I would still like to reiterate that I would fuck Christian Bale senseless.

kthx

8/11/2006 2:16:31 AM

itd be cool to see this movie

8/11/2006 2:20:35 AM

movie is awesome

8/11/2006 1:10:49 PM

silly calculated shooting scenes...ok, but the pistol whipping scene at the end...best part of the movie

8/11/2006 1:19:33 PM

I saw it, ridiculously bad, A laugh riot. Reminds me of: http://www.theasylum.cc/cgi-bin/showMovie.cgi?id=120

8/11/2006 2:46:53 PM

Jon Locke

8/11/2006 2:49:18 PM

Quote :

"Terrible fucking movie, and one of the most derivative films of all time. "

with comments like these spookyjon should NOT be a moderator of entertainment...i've seen him post some good stuff along with some bad stuff before but this takes the cake

8/11/2006 2:52:09 PM

I like movies for their uniqueness.

Seriously gun foo? corny but pretty bad ass though. I mean at least it had some basic explanation how the guy dodged bullets. He's a hacker! Friggin dodge bot.

8/11/2006 2:53:51 PM

jesus people, this thread is like 4 years late.

but yeah, the movie was great.

sure, some fight scenes are corny and OTT, but great concept and acting.

one of my all-time favorites, along with:

matrix (fiest one only)
x-men
braveheart
gladiator
count of monte cristo
les miserable
batman (the new one)

[Edited on August 11, 2006 at 3:03 PM. Reason : ]

8/11/2006 3:00:36 PM

Quote :

"with comments like these spookyjon should NOT be a moderator of entertainment...i've seen him post some good stuff along with some bad stuff before but this takes the cake"

he shouldn't have an opinion?

8/11/2006 3:09:00 PM

Quote :

"with comments like these spookyjon should NOT be a moderator of entertainment"

drunknloaded, since you're so well-read and versed in film, perhaps you would like to explain your reasons for thinking that Equilibrium isn't derivative.

8/11/2006 4:14:37 PM

because this isnt calculus?????

8/11/2006 4:16:59 PM

WHAT A ZINGER

8/11/2006 4:59:58 PM

The bad guys in this movie have worse aim than Stormtroopers.

8/11/2006 5:02:43 PM

Your opionion is respected, but mods should NOT fuel a fire let alone attempt to start one.

And your language? Does any one else thing that this clown sounds like Peter Griffin? Lois, I find this meatloaf rather shallow and pedantic. L2Moderate plz.

8/11/2006 8:22:29 PM

Whosajiggawhat?

8/11/2006 8:36:14 PM

This movie is so fucking unoriginal that it bored me to tears. Anyone who's read more than one dystopia can see just how derivative it is.

LIKE OMG THIS MOVIE IS A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE IN WHICH ONE CHARACTER LEARNS THAT HIS SOCIETY REALLY ISN'T THAT GREAT AND DECIDES TO REBEL- WHAT A NEW IDEA! Plus, it has drugs, which are everyone's favorite dystopian staple (soma, moloko). Not to mention the huge "we" class system with a cultish leader. And they destroy art- how keen, as if it hasn't been done (and done much better) in things like Fahrenheit 451. It even has vague reference to The Giver in that Bale's eyes change color upon not dosing anymore. I seriously don't think Wimmer has an original bone in his body.

And spooky's allowed to think whatever he likes about it, too.

8/11/2006 9:18:29 PM

who the fuck cares what the story was, the action was fucking awesome looking, and original, i dont care what anyone says, it wasnt a matrix ripoff at all.

8/11/2006 9:23:45 PM

You're right, it isn't a Matrix ripoff. It's a ripoff of everything The Matrix references/rips off, but a thousand times more so.

8/11/2006 10:22:02 PM

the only thing the 2 movies have in common are the overexaggerated special effects that look bad ass

8/11/2006 10:38:35 PM

i just might rewatch this

TONIGHT

8/11/2006 11:57:44 PM

I knew going into Equilibrium at the theater that it would just be a mashup of a Brave New World, F451, etc... I still enjoy it as a popcorn flick though. It's not deep and when you think about it, the fight scenes are beyond ludicrous. I understand this, but I still like the movie.

Does this make me a bad person?

Nope.

[Edited on August 12, 2006 at 9:18 AM. Reason : murdering kittens makes me a bad person]

8/12/2006 9:11:23 AM

Quote :

"You're right, it isn't a Matrix ripoff. It's a ripoff of everything The Matrix references/rips off, but a thousand times more so"

as i said, the story is maybe, but i could care less. the fight scenes are NOT, and they are fucking awesome.

8/12/2006 1:00:15 PM

The story may have been unoriginal, but you've at least got to give the movie props for gun foo. It may have been corny and a little unbelievable, but it was undeniably cool.

8/12/2006 2:12:32 PM

i must be the only one that liked this movie thru and thru

8/12/2006 2:54:41 PM

WHO THE FUCK CARES IF ITS UNORIGINAL, DERIVATIVE OR WHATEVER YOU PRETENTIOUS IDIOTS WANT TO CALL IT. its not like people can just pull story thems out of their ass, theres only so many out there. OMG SHAUN OF THE DEAD SUCKED CAUSE IT REMINDS ME OF ZOMBIE MOVIES!

Quote :

"What matters is not how original the ideas are (assuming it's not a case of plagiarism), as whether something is original or not is an epistemological problem that tells us more about our own familiarity with other material rather than the precedent status of the artwork we're questioning, but how well the material is handled. The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly."

Quote :

"i honestly think somebody forgot to tell taye diggs that he wasnt supposed to show emotion i think he smiled the entire movie "

Quote :

"Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through."

the shit was cool, and fun to watch.

i liked it 100X better than the matrix, if for no other reason than i didn't have to watch keanu reaves's non-acting ass. the action was much better, and the plot was...well...more believable, if that says anything.


