EQUILIBRIUM | When Dumb Is Mistaken For Smart
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- "Equilibrium" is a confident, kinetic blend of enthralling action and oppressive visuals. It may also be the single most dumb, derivative film to ever consider itself smart.
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NOTE: I am aware that I made a silly flub and accidentally say "Orson Welles" instead of "George Orwell" at one point. My bad, each of these videos takes 35+ exhausting hours to make and sometime things fall through the cracks.
Did you have "Equilibrium" in your DVD collection? If so - how do you think it holds up?
Damn it if Gunkata isn't extremely cool, and darn it is this film dumber than a mule.
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I think it holds up remarkably well, at least far better than I expect it to any time I throw it on! :)
Won't lie, I thought the Orson Orwell flub was deliberate.
Bought it second hand, for nostalgic reasons.
I think Gun Kata would have worked better (or believable) if they had used fewer guns.
PS both Huxley and Orwell based their work on a story by a soviet Emigrant, "We" by Zemjatin if i remember correctly, basically three generations of the same Story.
I think there is some value to the cinematic equivalent of a 14 year old trying and failing to explain what he learned in civic and literature class, while he was watching the matrix on his phone the entire time under the table
This. Absolutely this.
That has to be the funniest and most oddly specifically description of a movie I've ever heard
Equilibrium is probably the best example of a film where it does not need to be good, smart, original, well-written, or thought-provoking to be enjoyable. It only needs to be shot entertainingly, be aesthetically pleasing (for good or ill), and be fun.
That strange era from 1999 to 2006 where everyone was afraid of government interference, technology advancements, and information overload. My favorite of these films where A Scanner Darkly from Richard Linkletter, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky, and eXitenZ. You should def do videos on Scanner and eXitenZ.
I could absolutely do a video on every Cronenberg film tbh (so far I've only done one about "A History Of Violence") - and coming *very soon* I'll be doing one about "Crash"
YAY he’s one of my all time favorite directors!
Johnny Mnemonic’s dat smuggler, via his own brain, snd sacrificing memories for more storage space is a cool idea, that was ruined by a dumb action Sci Fi story, that butchered a lot of William Gibson ideas.
@@inframeout
What did you think of the recent Crimes of the Future?
I genuinely loved it as a meta commentary on Cronenberg's career as an artist known for provocation who is sick of being reduced to gross chest wounds and sex
Nobody will ever convince me that it is not good.
I’m so happy you made a video about this movie! I know it received bad reviews but I actually like it a lot.
My own theory is that the serum that “supresses emotions” doesnt do anything at all. It just all placebo effect. This is because the serum would be extremely expensive to produce (this is just a guess), and because some citizens have stopped using it just like that (example, when Christian Bale’s kid says he stopped using it once their mother was taken. He obviously had to feel something in order to stop).
Ooooo I like that theory
Thank you! Perhaps I’m giving the movie too much credit because of the reasons you’ve explained in the video (a very good video, I might add). But from the beginning to me it seemed to me that the movie was, partially, about following figures of authority so blindly, hence why most of the people did not question taking the serum and thus not having to think by themselves.
i loved this film! watched it a few times. it’s so good. at least, that’s how i felt in my early 20’s…my movie taste has definitely evolved…
It’s easily digestible versions of more complex ideas. If the writers had been better, your idea would’ve been a great plot point to investigate.
I said the same thing, that it’s not a real drugC just the way people were raised long enough to be normal, mixed with fear of the repercussions of emotion, but there just isn’t enough in the movie to really justify it. A placebo just wouldn’t work in this way for long enough to tranquilize an entire populous.
It’s like the actual reason why humans are kept alive in The Matrix, vs the rewrite they did, because producers and the writer/directors themselves, didn’t think the general public would understand it.
So, we get humans are batteries, instead of the much deeper idea.
Agreed, They wouldnt base theyre entire society on a drug people could just pretend to take. If you live in a oppressively rigid system like that whats there really to feel about especially if you don't even know how to express what youre feeling
I'm so happy that you included Dark City and The 13th Floor on your list at 0:32. I really enjoyed The 13th Floor and Dark City is one of my all time favorite sci-fi movies.
Yeah, The 13th Floor wasn't a masterpiece, but it's SO overlooked and a fun entry into that glut of "the world is a simulation" movies we got around that time. Dark City is practically a smash hit by comparison.
I haven’t actually seen Equilibrium, but after finally watching The Matrix last year, it has been hilarious to fully realize just HOW MUCH Hollywood ripped it off without understanding it. Even the Zords in Power Rangers: Time Force were doing Bullet Time
Dark City is also a must watch in this band of dark lit dystopias from about the same time.
we had to suffer until Ong Bak came out in the mid 2000's.
