It's the future in an advanced society, but still using breakable glass?🤔 Also the cross(Kruckenkreuz) seen is the emblem of the Austrian fascist party🤯
Equilibrium is one of my go-to dystopian films. Love the strobe effect with the forced entry scene. The movie draws from Brave New World, THX 1138, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. The heavy social-credit and pharmaceutical foci are terrifyingly relevant, two decades on...
I had a friend show it to me back in the early 2000s when I was chilling at her place overnight (we did a few movies she chose to show me thinking I'd like), and I was blown away! I love a good mindfuck, dark sci-fi/dystopian dark, and I know Fahrenheit 451 so immediately connected that, and the others that it is similar too, and still LOVE it. makes me FEEL, and Beethoven is the greatest ever of music! perfect
When this came out people hated it. But it’s massively underrated, and I’ve always find it an amazing dystopian sci-fi. This and V fir Vendetta are just amazing films.
ppl could not understand the tone the movie was going for back then. Its a bit lie Starship troopers was hated because the simpeltons could not understand its a social critic parody paired with syfy and all they saw was a cheeky looking star wars movie with the most simple characters u can imagine. Ppl have a real hard time to understand that most movies are just a diguise for storys and what u see is just a tool to tell it sometimes its more what u see sometimes its just a metaphor like they live is a complete metaphor nothing else with that in mind theese movies are complete different expirience. Alot of ppl cant just figure it out thats the simple truth. Noone really thinks he future will look like this movie but the thought and true danger of emotions beeing banned is more real than ever in this woke world. I adore this movie and christian bale and im very happy they made it. Such a piece of art how movies should be
Did they hate it tho? As far as I remember most people just panned it. A few critics gave it a hard time but I never heard anyone ever complaining about it. Most people just never knew about it.
One of the most underrated movies I've ever watched. One day randomly watched this movie on TV, and immediately loved it! Christian Bale was awesome, the gun kata scenes were awesome. Story and the concept was intriguing.
I love when Christian is hooked up to the polygraph speaking with father and all the readings flat line. Showing he's learned to suppress his emotions through discipline. Granting him all the benefits of his cleric training without the drugs dulling his senses.
I love the fact that Christian Bale is such a great actor that he can show the character going from 0 emotions to all the emotions. ^o^ Also the boy in me just loves the over-the-top Gun Kata scenes. Damn epic! :D
This is one of my favorite action movies ever. It's so daring, and does things with its action no movie has before or since. And Christian Bale really carries it too, that main character role could have been so much more hacky and kitsch, but Bale did as Bale does and made it work.
I freaking love this movie. I wish the fight scenes and gun kata in this didn't have as many cuts as they do but still, it's all done very well. Its main similarity to John Wick is that it has a pretty innovative and well executed concept. The creation and parallel existence of two completely different worlds, moved forward by different sets of rules or lack thereof. For Preston, the gradual transition from utter apathy to overwhelming emotion is brilliantly done by Christian Bale. I still want to know if Taye Diggs' character was a sense offender or not. He really did smile a lot. I'd say it's sarcasm but he's not supposed to be able to do that either, is he?
@Marcia Silva I'd definitely second the recommendation of Ultraviolet. It's also by Kurt Wimmer, and you can see the evolution of his interpretation of the gun kata/gun fu in that film.
@Badd Medicine Thank you! Another couple of movies to check out maybe are Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet. They're more like Equilibrium than John Wick but still within the same group, I'd say.
One of my favourite action films, so underrated it should be considered a sense-crime! Preston saving the puppy(the first time)is such a brilliant scene, one of the best in the film, the way Preston flinches for every shot, but have to keep his cool, until it becomes unbearable for him. I mean, what tugs on your Heartstrings more than getting a kiss from a little puppy. Now imagine meeting a puppy for the "first time ever" you'd essentially die from cuteness overload! The Prozium only dulls your emotions though, it doesn't completely erase them and you're "allowed" to smile and be courteous, but your logic and reason are supposed to be your driving force, not emotions/feelings. Bluntly put, Prozium overly tips the Mind/Heart scale in favour of the former. Because Preston is such an intuitive cleric his son overcompensates to come off as a robot while also protecting his sister. I still, to this day, hope that Kurt Wimmer(the director)will announce a sequel or prequel - both would work really well, imo.
