Equilibrium (2002) - A Predictable Melting Pot of Sci-Fi Clichés

"Tread softly because you tread on my dreams..."

So says Sean Bean in Kurt Wimmer's sleek sci-fi action flick, Equilibrium. It appears that Wimmer, our undoubtedly well-intentioned writer-director, did not take the sage counsel of this William Butler Yeats poem to heart, as he certainly tread - and tread recklessly - on the dreams and works of a great many artists that came before him.

Orwell, Huxley, and the Wachowskis would like their dreams back, Mr. Wimmer.

There is a kernel of a thought-provoking dystopian tale buried beneath heaps of nauseating exposition and piles of discharged bullet casings. Libria, the film's futuristic society that is largely indistinguishable from most other dystopias, is a social experiment brought about by a Third World War. After yet another sweeping conflict decimated the global stage, humanity decided to eradicate the apparent source of all pain and strife: the ability to feel.

The suppression of human emotions purportedly expunges the potential for such violent dissension from ever arising again. According to "Father", the omniscient leader of Libria, the sacrifice of positive human feeling - of love, of joy - is necessary for war and suffering to be stifled.

The eminently capable Christian Bale plays Preston, a Cleric, whose job is to - ironically enough - violently eliminate anyone who fails to conform to the Father's oppressive mandates, ostensibly in an effort to abolish violence and conflict. Clerics are meant to represent the very best of society. They have successfully erased every trace of their emotions, have undergone extensive combat training, and can serve as the authoritarian government's ultimate, uncompromised tool.

But this is a movie with a story to tell, so of course some things go awry. There is a rebellious underground faction bubbling beneath the surface of Libria, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the very foundation of Librian society.

If you feel like you've heard that bedtime story before, it's because you have, probably in high school English class. Equilibrium aligns very closely with other, better dystopian science fiction, borrowing from the likes of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and even The Matrix to construct something of a Frankenstein's Monster of half-baked ideas and familiar tropes. This film could have transcended its familiarity if it were even remotely remarkable on its own. It's a lazily-written movie that fails to explore its speculative themes with even an ounce of deft or originality.

There are some thing to like here. Bale gives a really solid and surprisingly nuanced performance, there are actually some interesting moments of world-building, and the action sequences are mindlessly entertaining to watch. However, there's not enough unique, compelling storytelling to make the audience actually care.

The dramatic finale is complete with not one, not two, but three plot twists, and the filmmakers' very own take on the 'shootout between people in long, black trench coats', which seems somewhat similar to another futuristic martial arts action film that I know. By the time all of this rolls around, however, I had largely checked out.

C-

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