Ong Bak absolutely fucks
On the plus side, they eventually made the best Matrix movie: The LEGO Movie.
Blade did bullet time before the Matrix.
Man I really loved this movie. I got a nylon coat for school and I felt like a grammaton cleric walking into double physics
That's pretty badass
I must be a peon because I loved this movie! Action packed, and it made you think.
I liked this movie so much when it came out, as a 15 year old, this had everything i wanted to see in an action movie, i was so proud to show it to my High school friends
Absolutely. Before I'd read any of the books it *blatantly steals from*, I thought it was a subversive work of genius.
Now it's a very enjoyable action film with a script that reads like a cat barfing on a bookshelf
@@inframeout 😂i could not put it better
Bulletproof monk is good goddammit! 😤
More great work from the most underrated film youtuber. I knew a lot of confused people in the early 2000s, and count myself as one of them. I heard someone talking recently about how conspiracies in the 90s were basically fun X-Files type stuff. I was into all of that back then. I'd listen to Art Bell and it was entertaining. Then 9/11 happened and yeah it definitely got more serious. Richard Linklater would put Alex Jones in Waking Life and the stuff he was yelling about made sense at the time. He used him again in A Scanner Darkly and it still made sense. It's really been weighing on me why that resonated with me then. I know he changed over time, just like I have, just like everyone does. Linklater is one of my favorite filmmakers and he seems like he is the exact opposite of Jones. Empathetic, open-minded, wanting to explore the human experience. I think that's why people like him were able to see value in a lot of the stuff Jones was saying back then. It was about the government controlling and suppressing us, and what could be worse to a creative person? When you talk about the muddle of influences that make up Equilibrium, I think this is part of that too. This was when Alex Jones was talking about how both parties were two sides of the same coin. You couldn't trust either side because they were all in it together, and that meant so were we. A synthesis of Bradbury and Orwell could make sense because ALL of it was the deep state. Now Alex Jones has picked a side and conspiracies have become almost exclusively the domain of alt-right provocateurs. I struggle with whether this was where the path was leading all along.
One of top 10 best dystopian movies ever.
(started at 2:51, multiple edits, meant for the content creator) Equilibrium is what you get when you put all the greatest dystopian tales in a blender. However, saying it was "like the matrix" is really surface level; that's just recognizing a certain action-choreography-aesthetic that was popular, so no more derivative than "Super 8"'s monster was derivative of Cloverfield; there are only so many effects houses and fight choreographers. No, it's not "good", and is in fact pretty "bad", if by bad you mean cheesily over-earnest and easily predictable to anyone familiar with the genre. "What if we took Farenheit 451, Brave New World, added a pinch of 1984 and a dash of 'fallout nv' ". However, it is well-acted and engaging, and not the worst thing from that era. It's just a popcorn movie that does all the new hotness. At least it didn't try to build a cinematic universe out of what is basically a short story from Omni Magazine. Good video. edit: 7:30 yep, it's not that hard to see those things, lol. However: film isn't always supposed to be saying something. It should, and it is wonderful when it does, but sometimes a film is just a way to express what has impacted your life as a form of homage. Wimmer is both writer and director , and when you look at his writing credits, you can certainly see shades of John Milius in his obvious political leanings/mindset influencing his work. Maybe the comparison to matrix is less about surface-level-visual-effects, but more of (sorry, I'm a little high) the "there's no longer a bad guy, so we must be the bad guy" anti-authoritarian/gen-x-auteur era of American cinema that includes The Wachowskis, Fincher, early Nolan, and even Beson (was a weird time when foreign auteurs became Americanized due to QT forcing us all to become cinephiles). 8:33 How rude, QT unapologetically ripped off close to 50 years worth of films, and everyone is like "oh, that's homage", and this guy does it and suddenly he's a hack? unfair! 9:11 whoa whoa whoa! You mean "as they relate to the auteur", right? You can't say "this person misinterpreted the text" when you aren't the author of the text. Wimmer is displaying his interpretation, which may not be yours, but that doesn't make it invalid. 9:35 Miles Davis was a wife-beating heroin addict, does that inform how interpret his art? 10:10 lol, ok, yeah, this film is kind of up it's own arse, lolol. 11:58 ok, yeah, you nailed that, as well as the "magic drug" thing, maybe some more of that Milius-type thing? 14:58 damn. You got me. I stand by this movie as 90-ish minutes of better-than-average brain rot, but I see the comparison to "matrix" pretty clearly now. Upgrading to excellent video, thanks for 20 minutes of brain activity. Leaving this up, hope you find it entertaining.
What a great movie , it borrows a lot from Fahrenheit 451 but still fantastic
THX 1138 was the first example I saw of criminal drug evasion.