Gun Fu was inspired by John Woo’s high octane Hong Kong gun action flicks. From there, Equilibrium takes the premise literally and even name it as Gun Kata and show it on screen. John Wick finesses it to perfection.
Watched this on a whim once... absolutely loved it. Really great idea. Creates its world extremely well. Bale nails the acting. The fighting style is unique and fun and an interesting twist on normal fights. This one is totally underrated by pretty much everyone. Favorite moment is when he just cuts Tay to pieces with ZERO delay or waste of energy. Just ends him. Quick. Efficient. No talking. Done. That is an amazing moment. A lot of people make fun of the Gun Kata stuff, but it's actually pretty damn cool idea.
The director self admits that he made a mistake hiring actual martial artists for this movie. Their action was too fast and accurate to film properly. He truly realised this in a conversation with Maggie Cheung on a flight to Singapore, who recommended dancers, who are trained to repeat detailed physical choreography with exacting precision (Maggie is herself a ballerina [and one of *The Heroic Trio* ]). Incidentally that is the director himself in the title sequence doing gun katas. Apparently he ran out of money on this small budget movie (only USD$20 million apparently) and had to film himself when putting together the opening credits during editing. Gun Fu was a formal genre in HK cinema since John Woo's *Hard Boiled* (1992) , where the director applied standard wuxia tropes to a gun duel (although you can find earlier sporadic examples of interesting gunfight sequences in many earlier HK action films, just not as formalised). And of course, many imitators afterwards.
Gun Fu established its roots in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986), then he brought it to the US w/ 1989's The Killer. Hard Boiled is the peak of the concept, while Face/Off popularized it in the west.
I remember when I had first found this film, it was just a bit after I finished reading Orwell's 1984 for a class I was in (like you guys say it reminds you of haha). I remember loving it that much more, because I felt it was 1984 meets the matrix. I'm also a sucker for a 'character on the antagonist side switching'. Or like, that awakening to the corruption they're a part of and then fighting against it. The whole, taking something down from the inside... gosh, I've always loved this movie. It's really epic, and emotional (though I suppose that's a main point!) Was excited to see a reaction to this film. I remember not expecting an optimistic ending, and was pleasantly surprised to get one.
Glad to see this movie is finally getting the attention from reactors it deserves. The Matrix influence of course is very obvious even to him waking to the "real world" also esthetically, wardrobe, "gun-fu" 🙂, etc. But it's a real gem on itself and quite unique in the action genre.
The comparison to John Wick is well deserved. However, what I always noticed is how it uses much more cuts during fightscenes. In John Wick, there are a lot less cuts during fights, which make them much more intense imo.
Sweet that you guys reacted to and love Equilibrium. Me and my friends went to see it, thinking it might be a fun dumb action flick to just waste the day with at the theater. We were pleasantly proven so wrong where the themes along with the acting were good. It's going to turn 20 next year, which is crazy to think about. Here's a few recommendations for you guys to add to the viewing list: - Big Trouble in Little China (1986). John Carpenter. Kurt Russell. Martial arts. Adventure. Mortal Kombat. ;-) - Best of the Best (1989). A good martial arts/sports movie of it's time. Also has a great 80's soundtrack. A fantastic ending that'll require tissues. - Warrior (2011). A great martial arts/sports movie with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. Great ending.
So glad you liked it!! "Gun Fu' was first established by John Woo in the late 80s It took a while for America to get in to it when we had the Rambos and the Dirty Harrises at the time
Actually I remember when this came out, it’s not that it didn’t do well, it was an art film that was only displayed in art theaters. I lived in Northern California at the time and remember being told to drive 2 and 1/2 hours to see this in a theater, which I regret not doing to this day.
To state that John Wick's influence came from Equilibrium is almost on point. Check out John Woo's A Better Tomorrow 1& 2 and The Killer for more inspirational sources.
@Badd Medicine You haven't lived till you've watched Face/Off. Woo + Travolta + Cage = perfection! Also, highly recommend watching Accented Cinema's "The Birth of Gun Fu" & "The Rise of Gun Fu".
