilibrium
By Lee Tistaert Published April 29, 2003
US Release: December 6, 2002
Directed by: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Christian Bale , Taye Diggs , Sean Bean , Emily Watson
R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $1,190,000
Directed by: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Christian Bale , Taye Diggs , Sean Bean , Emily Watson
R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $1,190,000
B-
A solid example of how a mediocre script (at best) can be rescued via talented actors and a director who has his eye on visual stimulation
In a nutshell Equilibrium is not as good as I hoped, but definitely better than it could?ve been.
Alike The Transporter (C+) the film loses potential when attempting to cover a story in between the action, as it goes into absurdity and confusion at moments. But unlike Transporter, Equilibrium saves itself through acting.
Quite possibly the biggest misconception is that it?s an action flick; it isn?t. The film is a sci-fi thriller that pays more attention to its story concepts than official excitement. While the opening grabs the viewer and doesn?t let go for about ten or fifteen minutes with great fun action and ultra-neat style, Equilibrium loses momentum as it travels along. The film has the feel of a straight-to-video release with all its story principles revolving around a different world with different society expectations and guidelines. But thankfully the production isn?t as cheap as the majority of such plot lines that find their debut on the shelf, as there is indeed a level of intelligence wrapped around the outskirts; but even so, it would?ve been nice if the cleverness was upgraded a bit more.
The movie has a filmmaking motif relevant to that of The Matrix, and while Equilibrium is not as accomplished it certainly isn?t a bad try. The introduction (here) will easily spring memories to the Keanu Reeves flick and though not directed as powerfully, the intensity nevertheless works. The film stars Christian Bale as a top police enforcer whom due to new systematic procedures, must eliminate all acts related to emotion such as the exposure of literature, music, and art; and that includes eliminating the transgressors.
But when his character accidentally fails to physically take in the routine drug expected of everyone, his eyes and senses suddenly discover the factors of life that are being blocked. Such emotions are illegal to experience in this universe, which creates a conflict, as remaining in this state of being obviously cannot go unnoticeable forever.
If the story sounds confusing or even a little absurd, it is; there?s no beating around the bush on that one. What?s even more mind-boggling is the reasoning behind its primary theory, as it is never really explained. Typically in a film where the plot is bizarre from more of an illogical standpoint (even in the sci-fi world where not much can make sense excusably), the ride can be doomed. From this point on in that argument the viewer must be met by not only actors who comprehend their roles, but hopefully material within the page that doesn?t lure attention to the exit sign (or shall we say, "stop" button). With that reasoning the fake needs to be convincing, and that?s a difficult benchmark films of the genre face, as it isn?t always achieved.
One of the problems Equilibrium is confronted with is bringing the audience into the world of these members within the society. These people may know the system and have been around to cope with it, but there are a few moments throughout where the viewer is not on the same page as the policies exerted in the story. Issues come up and occasionally the script either doesn?t dive into the topic as explanatory as it is recommended, or simply fails to elaborate on the deep levels of which this universe runs on.
Perhaps there were never hardcore details brought about in the founding of the core ideas within the screenplay. But with such a society that the plot has created, it feels as if there would be background knowledge we do not have; and acquiring such specifics could be key for greater appreciation to the impact that is trying to be produced. We?re running on a lot of general statements and notions, and though this does stand as a decent defect for the production, Equilibrium picks up the pieces in other divisions.
This film could be a solid example of how a mediocre (at best) script can be rescued via talented actors and a director who has his eye on visual stimulation. These characters are not that strong rooted in their position of the story, yet through their approach at the material the roles are given life that one probably wouldn?t take notice of within the page itself. Christian Bale is a very gifted actor, as showcased in American Psycho and again (but not as strongly) in Laurel Canyon; and his ability to play the lead man here with as much conviction and appropriate seriousness is another sign of what acting can do for a project.
The persona he occupies is not very deep in nature, but through the performance it convinces us otherwise. It could probably be looked upon as a strong and successful illusion; what we see may not be officially present, but in the ways of acting the mission has been accomplished ? we believe what may not even be true. After all, an actor?s duty consists of making belief out of disbelief; of course, it depends on how logical the story happens to be, but either way Bale proves that theory right.
Equilibrium also has a fascinating sense of visual imagery, as the world that we?re surrounded by comes to life reasonably well. And not only that, but director Kurt Wimmer understands that films in this league function properly when the experience is given jazz and oomph that resonates with the viewer. By that I mean a pulsating tone in terms of the musical score or sound effects filling in voids. And when it comes to flicks of this genre, even if the ride lacks a significant flow of real action, the objective from the audience?s perspective is not just to be told the story but to feel the experience as well.
One of the disappointments of Equilibrium was the action?or lack thereof. I was anticipating a fairly consistent pattern of scenes displaying exciting gun and battle sequences, and was surprised when very little of it was actually being highlighted. None of which can be labeled as being worth it for the price of admission (maybe rental), but they all supply their share of awe and adrenaline. But even where Equilibrium doesn?t deliver action it may not deliver a full-hearted story either, but Bale, our man for most of the duration, allows the experience to be tolerable.
This is a film that has items missing from discussion and isn?t told as sharply as it should, while still managing to be moderately entertaining. It?s not a very memorable flick, but it?s lucky to have these talents involved; without them we may very well have had a fairly far-fetched and ridiculous adventure.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by Director Kurt Wimmer
- Commentary by Director Kurt Wimmer and Producer Lucas Foster
- 'Finding Equilibrium' Documentary
Audio Features:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Widescreen - enhanced for 16x9 televisions
Note: This does happen to be one of those movies where sound and a big-screen can make an impact with a viewing. So, for the full effect find the largest television you can with a good sound system and you're set.