8:57 - when someone says "this ISN'T a fantastic video that manages to find words to describe Writing on Games' complicated feelings towards this weird, dumb film"
I feel like Equilibrium is a plate covered in delicious junk food that just so happens to keep smashing into my dumb, dumb face
The question is "is it cool", yes.
i definitely noticed the presence of emotions in much of the supporting characters when I was a teen watching this but i still love this movie! i am all about tolitarian sci-fi fantasy, and being a total psychonaut suspension of disbelief isn't much of a challenge for me, if anything i find it amusing when a film i enjoy has obvious plot holes and shortcomings. those blank spaces are just more room for me to inject my own imagination into the film.
I just remembered the video rental shop employee who told me Equilibrium was like The Matrix but better.
Yes when it comes down to it, its a simple movie with a simple premise, but Bale really sells it with his performance. Far from being a brilliant movie it is enjoyable to watch nonetheless.
This is the future Scientologists want.
Damn...diddnt hear about this hidden gem since over 12 years
Memory unlocked
*Trenchcoat Upgraded*
Lol this was in my favorites when it came out and in boondock saints.
To this day I still can't believe "the underground" was literally *under the ground, visible by looking through the grates in the sidewalk*, a whole community of people just not even trying to be quiet or stealthy whose entire existence relies upon them doing exactly that
😂😂😂
I'm delighted to hear someone tell the truth about this dreck. Thank you.
This movie sounds like it was written by my parents, both of whom were horrified at the prospect of me going on antidepressants because they associated it with being turned into a zombie pill fiend instead of, like, the thing that makes me a functional member of society. (Love you, Zoloft! Never leave me.)
Additionally, having Emily Mortimer in the cast made me chuckle, because I always feel like she's the de facto crier in Hollywood/British TV. You need someone to make their chin quiver while their eyes silently well up with tears? You call Emily Mortimer.
Emily Mortimer is basically a ringer to bring emotional gravitas to dialogue that sounds like it was written by a bird randomly pecking at typewriter keys
@@inframeout lol still a good choice haha
This video sums up my feelings well. I took an elective senior year in high school called Science History & Belief. It was a cool course - bit over my head though. We read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and discussed other issues of philosophy. The course was taught by two older popular teachers, one a biology teacher and the other history. I looked up to them and at this age one starts getting into politics. I thought Equilibrium was an edgy dystopian action flick yet "smart" because it had a political message. So I gave them my copy of Equilibrium to watch. As an adult I look back and cringe on my high school self.
1:30 LOL, this exactly sums up my feelings about Equilibrium as well. That said, I think you're being a little harsh about the 'plot holes' with Prozium. I thought it was clear that the drug just isn't as effective as the government claims, hence the over-the-top repression. Art can still stir the soul, despite chemical interference. I see nothing wrong with a little classic Romanticism here.
For that matter, if one were to put more thought into the scenario than Wimmer probably did, one might argue that Prozium *can't* be as effective as the government claims, because the government wants to rule by fear, and fear is an emotion too. For their system to work, the public's emotions would need to be dulled, but not eliminated completely. Like, by contrast, Lucas's THX-1138 has a very similar starting premise, but its government is significantly less antagonistic (and seemingly less hypocritical), and the public is much more placid - more in line with what Prozium claims to do, but clearly doesn't.
Did the narrator really say Orson Wells while George Orwell's 1984 was on the screen?
Thanks for yet another wonderful video. I had practically forgotten about this movie. I remember seeing in the theatre, thinking it was pretty damn good, and indebted to the best dystopian works or art, but not being able to put my finger on what didn’t work about it. Once again you’ve articulated it perfectly. Looking forward to your next video!
4:17 Straight to VHS GRINDHOUSE!
Jeff Goldbloom said it best!
12:00 Cause the Script says so.... for rising tension, you know?
I love this movie. It's simple and low budget and great
I love this movie, dumb is fun to me especially when martial arts are involved unless it's The Raid in which badass fighting choreography is fkin metal
Having read an interview with the director from when the movie released, it's clear he's pretty aware of exactly what kind of movie he'd made and that the concepts from the books and authors you mentioned were kinda tossed in as flavor text because he enjoyed those books and thought the idea of a society akin to them would make for a cool setting. That being said though, I completely understand the frustration of seeing these nuanced concepts reduced to setdressing for Christian Bale to hilariously gun-fu his way through, especially when the Matrix managed to nail the balance between making you think while also letting you kick back to crazy action.
I always figured none of the "Inside" or upper echelon guys took the medication, and the Atlas art pieces were a hint to the government's hypocrisy, along with the public outburst of rage showing the audience he had feelings too.