The crazy thing about this movie is that the trailer for this first dropped as a trailer for the first matrix. Made going to see matrix in theaters so great ,in my humble opinion. Great reactions 👏🏽
This was a movie that completely escaped my notice. Then I was reading the Corporation RPG (far future cyber-punkish roleplaying game) and they listed "Equilibrium" as one of the influences and references for the game. I bought it, watched, and absolutely loved it! Such a great movie with an amazing cast.
The funny thing about these stories is that everyone believes it's a warning about the future when in fact we have been living it for the past 100 years.
@Tollyce Glassheart Which is ironic considering Jesus himself was supposedly a carpenter`s son from a poor Jewish family in Galilee and Nazareth,regions of Ancient Palestine and said things like: "Blessed are the poor." "Blessed are the meek,for theirs is the Kingdom of God." "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." "Woe to ye that love mammon(Money)for no man can serve two masters,mammon and God, either ye will love the one and resent the other or ye shall revere the one and despise the other!"
Wow. Impressive pick guys. The dystopian version of the world this film takes place in is heavily influenced by George Orwell's literary classic '1984'. In that book people are not allowed to show emotion, they have extremely limited rights and no freedome of speech, and everyone is monitored all the time. Their are surveillance cameras everywhere, even in people's own homes, and the world looks very similar to the one in this movie. Very grey with nothing to evoke emotion. What's interesting is that George Orwell wrote the book in the 1940's and it talks about a lot of technologies that didn't exist until recently. It's also considered one of the best books ever written and is well worth reading.
@Badd Medicine It's mixture of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, and a few other dystopian science fiction stories, especially of the later golden age of science fiction - 1950s and 60s. With a dose of Kung Fu Theater. Ha
This is one of the best Sci Fi movies, ever made. If you really get into it, and understand what is going on, here. One of my absolute favorite scenes, are when he rips off the plastic film on his window, and see the beauty of the sun in the sky.
I saw this in a real theater when I was stationed in Hawaii. I remember reading in the paper about movies playing that weekend, and decided to take a girl to see Equilibrium based on a one-paragraph synopsis. First thing I did when I got back to the barracks afterward was tell all my friends how good it was. The next weekend my buddies said they couldn't find the film playing anywhere. A story I read years later was that since the film had actually premiered in Germany (where it was filmed) and had already made its budget back there, the studio didn't want to risk any more money on advertising in the US if it were to flop.
I remember renting this movie from a little video store back in the day. No idea what it was, no idea what it entailed. Just saw it had Christian Bale and cover looked cool. Turned out to be one of the better dystopian sci-fi films I've seen.
Did you guys recognize the boss. He was played by Angus McFadden otherwise known as Robert The Bruce from Braveheart. The scene with the dogs is always so hard for me to watch just like with John Wick.
There is a character and scene in an anime called Trinity Blood that is practically a godsdamned love letter to this movie. Father Tres Iqus, codename "Gunslinger," is a cybernetic member of an organization called AX, deployed by the Vatican, which basically defends what's left of the earth from vampires. His fighting style (gunfu or gun-kata) is very similar to Cleric Preston's. He even uses the same type of gun.
Christian bale is a legend he always gives it all the movie a piece of art and a story that get more relevant the further we go in time im sure in this woke age there will be some day when emotions will be banned because they could harm others prepare for it ;)
My list of fav distopian and post-apo movies - these are different sub-genres of cathastrophic movies I think :) So I want to recommend : "Farrenhait 451" - old French version, absolute masterpiece. "1984" - with J. Hurt, of course masterpiece too. "Brasil" - with Ian Holm, masterpiece but a bit forgotten. "Harrison Bergeron" - with Sean Astin, the most underated movie and great role of Astin. "Equilibrium", with Sean Bean, "In Time" - from 2011, the idea of slavery through money and that this money is time is absolutely pathological and briliant :) "Elisium", with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, - the Earth is one big slums and the rich live on the orbit in luxurious paradise, "The Running Man" - with A. Schwarzeneger, "Edge of Tomorrow" - with Tom Cruise, IMO its one of the most tragic heroes of all movies, to be able to defeat aliens invasion he must die, not once but many times. "Maze Runner" trilogy, good movie for kids about kids, "Mortal Engines" - by P. Jackson, in distant future big cities are kind of vehicles, they ride in search of energy, of sourses and they fight for sources on the vast wasteland. IMO the most underrated movie here is Harrison Bergeron and In Time. I left "Mortal Engines" as the last on the list becouse thats decent movie but I guess way below Jackson's abilities :)
One of my favorites! Very underrated. But I guess there's a reason stories about authoritarian distopias don't get much attention... too close to home I guess.
