Freethought & Rationalism Archive

MattofVA · 05-19-2003, 11:31 PM

I saw "Equilibrium" on the shelf at blockbuster, the tagline was "forget the matrix" well, I won't make any spoilers right now as far as the plot of this movie goes-but it's as if Stanley Kubrick got together with the Wachowski brothers and made a somewhat low budget 1984-like movie. Anyone else seen? If not-look for it if you like future dystopia/politically implicit sci-fi or for that matter if you like The Matrix.

GunnerJ · 05-20-2003, 06:41 AM

Yeah, the big fight scenes more or less kick the Matrix's ass. There just aren't enough of them though.

elwoodblues · 05-20-2003, 07:06 AM

I liked it a lot, yeah. The gun-kata thing is great, if a little gimicky. My favorite scene would definitely be the hand-to-hand gun fight at the very end. It exemplifies how kinetic every fight scene is, fast and entirely under control.

Very well done low-budget flick.

trunks2k · 05-20-2003, 12:33 PM

I saw Equilibrium in theatres. I had heard it was really bad, and from what I saw of the trailers, it didn't look very good. But my friend and I were bored and it was the best option. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Sure it could have changed a couple things here and there that would have made it much better, but it deserves more credit than it gets. I thought the did the little boy really really well. He's as creepy as hell in the begining of the movie.

RufusAtticus · 05-20-2003, 12:42 PM

Equ's action scenes are superior to the Matrix. I'll probably buy the DVD next month.

Foofer · 05-20-2003, 04:27 PM

Here is a snippet I liked of Roger Ebert's review of "Equilibrium" -

"In the movie, enforcers known as Clerics have the mandate to murder those who are considered Sense Offenders. This is a rich irony, since True Believers, not Free Thinkers, are the ones eager to go to war over their beliefs. If you believe you have the right to kill someone because of your theology, you are going about God's work in your way, not His."

bocajeff · 05-20-2003, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RufusAtticus
Equ's action scenes are superior to the Matrix. I'll probably buy the DVD next month.

I wouldn't say superior to the 1st Matrix, but I liked the hand to hand combat in equilibrium much more than I did in Reloaded. This movie kicks ass. Hope it catches on on DVD and video

Writer@Large · 05-20-2003, 07:58 PM

EQUILIBRIUM wasn't bad. I enjoyed the premise (a true Prozac Nation!) more than I did the plotline that played out, which was derivative of *every* *other* Orwell/Huxley-inspired future dystopia film ever made. One thing I really loved was the symbol of the Clerics: just take a swastika and center the outer bars, and lo and behold you have something suspiciously like a styalized Xian cross ...

--W@L

GunnerJ · 05-21-2003, 05:46 AM

It looked more like a crosshair to me. Actually, you often see only a fourth of the symbol at a time, which makes it look like a big T.

Brave New World's "Sign of the T" anyone?

tronvillain · 05-21-2003, 12:50 PM

I saw it yesterday and am watching it with the commentary today, and I must say I quite enjoyed it. The director mentions all of the various films he was accused of "ripping off" but doesn't seem especially concerned about it since his movie is about something different (numbness). The tetragrammaton symbol is just four t's and only looks like a swastika except on the flag at the beginning (which the director was quite surprised by at the time), but the similarity to the cross is something he was definitely going for in certain scenes (the one where they talk about faith and father for example).

05-19-2003, 11:31 PM	#1
MattofVA Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Harrisonburg, VA Posts: 112	interesting movie-equilibrium I saw "Equilibrium" on the shelf at blockbuster, the tagline was "forget the matrix" well, I won't make any spoilers right now as far as the plot of this movie goes-but it's as if Stanley Kubrick got together with the Wachowski brothers and made a somewhat low budget 1984-like movie. Anyone else seen? If not-look for it if you like future dystopia/politically implicit sci-fi or for that matter if you like The Matrix.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

05-20-2003, 06:41 AM	#2
GunnerJ Banned Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: a place where i can list whatever location i want Posts: 4,871	Yeah, the big fight scenes more or less kick the Matrix's ass. There just aren't enough of them though.

05-20-2003, 07:06 AM	#3
elwoodblues Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Dunmanifestin, Discworld Posts: 4,836	I liked it a lot, yeah. The gun-kata thing is great, if a little gimicky. My favorite scene would definitely be the hand-to-hand gun fight at the very end. It exemplifies how kinetic every fight scene is, fast and entirely under control. Very well done low-budget flick.

05-20-2003, 12:33 PM	#4
trunks2k Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 6,997	I saw Equilibrium in theatres. I had heard it was really bad, and from what I saw of the trailers, it didn't look very good. But my friend and I were bored and it was the best option. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Sure it could have changed a couple things here and there that would have made it much better, but it deserves more credit than it gets. I thought the did the little boy really really well. He's as creepy as hell in the begining of the movie.

05-20-2003, 12:42 PM	#5
RufusAtticus Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NCSU Posts: 5,853	Equ's action scenes are superior to the Matrix. I'll probably buy the DVD next month.

05-20-2003, 04:27 PM	#6
Foofer Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Behind the hot water pipes, third washroom along, Victoria Station Posts: 268	Here is a snippet I liked of Roger Ebert's review of "Equilibrium" - "In the movie, enforcers known as Clerics have the mandate to murder those who are considered Sense Offenders. This is a rich irony, since True Believers, not Free Thinkers, are the ones eager to go to war over their beliefs. If you believe you have the right to kill someone because of your theology, you are going about God's work in your way, not His."

05-20-2003, 07:58 PM	#8
Writer@Large Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 7,198	EQUILIBRIUM wasn't bad. I enjoyed the premise (a true Prozac Nation!) more than I did the plotline that played out, which was derivative of every other Orwell/Huxley-inspired future dystopia film ever made. One thing I really loved was the symbol of the Clerics: just take a swastika and center the outer bars, and lo and behold you have something suspiciously like a styalized Xian cross ... --W@L

05-21-2003, 05:46 AM	#9
GunnerJ Banned Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: a place where i can list whatever location i want Posts: 4,871	It looked more like a crosshair to me. Actually, you often see only a fourth of the symbol at a time, which makes it look like a big T. Brave New World's "Sign of the T" anyone?

05-21-2003, 12:50 PM	#10
tronvillain Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 5,658	I saw it yesterday and am watching it with the commentary today, and I must say I quite enjoyed it. The director mentions all of the various films he was accused of "ripping off" but doesn't seem especially concerned about it since his movie is about something different (numbness). The tetragrammaton symbol is just four t's and only looks like a swastika except on the flag at the beginning (which the director was quite surprised by at the time), but the similarity to the cross is something he was definitely going for in certain scenes (the one where they talk about faith and father for example).

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.