This movie has a stellar cast, some gorgeous shots, and an unwavering desire to say something. It's ham-fisted and overly derivative script along side its desperate need to look cool makes the positives almost totally ineffective. Maybe if Christian Bale's character ever felt like he was in any form of danger, I could have cared about the proceedings. Instead, its like watching someone play an action video game with all the cheat codes turned on.
One word..... GATTACA !!!
I actually really liked it, and consider it a really good, if flawed, film. It was the film that got me interested in the many literatures it ripped off. I have since read 1984, and Man In The High Castle, and I have copies of Brave New World, and Farenheight somewhere, which i want to read soon. And yes, I would also consider Man In The High Castle to be part of its inspirations.
Has it been twenty years since this came out? Good God, I'm an old man now. How did this happen? This was the first flick I saw Christian Bale in, and even then despite being surrounded by mediocrity, I could tell he was a good actor. And . . . yeah okay the Gun-Kata is cool. Even if it is dumb
pretty sure this was the movie that won him the Batman role
@@tyzerro Certainly showed he could handle the physicality
Came for the Equilibrium talk; stayed for the Forgetting Sarah Marshall reference!
I also have the feeling that Brian Conley launched his 'straight' career from this film. Prior to 2002, he mostly did comedy, post this, he's predominantly dramatic. In the commentary, the director said they extended his role following his audition, and he extols the virtues of stand ups when it comes to timing and being able to deliver different takes of a single line.
Prayer of the Rollerboys
My thought is - needs a remake addressing what you've brought up.
Now that sounds like a good idea to me!
This is definitely a turn youe brain off to watch and you'll enjoy it. My personal belief is that either the drug was failing or everyone wasn't really taking it. The guy giving him the test at the end jumps in fear when Bale reacts. The bad guy at the end definitely shows emotions, before that slap fight with guns. But with that in mind. It might be why they are destroying all the possible art. It envokes more emotions
I've never managed to finish this movie, maybe time to try it again with this insight. Also fun to see just how many recognisable faces are in there. Now I wonder if the apocalypse movie Bale did could be worth another try.
Orson Welles or George's Orwell? I'd love to have seen Welles' version of 1984
Well, that sure is slip of the tongue on my part. That being said - they were both geniuses who were freaked out by the concept of government - so let's pretend I did it on purpose as some sort of joke
@@inframeout and to be totally honest you were so 'on the nose' with your video Equilibrium will have cotton wool stuffed it's nostrils to stem the bleeding for months to come!
A new In/Frame/Out video: Exciting
A new In/Frame/Out video about EQUILIBRIUM: SUPER exciting!
I haven't seen the movie in many years so I didn't realize the Prozac/Valium connection until you mentioned it! That's really fucked up and extremely harmful. It's bad enough these medications already have a bad rap without Equilibrium coming in with their bull (and to be fair, the meds can cause some dulling of the senses, but that is because they're not a 1-size fits all solution and they need delicate adjustments to dosage to find the right balance).
Gun Fu (as we used to call it) is cool though!
Equilibrium is a great piece of pictorial composition. All subject matter aside.
This was high budget, high talent cringe. I wanted to love it but couldn't help but shudder through every attempt to give it another chance.
I always thought that the inconsistencies and contradictions were deliberate. Showcasing the hypocrisy of those in power and/or control, while they project exactly what they claim they are against (the fact that Brandt/ Taye Diggs and the council ARE in fact so emotional while judging and condemning John Preston/ Bale's character for the same).
The reveal towards the end about Dupont and Prozium only cements that fact further.
I think some of the criticisms on the film in this video don't take these bits into consideration. That said, I DO think Equilibrium did a good job regurgitating a lot of those source materials in an enjoyable way - and perhaps not as stupidly as claimed here.
In the same way that Harry Potter is essentially a (popular) mash-up of other magical fantasy novels and films, Equilibrium feels like a (not very popular) mash-up of The Matrix, GATTACA, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and so on. Feels like it was probably an influence on John Wick, though, so that's something to be grateful for, I guess.
Oh yes, opresive dystopian society that can be taken down by one guy forgeting to take his medicine once.
I really wonder what you think about Kurt Wimmer's attempt to recreate Equilibrium, but far worse in every way possible? Because Ultraviolet manages to get everything wrong despite coming from the same director, ironically from trying to not come off as so smart this time around, replacing emotions with "hemophages" or just vampires, and featuring more gun-kata action scenes. It also suffers from severe studio interference where the film was cut against Wimmer's will to a scant under 90 minute runtime (and a PG-13 rating) to maximize theatre screenings. It was bad enough for Wimmer to stay away from directing films until that godforsaken Children of the Corn film from 2020.
Is it me or is "somewhat shitty early 2000 films" fast becoming the bread and butter of this channel?
Which as someone who was a teen during that time and rented a fuck ton of them (including this one) from the local video rental, I don't mind one bit.