Well to be fair Sean Bean doesn't die in everything.... though he does die a lot , but he had lived in others like Troy, National Treasure, Ronin, Silent Hill series, The Martian, Flightplan, North Country and of course in the tv series Sharpe
Well, Sean Bean didn't die _on-screen_ in Ronin, but given what occurs later in the film I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't follow-up later to eliminate him quietly. Speaking of, if you guys haven't seen Ronin you should definitely watch Ronin.
Taye Diggs character kept smiling because the bastard could feel. That's what pissed me off the most when I saw this on DVD back in 03. There they are, killing all these people, for the very 'crimes' they themselves were guilty of. I was absolutely repulsed by the hypocrisy.
Awesome Reaction! Here is my list of a Man's Man movie: The Raid: Redemption; The Raid 2; Man From Nowhere (Korean); New World (Korean 2013); I Saw the Devil (Korean); The Frontline (Korean); Sicario.
I don't think Taye Digg's character was lying about being intuitive. My theory is that he was naturally resistant to the emotion suppressants which is what drew Father to him in the first place, as his potential spy. But, despite his emotional intuition, his loyalty to Father was too great, so he wasn't able to think like the rebels. That's why they go through the whole charade with Preston. They deliberately gaslight him and pressure him until his loyalty cracks.
When this film was released, the audience wanted high graphics, high cgi flicks which mimicked reality on screen. In time, we got superhero flix. Only now people are realizing the importance of movies with deep meaning. Hence movies like such are making a comeback
i know im late on the comment and i read alot of them but, yous talked alot about about Tate always smiling even though he shouldnt be showing emotion. But i believe that it is similar to the likes of sociopaths. i.e i have a sociopathic friend, although he tries his hardest to blend in because he realises there is something wrong with him. He smiles alot when he encounters things that probably shouldnt make you curious, but i think the smiling part of that is really a biological reaction rather than a emotional one. And when he begins to raise his voice near the end, it is like a narcissist who found out that they were not the centre of attention.
I saw this in theaters, and it didn't disappoint. I didn't even know Christian Bale back then. Funny how the movie is like a dystopian utopia (or an utopian dystopia?). aha :P
If you like this movie you gotta check out Snowpiercer. Released in 2013. One of if not mine is in a category of Best underated films along with others. peace n Frybread grease ;)
Taye Diggs' character seems like what would happen if you give a natural-born psychopath Prozium. If you already have trouble accessing emotions except for anger and/or deriving pleasure from making others suffer, would Prozium even do anything? This is a society that rewards psychopathy, where they actively try to turn their forces into one. I mean, murdering your wife without emotion is pretty ruthless. So that anger/getting pleasure from hurting people might be something they overlook, or just say "Nah, you don't need Prozium", since he's effective for their goals.
Just to note the blood spray was actually black pepper when people got shot. And to note another gun Fu type movie starring Milla Jovovich called ultraviolet.
Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, for reacting to this!!!! I have loved this movie for years. Most people I have talked to know all about Matrix and John Wick, but when I mention Equilibrium they scratch their heads. Now all we need is a kick ass movie with Keanu Reeves AND Christian Bale. Imagine!
@Badd Medicine You're very welcome. That could be fun, but I was thinking more along the lines of an original script. Something in Sci-fi or maybe a Cowboy movie? Wait now I'm nerding out. LOL.
12:35 wrong! He’s playing Beethoven’s 9th symphony. It was released on May 7th 1824. 197 years ago. The copyright duration of composed music is the same as for books, paintings and other literary and artistic works: the author's lifetime + 70 years. Therefore, the musical compositions of old masters like Beethoven (1770 - 1827) or Mozart (1756 - 1791) are all in the public domain and you can freely use them.
@Badd Medicine subbed, interesting to see reviews on older movies! the casino royale was was awesome, I seen that in cinemas...and yes it was a weird flex with 007 in that ford mondeo 😆
About the last polygraph scene - they didn´t checked his sleeves, because Preston had a apparent weapon - ceremonial katana. Also the fact that they suppresed their feelings means they forgot how to improvise.
