Equilibrium

A monochromatic world.

Equilibrium. See the movie. This is had the misfortune of being labeled as a Matrix clone, which it is not. In fact, the Matrix trilogy, while inspiring a whole underground internet culture, finding its way into videogames and the like has also set standards against which all future SF (NOT scifi) efforts will be judged, and for a while, at least, found lacking. This is sad. While I am a pretty big fan of the trilogy, I sometimes think that the scriptwriters were definitely smoking something illegal late at night when the script was completed. But, back to Equilibrium. Again, the question is to obey or not to obey. The government, in this case. The movie borrows from a rather old idea of SF; that of the ‘unemotional society’. A future in which emotion has been banned because of the trouble it causes. A very simple concept of abandoning everything, that brings happiness into our lives because by sacrificing happiness, we have banished despair. The eternal trade-off, completed by governmental decree, issued in the name of an enigmatic ‘Father’, and carried out by daily injections of mind, but not body numbing serum. The very concept of uniformity is shown by the monochromatic shades of the world. This movie looks like it has been made by someone who has read the books, and done his homework. But like a perfect piece of schoolwork, it suffers from perfection. Within their own limitations, the actors have performed very well. Christian Bale looks like he is made of stone, but that is exactly what he has been turned into. Sean Bean is very convincing as the enforcer who is beginning to turn into a heretic. Heroes are not supposed to suffer from cowardice: that is something better left to the character actor who plays the sidekick. In this case, Bean came off looking great as the cleric who is human, but, unfortunately human enough to fear death; until, of course his last moment when he displays textbook dignity. This is my crib; this movie had to be made in the shadow of greater efforts, and is well made for that. But it does all you expect it to, and nothing more. This is a good movie to learn from. But it fails to rise to the heights which it should have rightfully gone to.