You'll notice I actually have a huge fondness for many of them while acknowledging they're very, very flawed 😊
I think I'm just more interested in the nuance and layers to be found in the so called "Meh" movies. 2-star films that show promise and potential but fumble it
@@inframeout Absolutely! That's one of the reasons I love this channel. Even bad films are often treated with love and enthusiasm.
Another reason is you actually reply to comments like right now which I think is awesome! This is currently my favorite YT channel. Already looking forward to your next video (but no rush obviously) Keep up the good work! 👍
It's the least I can do! If you're going to take the time out of your day to start a conversation, I'm more than happy to chat. After all - if it wasn't for folks such as yourself this channel wouldn't exist
I was contrarian enough in high school that I thought this movie looked dumb even then, but now... I think I gotta watch it
"All art is banned and emotions have been made physically impossible. Now please come into my artistically designed building filled with statues and paintings, whilst we speak angrily or excitedly or empathetically...because within eight minutes of starting this film we forgot the premise"
I was a bit older at the time and felt much the same way about The Matrix, even more so when the first sequel came out. To a lesser extent probably but I wasn't a huge fan. This movie is much worse offender though being a bad copy of those.
Hey. At least William Fichtner is in it.
The thing is, even when Christian Bale does a bad movie, it’s still a Christian Bale movie.
I think it boils down to the elevator pitch, which was probably something like, "What if, at the end of 1984 or Farenheit 451, the hero just, like, blows the crap out of the fascist regime and saves everybody?" Satisfying, but stupid. I always wondered why they had some kind of enforced medicaiton but no clear mechanism for verifying if people had actually taken their medication. Seemingly it was just the honor system.
Equilibrium is both good and bad, for exactly the same reason: It dispenses with all the unnecessary details and just gives you the core of a story.
It is good because the core story is pretty simple, its a story that people already know and love (in some form or another), and there is nothing to detract from it.
It is bad, because there is nothing except the core. No REAL character development. For any of the characters. Only one significant - and highly predictable - obstacle to overcome. No investment in the relationship so no real emotion when she dies. The viewer cant help but yearn for a more COMPLETE version of the story. It lets you down. Its just too half-assed for the viewer to be satisfied.
It's important to remember that within the narrative of toxic masculinity, anger is not an emotion.
Huh
Surprised to see you cover John Woo's adaptation of 1984 in a video
Equilibrium is that movie I saw as a teen, though it was fucking awesome, held it in my fondest memories, and then you think about it when you grow up and it's really silly, it does feel like they searched a bunch of authors and thought "that would be cool" I mean how do you stop people from making art? lol
I still love the movie tho, though flaws and all, there's just something about that early 2000s style that I have nostalgia for
Also - and this cannot be overstated enough - Gunkata is awesome
@@inframeout it is so unpractical, it makes wooshing sounds and it's definitely one of the powers I always wanted
Interesting video. I think Kurt Wimmer as a writer/director tried to do cool ideas and visuals to match them even if the production doesn't have the resources to pull them up. For example, Ultraviolet isn't a great movie, but I enjoy the deliberate comic-book look and feel, despite not aging well (fun fact, I saw it for the first time in a long bus trip).
Also, his scripts for Law Abiding Citizen and Salt had interesting premises that could've been great entertainment but the final product (especially in Salt, which feels like the studio intervened on it) didn't fully deliver. Even in the case of the unnecessary remakes of Total Recall and Point Break (he co-scripted the former with another writer), there were ideas that could serve better in unrelated films IMHO.
All I remember about "Ultraviolet" is that it's the only film I've ever seen where there are literally rendering mistakes in the CGI that mean people clip through solid objects or textures glitch mid-scene
If you copy some of the best and most complex works of fiction ever, and get some of it wrong, whilst making it look ridiculously cool....well you aint done too bad
I always described Equilibirum as the himbo’s interpretation of Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and the Matrix. It’s dumb as hell, no doubt about that, but it’s so earnest about itself that I really can’t help but love it a little.
It's absolutely adorable. Like when someone reads "Animal Farm" and thinks it's about animals on a farm
This is what happens when somebody suggest adding guns to d&d and then turns that into a screenplay.
I thought it was entertaining and the action scenes pretty inventive although I didn't see the point of the butts of the guns having those little thingies popping out when you can just shoot your opponent and the music by Klaus Badelt really gave it that punch.
This film is a remake for modern audiences of the fiml farenheit 451 from 1966. Finish and klaar.
Nice Rich Evans inclusion.
IT BROKE NEW GROUND
@@inframeout :D
I know these RLM jokes have been repeated to death (and beyond) ... but I can't help it, I still laugh at them.