Alike The Transporter (C+) the film loses potential when attempting to cover a story in between the action, as it goes into absurdity and confusion at moments. But unlike Transporter, Equilibrium saves itself through acting.
Quite possibly the biggest misconception is that it?s an action flick; it isn?t. The film is a sci-fi thriller that pays more attention to its story concepts than official excitement. While the opening grabs the viewer and doesn?t let go for about ten or fifteen minutes with great fun action and ultra-neat style, Equilibrium loses momentum as it travels along. The film has the feel of a straight-to-video release with all its story principles revolving around a different world with different society expectations and guidelines. But thankfully the production isn?t as cheap as the majority of such plot lines that find their debut on the shelf, as there is indeed a level of intelligence wrapped around the outskirts; but even so, it would?ve been nice if the cleverness was upgraded a bit more.
The movie has a filmmaking motif relevant to that of The Matrix, and while Equilibrium is not as accomplished it certainly isn?t a bad try. The introduction (here) will easily spring memories to the Keanu Reeves flick and though not directed as powerfully, the intensity nevertheless works. The film stars Christian Bale as a top police enforcer whom due to new systematic procedures, must eliminate all acts related to emotion such as the exposure of literature, music, and art; and that includes eliminating the transgressors.
But when his character accidentally fails to physically take in the routine drug expected of everyone, his eyes and senses suddenly discover the factors of life that are being blocked. Such emotions are illegal to experience in this universe, which creates a conflict, as remaining in this state of being obviously cannot go unnoticeable forever.
If the story sounds confusing or even a little absurd, it is; there?s no beating around the bush on that one. What?s even more mind-boggling is the reasoning behind its primary theory, as it is never really explained. Typically in a film where the plot is bizarre from more of an illogical standpoint (even in the sci-fi world where not much can make sense excusably), the ride can be doomed. From this point on in that argument the viewer must be met by not only actors who comprehend their roles, but hopefully material within the page that doesn?t lure attention to the exit sign (or shall we say, "stop" button). With that reasoning the fake needs to be convincing, and that?s a difficult benchmark films of the genre face, as it isn?t always achieved.
One of the problems Equilibrium is confronted with is bringing the audience into the world of these members within the society. These people may know the system and have been around to cope with it, but there are a few moments throughout where the viewer is not on the same page as the policies exerted in the story. Issues come up and occasionally the script either doesn?t dive into the topic as explanatory as it is recommended, or simply fails to elaborate on the deep levels of which this universe runs on.
Perhaps there were never hardcore details brought about in the founding of the core ideas within the screenplay. But with such a society that the plot has created, it feels as if there would be background knowledge we do not have; and acquiring such specifics could be key for greater appreciation to the impact that is trying to be produced. We?re running on a lot of general statements and notions, and though this does stand as a decent defect for the production, Equilibrium picks up the pieces in other divisions.
This film could be a solid example of how a mediocre (at best) script can be rescued via talented actors and a director who has his eye on visual stimulation. These characters are not that strong rooted in their position of the story, yet through their approach at the material the roles are given life that one probably wouldn?t take notice of within the page itself. Christian Bale is a very gifted actor, as showcased in American Psycho and again (but not as strongly) in Laurel Canyon; and his ability to play the lead man here with as much conviction and appropriate seriousness is another sign of what acting can do for a project.
The persona he occupies is not very deep in nature, but through the performance it convinces us otherwise. It could probably be looked upon as a strong and successful illusion; what we see may not be officially present, but in the ways of acting the mission has been accomplished ? we believe what may not even be true. After all, an actor?s duty consists of making belief out of disbelief; of course, it depends on how logical the story happens to be, but either way Bale proves that theory right.
Equilibrium also has a fascinating sense of visual imagery, as the world that we?re surrounded by comes to life reasonably well. And not only that, but director Kurt Wimmer understands that films in this league function properly when the experience is given jazz and oomph that resonates with the viewer. By that I mean a pulsating tone in terms of the musical score or sound effects filling in voids. And when it comes to flicks of this genre, even if the ride lacks a significant flow of real action, the objective from the audience?s perspective is not just to be told the story but to feel the experience as well.
One of the disappointments of Equilibrium was the action?or lack thereof. I was anticipating a fairly consistent pattern of scenes displaying exciting gun and battle sequences, and was surprised when very little of it was actually being highlighted. None of which can be labeled as being worth it for the price of admission (maybe rental), but they all supply their share of awe and adrenaline. But even where Equilibrium doesn?t deliver action it may not deliver a full-hearted story either, but Bale, our man for most of the duration, allows the experience to be tolerable.
This is a film that has items missing from discussion and isn?t told as sharply as it should, while still managing to be moderately entertaining. It?s not a very memorable flick, but it?s lucky to have these talents involved; without them we may very well have had a fairly far-fetched and ridiculous adventure.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by Director Kurt Wimmer
- Commentary by Director Kurt Wimmer and Producer Lucas Foster
- 'Finding Equilibrium' Documentary
Audio Features:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Widescreen - enhanced for 16x9 televisions
Note: This does happen to be one of those movies where sound and a big-screen can make an impact with a viewing. So, for the full effect find the largest television you can with a good sound system and you're set.
Lee's Grade: B-
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
