Equilibrium

The cult status of Equilibrium has indeed remained a bit of a mystery to me, because this film cannot deny its B-movie aspects even through a poor visual aspect, which in some passages literally stinks of a cheap action film, or with the script, which does develop a very interesting totalitarian Orwellian-Bradbury plot, but at the cost of cheap twists and not very convincing replicas. Even the choreographic aspects of Equilibrium cannot match the brilliance of The Matrix, the futuristic martial arts only look good in certain moments, while sometimes it looks like an excessively accelerated pub brawl. Kurt Wimmer really isn't a great director, and the strangled budget certainly didn't help him much, so his film gives off an uneven impression, cheap moments alternate with successful ones, and good pictorial compositions are alternated by crap. I liked Christina Bale the most in the main role. He does not dazzle, but he plays his role with an overview (albeit without Reeves charisma). Overall, Equilibrium seemed to me like a promising sketch, walled up by overly flashy B-movie crayons. (07/01/2007)

The urban-industrial feeling is great, kind of retrofuturistic, it slightly reminds me visually of V for Vendetta. The action is great but lacks a bit of budget (but it still has a lot of energy and power), and the flashy explosion scenes are not exactly the great, but they are alright for an action B-movie with reasonable ambitions. Christian Bale is likeable and the idea is deep, although simple. There are some flaws, but nothing major. This film has pace and drive and knows what it wants to say and how. That's the main thing. (06/07/2014)

A typical case where film critics and fans sharply disagreed; immediately after its release, I believe it had an 80% rating. I really liked it on the big screen. After leaving the movie theater, I would have given it a 75% overall impression, but I'm convinced that on a second viewing, my rating would drop by about 15%. Films like this are akin to meeting a charming girl who shows up to the second date without makeup... Decent acting and special effects, visually flashy, but the script and dialogue quality are nothing to write home about. (04/05/2007)

Definitely a film for me that made me realize how scared filmmakers are of proper action sequences these days. Visual splendor, amazing music, great sets, and the final fight with the main bastard is a choreographed delicacy. I'll also mention the fast direction, the clever cinematography, and the really superb editing, especially of the action scenes. And yet the vision of a world without emotions – the filmmakers took on too much with that. From that perspective, it's quite a mess. That's why I’m not giving it a 5. (11/10/2004)

Today this is an almost cult-classic that makes the most of the excellent premise of a world devoid of emotions and the performance of Christian Bale, who’s incredibly cool in his role sporting a cold gaze that only a handful of actors can match. The Matrix-style action, however exaggerated and silly, is wonderfully entertaining and brisk, the story is lightning-fast, with a pace that doesn't let up for a moment. Of course, the term visual orgy fits this movie better than any other sci-fi flick, but director Wimmer did a great job, even with regards to the plot, which certainly does not disgrace Equilibrium, quite the opposite. In my list of sci-fi movies this one is ranked pretty high. (08/04/2012)