Pretty unfair to compare Equilibrium to the Matrix when the former was made on less than a third of the budget of the latter and released without much fanfare 3 years on. Its also a bit rich to bag on Wimmer's movie for being unoriginal when the Matrix is itself so derivative; neither invented dystopian SF and both are deeply endebted to HK action movies of the 80's and 90's.
I mean seriously, didn't the penny drop that despite the Wachowski's protestations of thematic/philosophical complexity it was all entirely facile when the Matrix sequels utterly failed to develop the concepts further.
Bottom line for me is that conceptually Equilibrium is actually better because its premise runs entirely on emotion/lack of emotion. A far better counterpoint to the power-fantasy aspect of the action scenes which inarguably are what both movies were sold on the basis of.
This film was then, as it is now, a Krispy Kreme donut of a movie; a guilty treat. Terrible in all ways but you still want one even though your teeth ache the instant you bite into it. If for no other reason, the gun-kata still makes it worth talking- about even though it is absurd.
Absurdly badass, am I right?!
@@inframeout absolutely!!
Yup.
I still don't see why *all* emotions had to be suppressed. Why not make a dystopian society where everyone's forced to be happy and cooperative all the time?
Did you mean to say Orson Welles at 6:54 when you showed the cover of George Orwell's 1984?
Nope. An honest mistake on my part and one I make with extreme frequency because I am a dumb dumb man
@@inframeout no sweat, it happens. I heard a friend conflate Oscar Wilde and Orson Wells recently. Those ORE sounds will get ya. Dig the videos, keep up the great work.
I don't pair Equilibrium with the Matrix so much as with V for Vendetta.
I mean... resolving some of these paradoxes requires giving it more thought/care/attention than the creator probably did, BUT
1 - statues relating to Atlas Shrugged: perhaps in the future people evaluated Ayn Rand based on how she lived rather than how she told other people to live, and so Randism becomes very different; Randic iconography may well have a different meaning in that instance
and
2 - The fact that they displayed statues isn't the problem; the fact is, they forbid art but EVERYTHING IS ART! They use guns, do they not? Aren't guns designed not just to kill but also to look sleek and cool? Aren't they wearing clothes, and aren't clothes fashion? Fashion = art. Don't they live in houses? Well, were those houses not designed?
(So, given that "art" is an arbitrary designation, I never really let that shit bother me. THAT BEING SAID, you make a related point later... the actors were *acting*. Like, emoting. And that always bothered me, yeah. Bale's new partner was SO MAD at him for feeling feelings, and like... hypocrite much? As you point out, it breaks the movie, and as you didn't - explicitly state - it's such an obvious mistake... even when I first saw the movie, as young and cinema-illiterate as I was, it jumped off the page to me. Somebody should've caught it.)
also, I guess 3 - just because it's called Prozium, I never thought it was equal parts prozac and valium. I haven't seen the movie in a long time; is there reason to assume that? I thought it was more about sounding sciency/pill-ish than anything else.
Having watched all the making-ofs, listened to the commentary and picked every second of the film apart - sadly, you're giving far too much credit to those who made this film
@@inframeout I mean, sure... but I'm willing to fix a movie (or book, or whatever) with logic that isn't in-frame from time to time if it makes it better, so long as the in-frame stuff doesn't prevent it.
I mean, the movie - or whatever - has to earn it by having a good foundation, or at least being fun... lazy writing typically offends me and I'm not willing to do it, and granted "Equilibrium" probably doesn't deserve it.. but goddamn, it's so fun and stupid, and Gun-Kata is so goddamn fun in the most over-the-top stupid way possible.. I can't help but respect that he's like "listen, they're going to stand in the middle of the room, which allows them the best angle to shoot at their enemies, and we're not even going to acknowledge that it also puts them squarely in position to be shot the easiest"... like, damn, that's bold.
Can't argue with that :)
"Hey, stand in the middle of the room and only move your arms. Keep your head, neck, torso and legs completely still...this will somehow prevent someone shooting you immediately"
Man did I get in trouble with my social circle for basically saying the same shit about this movie being derivative AF back in like 2001.
I love dystopian fiction, 1984, A Clockwork Orange, Children of Men: all of that is my jam. So Equilibrium really disappointed me. It was a rehash of ideas from much better novels and movies. It's a film with the Totalitarianism of 1984, the cultural suppression of Fahrenheit 451, and like THX-1138, drugs were used to suppress emotions. I could have read those novels or watched those movies instead.
