Equilibrium (2002) R - 3½ Stars

When this movie first started, I was thinking, oh man this is going to suck as I didn't understand what was going on. But I stuck with it and actually it ended up having a decent story line. If you like a good action Matrix type - kick ass movie, then you'll like this one.

It's the beginning of the 21st Century and WWIII has erupted and from it a new nation is born called Libria. This nation is run by Dupont (Angus MacFadyen) under "Father's" law of complete conformity. The belief is that all wars are based on people's emotions of jealousy and rage so by making everyone equal there is no competition. This new society of equilibrium is insured when citizens must inject themselves daily with a dose of Prozia II to eliminate any chance of feeling emotional. Any form of creativity or any objects that trigger vanity and emotion are outlawed and immediately destroyed. Citizens caught with such items or showing any form of emotion, are immediately subject to death by incineration.

Cleric John Preston (Christian Bale) is a Grammaton, a real bad ass when it comes to fighting, and his job is to track down and punish these "sense offenders." Four years prior his wife was taken from his family of two children, and burned for showing feelings of emotion with them.

When John was washing his face one morning, his dose of Prozia II was breaks when it hit the floor. Not being able to get another dose right away, he starts to look at the world in a new light. When the Grammaton raid a commune of sense offenders, a small puppy licks him and triggers a whole array of feelings. In the raid, Mary O'Brian (Emily Watson) is taken prioner and he becomes completly fascinated with her. After meeting with her a few times, Mary tells him what type of life is worth living if there is nothing to be felt. He begins hiding his doses of the drug and eventually awakens his feelings that had lay dormant for so long. Now with these senses hightened, he joins up with the underground refugees that refuse to take their meds and together it gives them the passion to fight for freedom.

Dimension Films/MGM
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Writer: Kurt Wimmer
Producer: Lucas Foster, Jan de Bont

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