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Movies / On DVD / Equilibrium
Equilibrium

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Equilibrium (2002)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:7

Rotten:15

Average Rating:4.5/10

Consensus: Equilibrium is a reheated mishmash of other sci-fi movies.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Dec 6, 2002 Limited

Box Office: $1,050,459

Synopsis: Director Kurt Wimmer (ULTRAVIOLET) injects style into this sci-fi/action film that channels the visual energy of THE MATRIX and invokes the politics of BRAVE NEW WORLD. In a futuristic society... Director Kurt Wimmer (ULTRAVIOLET) injects style into this sci-fi/action film that channels the visual energy of THE MATRIX and invokes the politics of BRAVE NEW WORLD. In a futuristic society where the government requires citizens to stay tranquil and submissive by taking a psychological drug, people no longer have emotions. Because of this, there are no more wars, but there is also no literature, music, or art of any kind. But when an enforcement agent (Christian Bale, THE DARK KNIGHT) realizes that peaceful oblivion may not be the answer, he thinks about overthrowing his oppressors. EQUILIBRIUM’s cast also includes Sean Bean (THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING), Taye Diggs (CHICAGO), William Fichtner (PRISON BREAK), and Emily Watson (RED DRAGON). [More]

Starring: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner

Starring: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, Emily Watson, Angus MacFadyen

Director: Kurt Wimmer

Director: Kurt Wimmer
Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer
Studio: Dimension Films

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Release:

May 13, 2003

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Equilibrium
  • Delivering awesome high-tech action in the power-packed style of THE MATRIX and MINORITY REPORT, EQUILIBRIUM stars Christian Bale (REIGN OF FIRE) and Taye Diggs (CHICAGO) in a thrilling look at a future where the only crime is being human! In an attempt to end wars and maintain peace, humankind has outlawed the things that trigger emotion -- literature, music, and art. To uphold the law, a special breed of police is assigned to eliminate all transgressors. But when the top enforcer (Bale) misses a dose of an emotion-blocking drug, he begins to realize that things are not as they seem! Also starring Sean Bean (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) and Emily Watson (RED DRAGON).
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
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    Reviews for Equilibrium

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Equilibrium is equal parts video game and GQ fashion spread.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    12/09/02
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Matrixian, Orwellian, and boneheadian.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment 1 Comment
    12/07/02
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This inventive, low-budget science-fiction movie stands on its own, from its bracing, ingenious fight sequences to its literate roots in dystopian fiction.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Borrows from so many literary and cinematic sources that this future world feels absolutely deja vu.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's super- violent, super-serious and super-stupid.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
    12/06/02
    Mick LaSalle
    Mick LaSalle
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dour and charmless.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Jan Stuart
    Jan Stuart
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Giggling at the absurdities and inconsistencies is part of the fun. But the talented cast alone will keep you watching, as will the fight scenes.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Eric Harrison
    Eric Harrison
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It doesn't do a lot of deep thinking, but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x, it does make a statement: Freedom of opinion is a threat to totalitarian systems.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's a long way from Orwell's dark, intelligent warning cry [1984] to the empty stud knockabout of Equilibrium, and what once was conviction is now affectation.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Just because it's a good idea doesn't mean it's easy to do well.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A movie that could be stupider only if it were longer.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Elvis Mitchell
    Elvis Mitchell
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Illiterate, often inert sci-fi action thriller.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Jonathan Foreman
    Jonathan Foreman
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Equilibrium the movie, as opposed to the manifesto, is really, really stupid.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    12/06/02
    Stephen Hunter
    Stephen Hunter
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A moderately entertaining cautionary tale.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Claudia Puig
    Claudia Puig
    USA Today
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Manohla Dargis
    Manohla Dargis
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    What it lacks in originality it makes up for in intelligence and B-grade stylishness.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Gary Dowell
    Gary Dowell
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If there was a solitary new idea or actual emotion in Equilibrium, the Prozium must have rendered me oblivious.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    An unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Dennis Harvey
    Dennis Harvey
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The characters act like robots, and the story unfolds like a computer program.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Michael Wilmington
    Michael Wilmington
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's the action sequences in this movie that sell.

    Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
    12/05/02
    Bob Longino
    Bob Longino
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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