Nor did it succeed as an action film. It felt rudimentary and seemed like it was made by people who wanted to copy The Matrix, without understanding what made The Matrix special. It didn't help that Preston felt like a superman who was never in any real danger,
The most entertaining moment in the film was when one bloke said "he's a sense offender" because it sounded like "he's a sex offender"
in a way, equilibrium is a better matrix sequel than the matrix sequels
Hey, the Matrix sequels at least had the freeway chase and the Dragon Ball Z fight
@@inframeout one of those things is worth it... the other isn't
Yeah, yeah, but we're not supposed to think about it too much. It is more about the optics and feeling of the themes than the narrative lore. As someone who loves the literature the film props up without the extent of its messages, I love this film for the very pop dressing of it all.
So which is it? Is it a stupid film we shouldn't engage with intellectually at all (in which case - the fact that 85% of the film is plot and exposition seems to contradict any assertion that the plot doesn't matter)? Or is it a thematic, impressionistic film (in which case the fact that none of the themes make sense and often contradict or cancel each other out surely tanks any ambitions of intelligence)?
@@inframeout You frame this question the way you think of the film, but I reject your framing and ultimate conclusion, hence my comment. All while understanding the merit behind your thoughts. It's not that you're wrong, exactly. But we can choose how to look at some things. Especially a thing such as Equilbrium. I don't take it so seriously, mostly because I don't think it's saying anything at all. That doesn't bother me because it's clear the director/writer were not interested in being so damn deep.
It's just optics with other people's themes. Its themes aren't its own, they are silkscreened from other originals. Like a Warhol portrait. I get that can be obnoxious. And we can cite the easy transparent shortcomings of it, but it has its charm for some of us. It isn't a "which is it" sorta thing. IMO. If that bothers you or others that is totally valid. I just dig the thing.
Can we not fight Frame I love you and your channel :)
No fight :)
I definitely gave this movie a chance when it first came out (it was a new release when I used to work at Blockbuster Video) unfortunately, like the video mentioned, I immediately thought, "man, this is just like 1984." Needless to say I was pretty disappointed
Calling wanted a matrix rip off is not only wrong but just plain dumb.
is this just great value brand john wick?
well the gun kata was a stroke of true genius in an otherwise painfully mediocre movie. wish we had more of it but hey, neo becoming john wick is a bit of things coming full circle. then again I kinda prefer the aseptic aesthetics of equilibrium...
6:54 You mean George Orwell?
Youll believe that a man can dodge a bullet…Equilibrium was some ass kickin fun without woke!
Strange? You mean awesome!
You're damn right it's awesome...and also one of the dumbest movies ever made
The anti-emotion stuff of this movie reminds of “anti-technology” stuff from movies like Transcendence or Star Trek: Insurrection.
"Transcendence" is so lumbering and weird with its messaging that it basically says "Yeah, humanity would be better off if we all died and just put our brains' in a computer. Also - one person should literally control the entire world"
I'm not sure how you can mention Gun Kata, without mention Gymkata. That joke seemed right up your ally.
Gymkata is far too advanced for me. Only Colin The Canadian and Rich Evans can truly deconstruct its prowess
Orson Welles?
Yup. I sure did make a mistake when I said those words by mistake with my mistaken mouth.
Never heard of Equilibrium, but I feel like I've seen many films just as painfully stupid, though usually not quite so over-the-top about it. I'm sure I would hate this movie when sober - movies that refuse to even look at their own incoherent ideas always make me extremely irritable. (On the other hand, Emily Watson...!) But your penchant for hilarious wordplay makes me glad to learn about the film.
It's definitely worth a watch for the extremely inventive action and some of the truly gorgeous location work. That being said - it's a film where nobody is supposed to be capable of emotion but everybody is constantly emoting, and also one of the most blatantly plagiarized works of the 21st century
@@inframeout Maybe I'll give it a try - but after watching the video again I noticed how you tried to praise the movie several times, but your praise kept transforming itself into another dis. Which was funny in itself, as it showed how hard it is to be positive about a movie that flouts rationality with such abandon.
"Someone call Carly Rae Jepsen because there's emotion all over the place." LMAO
I bet Carly Rae Jepsen would be excellent at Gunkata
@@inframeout She's already great with swords, gun kata would seal the deal!
You should do ultraviolet it's somehow worse
It would depress me far too much to repeatedly study that trainwreck
I'll admit I kind of like the comic book looking cinematography in that movie but other than that, yeah it doesn't look particularly good.
I recall a friend of mine recommending this movie to me back in 2003 telling me it was "brilliant". Five minutes in I gasped in disbelief how ridiculous and stupid it was. Normally I turn off bad and stupid movies in ten minutes tops but this film was so offensive to me in every way I just *had* to see exactly how *absurd* it could possibly get.
I don't mind stupid movies being stupid and going along with it. Mindless escapism high on entertainment value and low on realism can be a nice, guilty pleasure. But Equilibrium is a stupid movie which thinks it's smart and profound and that to me is the cardinal sin in movie making. Calling it merely pretentious is the understatement of the century.