[Edited on August 22, 2006 at 12:07 AM. Reason : ]

8/21/2006 11:52:33 PM

Quote :

"Set in a future, post-World War III society where emotions have been outlawed, Equilibrium tells the story of John Preston (Christian Bale), a government agent who begins to have doubts about the policy he is enforcing. Equilibrium is the perfect example why I do not rate lower for derivativeness or unoriginality. The film is basically high-concept combination of Fahrenheit 451 (1966), George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (original published in 1949, film versions appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1984), The Matrix (1999) and a bit of The Wizard of Oz (1939) thrown in for good measure. What matters is not how original the ideas are (assuming it's not a case of plagiarism), as whether something is original or not is an epistemological problem that tells us more about our own familiarity with other material rather than the precedent status of the artwork we're questioning, but how well the material is handled. The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly. On its surface, after a brief action-oriented beginning, Equilibrium is basically a progression from a fairly complex sci-fi film (meaning simply that it takes a lot of exposition to get up to speed) to a thriller to a "gun fu"-styled actioner. The progression is carried out deftly by writer/director Kurt Wimmer (who unfortunately hasn't shown the same level of elegant panache in other films I've seen from him, including Sphere (1998) and The Recruit (2003)), with all of the genres somewhat present throughout the film. Wimmer is so austerely slick here that Equilibrium sometimes resembles a postmodernist automobile commercial. The transition from genre to genre is incredibly smooth. The most impressive material on this surface level is the gun fu action stuff, which almost "out-Matrixes" The Matrix in style, if not volume. Preston is so skilled to be an almost invincible opponent. His solitary misstep as a fighter occurs once he gives himself over to emotion. This is nicely related to the common advice from kung fu senseis that emotion lessens one's effectiveness in combat. Of course a big part of Equilibrium is the set of philosophical points it has to make about emotion. There are sections of the film that are appropriately dialogue-heavy, and Wimmer is more than conspicuous with this (one of two) primary theme(s). Just as important as dialogue for Wimmer's commentary on man's emotions are body language and behavior. Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through. Wimmer has a harsh view of our society's self-medication epidemic--even the title of the film seems to be a stab at the common claim that drugs like Prozac and Xanax are taken to help one "smooth out", or "equalize", extremes of mood, or extreme dispositions. The Equilibrium government extends this agenda into the tangible material realm as they also attempt to "smooth out" mood swings by eliminating any cultural artifacts that might promote varied moods/emotions. Wimmer seems to see it as a not-too-exaggerated extension of the modus operandi behind Prozac-like drugs. The other primary theme is one of institutional control. Wimmer has a lot to say about unquestioningly following authorities, and he's careful to show that it's not just governmental authorities that can be a problem. He does this by tightly wrapping religious allegory with his depiction of Equilibrium's government. The leader is known as "Father", and the government secret service members are "clerics". Those outside of this control are shown as authentic, free, individualistic and happy despite the hardships involved with their embrace of forbidden thought/items. More subtly, Wimmer employs the now overused washed out blue-gray cinematography of late 1990s/early 2000s genre films towards an unusual end. It's not just a stylistic device here, but represents a particular kind of reality. Under the purview of the fascistic government, blue-gray predominates. When glimpses of freedom/authenticity enter the film, the blue-gray look is gone, replaced with strongly saturated warm colors, and occasionally a more nostalgic subdued tone. This is one of the film's similarities to The Wizard of Oz, although maybe not the most significant one. If you're someone who cherishes originality for its own sake, you might not like Equilibrium as much, but you have much more serious epistemological problems to sort out. Otherwise, this is a film worth watching and thinking about. "

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/

8/22/2006 12:04:28 AM

Quote :

"Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through. "

i would debate this but i will just wonder why you care so much if people like this movie?

i mean you quoted me and i said i liked it

8/22/2006 12:13:47 AM

Quote :

"The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly"

No, it's not. And no such bullshit argument will convince me otherwise.

8/22/2006 1:38:14 AM

one of the things that irritates me in this movie is when they show the "evil men" who are representative of what's wrong with the world... they show Saddam Hussein, a two bit dictator who is barely a blip in history

this same type of thing happens in the 5th element, during the definition of "war" sequence... they only show scenes from up to the 1990's? YOU'RE IN THE FUCKING FUTURE, show some alien massacres and shit for christ sake

8/22/2006 11:17:15 AM

the movie is a modernized clone of 1984, even uses a lot of the same character names

8/22/2006 1:49:47 PM

^your post is a clone of every other pretentious bastard that has posted that to prove he read a book.

8/22/2006 4:04:14 PM

No, we're just making the point that this movie is not innovative in its use of a cookie-cutter dystopian society. And the people who hail this movie as supremely original obviously don't read and should try to do so sometime.

8/22/2006 4:07:47 PM

Quote :

"And the people who hail this movie as supremely original "

who says that? thats a cookie cutter straw man argument if i've ever heard one.

8/22/2006 6:33:00 PM

Look, Equilibrium is a good movie.

sorry you are too intelligent + cultured to be able to enjoy it.

8/23/2006 9:33:18 AM

that part where guys face falls off is hilarious.

and yet again, spookyjon and i have a connection on an almost DVDA level.

8/23/2006 11:19:15 AM

I'll agree that it's a good movie. I really enjoyed it.

Quote :

"your post is a clone of every other pretentious bastard that has posted that to prove he read a book."

how about this, I have never read a fictional book for pleasure since going to elementary school. I've read manuals, websites, reference texts, etc, but never a "book" so shut the fuck up, k?

8/26/2006 10:01:01 AM

I love the movie, but goddamn, the fans are stupid.



wait

8/26/2006 10:39:33 AM