Equilibrium | 
| Director: Kurt Wimmer
Actors: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Angus Macfadyen, Sean Bean
Studio: Dimension
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $4.35
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Rating:  581 reviews
Sales Rank: 733
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DISD26095D
UPC: 786936181081
EAN: 0786936181081
ASIN: B00005JLWN
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
Release Date: May 13, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The matrix meets minority report Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 06/06/2006 Starring: Christian Bale Sean Bean Run time: 100 minutes Rating: R Director: Kurt Wimmer
Amazon.com
A broad science fiction thriller in a classic vein, Equilibrium takes a respectable stab at a Fahrenheit 451-like cautionary fable. The story finds Earth's post-World War III humankind in a state of severe emotional repression: If no one feels anything, no one will be inspired by dark passions to attack their neighbors. Writer-director Kurt Wimmer's monochromatic, Metropolis-influenced cityscape provides an excellent backdrop to the heavy-handed mission of John Preston (Christian Bale), a top cop who busts "sense offenders" and crushes sentimental, sensual, and artistic relics from a bygone era. Predictably, Preston becomes intrigued by his victims and that which they die to cherish; he stops taking his mandatory, mood-flattening drug and is even aroused by a doomed prisoner (Emily Watson). Wimmer's wrongheaded martial arts/dueling guns motif is sheer silliness (a battle over a puppy doesn't help), but Equilibrium should be seen for Bale's moving performance as a man shocked back to human feeling. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 576 more reviews...
 451 July 2, 2009
Star Bux
This is the best movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book, Fahrenheit 451. Even if it is not a literal adaptation of that book, the similarities are striking enough to say that it is the best movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book, Fahrenheit 451.
Also, this movie is better than that book, Fahrenheit 451. It is a pity that a ovelization of this movie was not made, for the novelization would also be better than Bradbury's book, which seems dated, belonging to a bygone zeitgeist
rather than a picture of a possible future. I also recommend this movie because there is no profanity in this movie. It is rare to find an action movie that does not contain profanity, but meaningful dialogue.
I think the choreography of the fighting scenes was primarily done to woo fans of action movies, but is relevant, in the sense that it helps convey the idea that people have been duped (brain - poisoned) into believing that they can't move that fast, by future propagandists who write the laws of physics as well as
the laws governing social relationships, as if they were unbreakable. In this society, Love, is seen to be a miracle, like dodging bullets.
John Preston (Christian Bale) is a model Grammaton Clerick in the New World Order, which has emerged in the aftermath of WW3: He arrests "sense offenders", but when he inadvertently fails to take his prescribed dose (a drug which suppresses emotions such as empathy), he develops a liking for "sobriety", and then finds himself drawn into "sense crime", and the resistance (or rebellion). A pivotal moment in the film is when he is overwhelmed by emotion upon
hearing a work of classical music (commits sense crime): He hears it, rather than listens to (analyzes) it.
I disagree with them who assert the title of this movie, Equilibrium, refers to a "balancing act" between private and social interests, economic, or political. I think 'Equilibrium' refers to a "balancing act" between logic and emotion, and between the tension felt between "the clergy" (the logic-minded) and "their congregations" (the artists, the emotional ones). There are two societies here, at war with each other. Two different networks, with two different "head quarters"
(leadership). Some emotions have been deemed illegal, as have some thoughts, namely rebellion (terrorism) is what the State has a problem with. The theme of this conflict is two versus two, where two refers to "leadership and followers". For a revolution to be "bloodless", it must be blitzkreig, otherwise you might end up with anarchy, a state of affairs where nobody is in charge.
A "Grammaton Clerick", I think refers to somebody who is able to see language as algebra, able to see the grammar, somebody who is able to deal with problems of logic, who is "good with words". Hence, such persons are important to the State. For example, if you define Violence as the IMMORAL use of force, the individual is given a responsibility to think about right versus wrong. But if the State defines violence as whatever the State deems to be violent, then the citizenry are to obey the laws of the land, out of fear of persecution, and not to think about right versus wrong (in the moral sense). A legal right is not the same concept as a moral right. To wit, "don't confuse Nazis with Jews" is a recurring
theme in this movie. A prisoner asks Preston, Why do you live?, and he struggles to reply, struggles to justify his existence, saying only, "to protect and serve". The question haunts him, as he begins to question the "peace-keeping" State's right to exist.
I recommend that if you obtain a DVD copy of this movie, you might
want to cross out the words "Forget the Matrix" which appear on the DVD
cover.
Very fast shipping, product as promised June 30, 2009
A. Ernst (Redding, CA)
Very fast shipping, product as promised, A+++++++++ all the way. Would highly recommend this Seller.....Thank you!!!!
 If I was younger... June 27, 2009
Jeff Howe (Maine, USA)
I rented this movie at the behest of my 13 year old. I made sure that it was acceptable for his age level first, then agreed to it.
A lot of people compare this to Fahrenheit 451 or 1984. To my way of thinking it was a cross between Fahrenheit 451 and Logan's Run meets Revenge of the Sith in reverse with Vulcans in control.
The storyline is a rehash, really, of Fahrenheit 451 and that's fine as the Bradbury novel was written in 1953. A do over with slightly different plotting makes sense. But the movie really kind of lacks originality, something that will make your head turn off to look out the window in deep thought while saying, "wow." It's all rather predictable.
Except for one thing. The ultimate combat scene did not drag out like the one between Anakin and Obi-Wan. It was over in a couple seconds, and I actually rather liked that.
The acting was good, natural, nothing forced. There was a sufficient amount of action. But at the end of the movie, all I could think was, "so what?"
I can see how it would be liked by a 13 year old.
To it's credit, it avoids language and sexual content beyond a mild reference. The violence is to be expected in its format, though the face of Taye Diggs sliding off was rather disturbing.
That's my take on it. I don't recommend it, but I don't disrecommend it either. I'll leave that up to you.
Great Action June 26, 2009
Thomas Cauley IV (Pullman Wa)
this movie had alot of action and killing which was good. the plot sometimes seemed thin.
Neo meets 1984 meets Fahrenheit 451 June 25, 2009
Grey Wolffe (North Waltham, MA United States)
This movie will remind you of a lot of movies but only in part and that's the problem with this movie. It tries to do too much while not giving us enough of a background to understand or care about what is happening. The main character is a 'cleric' but that's never truly explained. The whole society seems to produce nothing so how does it survive?
In any society, if you continually gave drugs to people to suppress their emotions, it would destroy the ability to produce REM sleep. Such suppression has been show to be a precursor to sleep deprivation and the inability to sleep (i.e. insomnia). REM sleep is when we dream and it is thought to be necessary for consolidating memory and releasing tension. The loss of REM could lead to a society of insomniacs. Since no drug is perfect a number of people would become immune to it while others would have allergic reactions that could lead to death.
The 'shooting' scenes are right out of the MATRIX trilogy, the burning of the pictures,books,etc. are right out of Fahrenheit 451, and so many other scenes are out of 1984 (especially the man speaking from a screen to people in rooms and on the street). The movie just seems to telegraph what's going to happen in the next section over and over. The man at the top (who is supposed to report to 'Father') seems to be emotionally unstable which makes us wonder if he take his drugs.
To formulaic and to much taken from other movies that did it better.
Zeb Kantrowitz
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