Equals Reviews
March 4, 2021
What could have been an exploration of the very core of what makes us human, a kind of star-crossed sci fi Romeo and Juliet, is instead a plodding look at two people experiencing late puberty.
Full Review
| Original Score: 1/5
September 30, 2020
Although Equals is not on the same accomplished level as the films or narratives it was inspired by and borrows heavily from, production values and performances make this a better-than-average offering.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
October 23, 2018
If attractive people artfully photographed make you happy, Equals may work for you, but if you want a fully-thought-out speculative fiction premise, or even just a movie with momentum, this isn't up to delivering it.
Full Review
| Original Score: C+
August 29, 2018
Joanie Loves Chachi is a more affecting love story than this would-be champion of the human heart.
August 28, 2018
Taken for what it is - a poignant love story using a futuristic setting as a plot device - Equals is an enjoyable and moving film with a sometimes weak plot but a great look and excellent performances
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
October 14, 2017
Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart are INSANELY BEAUTIFUL. You could watch this on mute and just be struck by the visuals, even if Doremus's hand-held camerawork doesn't make a ton of sense-at least he shows his stars off to advantage.
September 26, 2017
[Drake] Doremus falls into a shallow version of Sofia Coppola's impressionism, along with some tics from the Wong Kar-wai repertoire, and a full stream of Sundance-infused sensibility, resulting in an alarming lack of aesthetic interest or emotional drive
September 12, 2017
Equals strictly adheres to a mood of oppressive sterility that threatens to squeeze the life out of the film.
Full Review
| Original Score: C+
August 29, 2017
Avoiding the usual histrionics, Equals invites calm, thoughtful contemplation.
August 16, 2017
The only emotion the film allows us to feel is boredom.
March 21, 2017
Equals boasts] stunning cinematography, futuristic effects, and an impossibly controlled narrative.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
February 15, 2017
Equals is a film that you will enjoy, it will not transcend but it's not as bad as many critics said. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review
| Original Score: 6.5/10
December 4, 2016
The feature's boilerplate nature almost feels fitting.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
November 29, 2016
A sci-fi film that, although it doesn't manage to be fully convincing, can be a good alternative to the great blockbusters. [Full review in Spanish]
October 13, 2016
If you ever wondered what might happen if hipsters were in charge of a future dystopia then Drake Doremus' derivative Equals has the answer.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
September 19, 2016
To his credit, Doremus is a subtle director, who prefers exploring human feeling to mechanical action.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
September 9, 2016
A bromidic cautionary tale scavenged from the frozen ashes of the Cold War. It's message? Love each other, don't blow each other up. Well, duh.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/4
August 28, 2016
Too closely resembles the narcotic world it depicts. Without ever doing anything conspicuously wrong, Equals plays like one big miscalculation...
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/4
August 8, 2016
Flimsy, futuristic repression isn't much fun....
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/10
August 1, 2016
Doremus treats the threadbare story with a turgid solemnity that does neither the script's pedestrian ideas nor its attractive stars any favors.
Full Review
| Original Score: C-