As I watched this 107 minute long film I began questioning whether I had a repressed trait of masochism about halfway through and while my inner voice constantly told me:"Turn this utter crap off, you're wasting time, this will only get worse." , I had a gut feeling this was such a challenge on all my senses I had to go through until the end to prove to myself I could do it. I just had to endure it.
Interestingly enough I went through different stages in this ordeal.
First it was sheer disbelief something like this could even have been greenlit, let alone shot and released. Like a train derailing and crashing violently right in front of you. Just can't believe you're watching it unfold before your very eyes. Feels unreal.
Then when they came to the dialogue between Bale's character and his "super-genius" boss I felt anger welling up inside me. Soon enough I started replying sarcastically to the dialogue and eventually just said:"Oh, shut the eff up you clown."
Then came the executing puppies scene and I began laughing and shaking my head in disbelief. This scene would have been brilliant in a comedy or a spoof of the future dystopia genre. I mean it's Pythonesque in nature. But since this was meant as a *serious* scene I laughed even more. It dawned on me the director/writer must be mentally 12. Some things are so beyond belief and absurd you can't help but laughing. Unintentionally hilarious films have their appeal.
Sadly the lowest of low had already been achieved at the puppy execution scene and the rest of the film just troddled along and I felt there was nothing to see here anymore. Move along now. Thus I entered a rather long session of boredom hoping they would just get to the end and wrap the whole thing up. I suppose the optimist inside me kept hoping at least the ending could be somewhat well-meaning - sort of like a four year old presenting you with his/her "portrait" of you and you're grateful your brother's little son /daughter means well and admires you enough to present you with this "portrait". To be frank I don't remember the ending for I never watched this movie ever again (fact is I wish I never had or that it would be possible to erase this memory completely somehow), but I have a good memory and pretty much always remember the ending scene whether it was good or bad. So I must have switched off completely when I knew this film was over once Bale defeated his boss (or perhaps I remember that wrong too).
This taxing ordeal had a silver lining though. I realized the film is the perfect litmus test of people I don't know. Over the years I have encountered quite a few "Have-you-seen-Equilibrium-it's-a-brilliant-film" types and my immediate reaction is always:"Now I know you're an idiot I wish to distance myself from or avoid as much as I can."
I also realized that Kurt Wimmer is the worst director ever.
But what about Ed Wood you say? Edward Wood J:r was an inept movie maker but his guerrilla movie making, silly dialogue and abysmal acting actually is entertaining and heart-warming. His ambition widely exceeded his talent but he still made films. He also stumbled upon topics a good four decades before they became acceptable to portray in Hollywood films.
Michael Bay? He's a one-trick-pony who thinks:"Lots of explosions and giant robots fighting is better than few explosions and just two robots fighting." I'd say he knows his target audience and gives them exactly what they want the same way some TikToker making funny faces knows millions will watch him/her. Michael Bay probably knows he sells dumb extravaganzas.
Aha, but you forgot about Uwe Boll, didn't you? No, I didn't. You see I don't see Uwe Boll as anything else but a *conman or charlatan* masking as a film maker/director. It's widely known he went "The Producers" route in his native Germany. A German law grants him millions if he produces a number of films and he can "net the difference". He has found a great way to exploit this German law for monetary gain. I'd say he is well-aware he makes stinkers and this is his intention from the very beginning. Buy the movie rights to some popular game, earn a quick buck from hordes of stupid gamers drawn to the title, rinse and repeat.
Lucky for Christian Bale the movie going public were largely oblivious to "Equilibrium" as it's becoming increasingly obscure. I say lucky for had it been a huge release like say "Batman & Robin" or "The Postman" his career could have tanked much like Alicia Silverstone's or Kevin Costner's.
I will never fail to always upvote a Rich Evans cameo #dickthebirthdayboy
I don't own the Equilibrium DVD because I fear the other ones on the shelves would gang up on it and beat it up every night for not really belonging, and that just wouldn't be fair to either it or them
Yea, and Westworld the series thinks it's far far more clever than it actually is. It's a common thing these days, and it's painfully pretentious.
It's not all that clever Equilibrium, and just robs plenty of ideas from 1984 and other dystopian stories, but I think it does have some successful emotional content-- notably the first time he wakes up and appreicates a sunrise, I think that scene is well done.
Algorithm snack
Admittedly a movie with a drugged majority of characters incapable of basic emotion would be either terribly boring or an utter horror movie.
I'd watch the latter.
although this film has many faults and contradictions, I actually really like it, but then again, I'm a sucker for almost all dystopian entertainment... as long as it reaches a certain level of production...
I'm right there alongside you. This is equivalent to me of listening to a band with excellent musicianship but the most idiotic lyrics known to man
i wish bradbury was more conservative with his flowery writing!.