Equilibrium

[unclejack]

Hey yalls, I'm sure many of you have probably seen this movie but one of my favorite movies to watch that I have on DVD is Equilibrium starring Christian Bayle and Taye Diggs. It's like the matrix only much much better in my opinion. The more I watch the matrix the less I like it. Not so much the first one, but the sequels. Especially the second one even though it was great as far as action goes. It's so full of all this super-interpretive-futeristic-philosophy stuff in it and it kinda takes the taste out of the movie for me. But Equilibrium is a good flick and high in dramatic quality so if you have the means then check it out.

[HardScienceFan]

that's Christian Bale mate

[unclejack]

lol, sorry, misspelled his name. I'm sure I misspelled Diggs also, but I figured yall would know who I was talkin about.

[Joel007]

wall do know what you're talking about

I did like equilibrium, but i preferred the matrix, since it seemed a lot more thought through. Perhaps if the action in equilibrium was more of a means to an end rather than the whole point of the film, i might have enjoyed it more and rewatched it. As it stands, it's a good idea not fully brought to justice, and just the one viewing will do.

[HardScienceFan]

Equilibrium had a good message though.
Heck even the matrix suffered from overkill i thought.
Haven't seen ANY of the sequels,TG

[Nesacat]

Liked Equilibrium and the first Matrix movie.

I would have liked the ideas in Equilibrium to have been explored further and the plot to not have been so focussed on the fighting even if I love those action scenes. There were some good ideas and some very well done images all in all.

The scene where he touches the woman's hand. The sound of the rain. The feel of the stair rail.

Didn't like the Matrix sequels too much. They seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew and it all unravelled and looked like a computer game.

[unclejack]

Hmmm, well I do think that the action in equilibrium is much better than in the matrix but my main reason for liking it so much is because of the high drama content in the movie and the transition that Christian's character goes through in the film. That's what I think makes the whole movie. The whole inner confilct that he goes through as he comes to terms with where he stands on the whole sense offense thing makes that movie very captivating. I don't think that the matrix really had that much of that outside of the first one. After the first one it was just about trippy special effects and cool action sequences but after repeated viewings the philosophy of the movie gets agravating. It's one of those movies that I can watch over and over, I happen to think it's great for repeated viewings. But having seen all the matrix movies more than once, I've pretty much had my fill.

[Nesacat]

I'll second unclejack on that. The transition in Equilibrium is well done and reflected very well in small things we take for granted.

Much of it is understated and restrained and so much more effective for that. Bale's character goes from one end of a way of life right to the very opposite end and journey is an amazing one.

Matrix should have quit with the first movie. Or they should have developed a stronger, more streamlined plot that was not heavily dependent on special effects to sustain itself.

[Coolhand]

Originally Posted by Nesacat

I'll second unclejack on that. The transition in Equilibrium is well done and reflected very well in small things we take for granted.

Much of it is understated and restrained and so much more effective for that. Bale's character goes from one end of a way of life right to the very opposite end and journey is an amazing one.

Matrix should have quit with the first movie. Or they should have developed a stronger, more streamlined plot that was not heavily dependent on special effects to sustain itself.

I'll third that. Much as I loved the first Matrix movie, the understated, smaller scoped Equilibrium was far better than either of the Matrix sequals.

Funny really, as one story is about a vunerable man learning to be a kick ass superhero, and the other is about a kick ass superhero learning to be a vunerable man.
Oh, and gotta love Gun-kata. That stuff wasn't just cool. It was liquid nitrogen mixed by the Fonzie served in a chilled shotglass by Samual L Jackson on the Milennium Falcon cool...

[Tillane]

And I'll fourth it. I loved the first Matrix movie, but they really, really should have left it at that. It was perfectly self-contained as it was, and the sequels added nothing other than irritation and seriously bad plotting.

Equilibrium, for all its choreographed fight sequences and gun kata nonsense (sorry, that's just my opinion), is a much more restrained, nuanced film than the Matrix could ever hope to be. My only complaint would be that Bale's transition between emotionless cleric and freedom fighter against Father/DuPont was a little too speedy - but that can't be helped unless you want to make a 5-hour movie (which you don't. No, you really don't.)

[sanityassassin]

I think the fight scene at the end of Equilibrium is one of the best sci-fi fight scenes I've ever watched and the moment when his readings die and the techs know what is about to happen I really enjoyed. i agree with the Matrix the first was very good but the follow ups really let the name down so much in fact that I could not actually sit through all of the third, another sign to producers that they have to be very careful when it comes to sequels as 9/10 are very poor

[Coolhand]

Originally Posted by sanityassassin

I think the fight scene at the end of Equilibrium is one of the best sci-fi fight scenes I've ever watched and the moment when his readings die and the techs know what is about to happen I really enjoyed.

"No...Not without incident."
BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!(Corscrew flip) BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM (Reload) BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM (Backflip) BLAM BLAM BLAM (Rifle-catch) BADA-BADA-BADA-BADA-BLAM!
All dead.

I think the Gun-kata stuff people either love or hate. I know it was utterly implauseable but it LOOKED SO FRICKIN' COOL!

[unclejack]

lol, I never really made the connection between the two movies as far as one being about a vulnerable man trying to become a great fighter and the other being about a great fighter trying becoming a vulnerable man but I like the paralell. And having said that the dramatic transition cleric John Preston goes through in the movie makes the whole movie, I have to say that I like the action in equilibrium better than in the matrix. There are some of the coolest fight scenes in that movie that I have ever seen.

[Nesacat]

The fight scenes were very well choreographed and they are a pleasure to watch especially the spray of blood on the white suit. And when his readings all go flat.

But the thing that did it for me was the small things. Him reaching out across the table to touch the woman's hand. Things like that.

[Coolhand]

Originally Posted by Nesacat

The fight scenes were very well choreographed and they are a pleasure to watch especially the spray of blood on the white suit. And when his readings all go flat.

But the thing that did it for me was the small things. Him reaching out across the table to touch the woman's hand. Things like that.

Totally agree. I loved the scene where he tears the paper from the window and sees the rain in the sunlight for the first time. That was really haunting, especially with the musical score and the acting from Bale.