What's everyone's reaction to Equilibrium? The gun kata action was great!
Love and own this movie. I compair it to another movie. The Accountant with Ben Affleck. Although Ben is not as busy the moves are fabulous.
The problem was never feeling...the problem is numbing
It's the future in an advanced society, but still using breakable glass?🤔
Also the cross(Kruckenkreuz) seen is the emblem of the Austrian fascist party🤯
Equilibrium is one of my go-to dystopian films. Love the strobe effect with the forced entry scene. The movie draws from Brave New World, THX 1138, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. The heavy social-credit and pharmaceutical foci are terrifyingly relevant, two decades on...
I had a friend show it to me back in the early 2000s when I was chilling at her place overnight (we did a few movies she chose to show me thinking I'd like), and I was blown away!
I love a good mindfuck, dark sci-fi/dystopian dark, and I know Fahrenheit 451 so immediately connected that, and the others that it is similar too, and still LOVE it.
makes me FEEL, and Beethoven is the greatest ever of music! perfect
When this came out people hated it. But it’s massively underrated, and I’ve always find it an amazing dystopian sci-fi. This and V fir Vendetta are just amazing films.
@zerp blerdDemolition man is amazing & it's mostly to Snipes portrayal of Phoenix
Rollerball is still meh for me tho
ppl could not understand the tone the movie was going for back then. Its a bit lie Starship troopers was hated because the simpeltons could not understand its a social critic parody paired with syfy and all they saw was a cheeky looking star wars movie with the most simple characters u can imagine. Ppl have a real hard time to understand that most movies are just a diguise for storys and what u see is just a tool to tell it sometimes its more what u see sometimes its just a metaphor like they live is a complete metaphor nothing else with that in mind theese movies are complete different expirience. Alot of ppl cant just figure it out thats the simple truth.
Noone really thinks he future will look like this movie but the thought and true danger of emotions beeing banned is more real than ever in this woke world.
I adore this movie and christian bale and im very happy they made it. Such a piece of art how movies should be
Did they hate it tho?
As far as I remember most people just panned it.
A few critics gave it a hard time but I never heard anyone ever complaining about it.
Most people just never knew about it.
I love how Christian Bale shows emotion & then shuts it off when in combat.
Interesting thought. Could've.
I don't think he shut it off, he just focused it. Like when Bruce Lee said don't think, feel. Well Preston went from feeling to thinking.
"No...not without incident"...killer line :-)
One of the most underrated movies I've ever watched. One day randomly watched this movie on TV, and immediately loved it! Christian Bale was awesome, the gun kata scenes were awesome. Story and the concept was intriguing.
Agreed! It was surprisingly good
I love when Christian is hooked up to the polygraph speaking with father and all the readings flat line. Showing he's learned to suppress his emotions through discipline. Granting him all the benefits of his cleric training without the drugs dulling his senses.
I didn’t even know y’all did this one. Sooo underrated. Christian Bale is great in this. 💜
This was quite the surprise.
I love the fact that Christian Bale is such a great actor that he can show the character going from 0 emotions to all the emotions. ^o^ Also the boy in me just loves the over-the-top Gun Kata scenes. Damn epic! :D
This movie was surprisingly good
This is one of my favorite action movies ever. It's so daring, and does things with its action no movie has before or since. And Christian Bale really carries it too, that main character role could have been so much more hacky and kitsch, but Bale did as Bale does and made it work.
Bale did fantastic. And the story feels like it won't ever get stale.
This movie is so underrated. Before he was loved as Batman I knew him as Preston. Loved your reaction and review, subscribed!
I always recommend it to people, one of the top sci-fi movies!
Hell yeah! Thanks for the sub and the watch! We appreciate it! 🤘🤘🤘
"oh Sean Bean! He's gonna die in like 10 min" 😂
Yes, you're right. The man's a walking spoiler.
except National Treasure 😅
@Mateusz Pączek He got fired tho. That's the most lethal it could get for him there. xD
@Mateusz Pączek Troy, Silent Hill, Sharpe, The Dark. Do those films not count?
🤣
The Martian was the exception, he survived there😆
I freaking love this movie.
I wish the fight scenes and gun kata in this didn't have as many cuts as they do but still, it's all done very well. Its main similarity to John Wick is that it has a pretty innovative and well executed concept. The creation and parallel existence of two completely different worlds, moved forward by different sets of rules or lack thereof.
For Preston, the gradual transition from utter apathy to overwhelming emotion is brilliantly done by Christian Bale. I still want to know if Taye Diggs' character was a sense offender or not. He really did smile a lot. I'd say it's sarcasm but he's not supposed to be able to do that either, is he?
🤘🤘🤘
@Marcia Silva I'd definitely second the recommendation of Ultraviolet. It's also by Kurt Wimmer, and you can see the evolution of his interpretation of the gun kata/gun fu in that film.
We will check those out! 😁😁👍👍👍
@Badd Medicine Thank you! Another couple of movies to check out maybe are Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet. They're more like Equilibrium than John Wick but still within the same group, I'd say.
One of my favourite action films, so underrated it should be considered a sense-crime!
Preston saving the puppy(the first time)is such a brilliant scene, one of the best in the film, the way Preston flinches for every shot, but have to keep his cool, until it becomes unbearable for him.
I mean, what tugs on your Heartstrings more than getting a kiss from a little puppy. Now imagine meeting a puppy for the "first time ever" you'd essentially die from cuteness overload!
The Prozium only dulls your emotions though, it doesn't completely erase them and you're "allowed" to smile and be courteous, but your logic and reason are supposed to be your driving force, not emotions/feelings. Bluntly put, Prozium overly tips the Mind/Heart scale in favour of the former.
Because Preston is such an intuitive cleric his son overcompensates to come off as a robot while also protecting his sister.
I still, to this day, hope that Kurt Wimmer(the director)will announce a sequel or prequel - both would work really well, imo.
You never know... Maybe someday
I love this movie! It’s a bummer there aren’t more reaction vids for it
Wish I can say the same for the movie "Hackers" by Angelina jolie and Johnny Lee Miller, not enough reactors
A nice surprise this movie was
Gun Fu was inspired by John Woo’s high octane Hong Kong gun action flicks. From there, Equilibrium takes the premise literally and even name it as Gun Kata and show it on screen. John Wick finesses it to perfection.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Watched this on a whim once... absolutely loved it. Really great idea. Creates its world extremely well. Bale nails the acting. The fighting style is unique and fun and an interesting twist on normal fights. This one is totally underrated by pretty much everyone. Favorite moment is when he just cuts Tay to pieces with ZERO delay or waste of energy. Just ends him. Quick. Efficient. No talking. Done. That is an amazing moment. A lot of people make fun of the Gun Kata stuff, but it's actually pretty damn cool idea.
The director self admits that he made a mistake hiring actual martial artists for this movie. Their action was too fast and accurate to film properly. He truly realised this in a conversation with Maggie Cheung on a flight to Singapore, who recommended dancers, who are trained to repeat detailed physical choreography with exacting precision (Maggie is herself a ballerina [and one of *The Heroic Trio* ]). Incidentally that is the director himself in the title sequence doing gun katas. Apparently he ran out of money on this small budget movie (only USD$20 million apparently) and had to film himself when putting together the opening credits during editing.
Gun Fu was a formal genre in HK cinema since John Woo's *Hard Boiled* (1992) , where the director applied standard wuxia tropes to a gun duel (although you can find earlier sporadic examples of interesting gunfight sequences in many earlier HK action films, just not as formalised). And of course, many imitators afterwards.
Gun Fu established its roots in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986), then he brought it to the US w/ 1989's The Killer. Hard Boiled is the peak of the concept, while Face/Off popularized it in the west.
Interesting here
I remember when I had first found this film, it was just a bit after I finished reading Orwell's 1984 for a class I was in (like you guys say it reminds you of haha). I remember loving it that much more, because I felt it was 1984 meets the matrix.
I'm also a sucker for a 'character on the antagonist side switching'. Or like, that awakening to the corruption they're a part of and then fighting against it. The whole, taking something down from the inside... gosh, I've always loved this movie. It's really epic, and emotional (though I suppose that's a main point!)
Was excited to see a reaction to this film.
I remember not expecting an optimistic ending, and was pleasantly surprised to get one.
Glad to see this movie is finally getting the attention from reactors it deserves. The Matrix influence of course is very obvious even to him waking to the "real world" also esthetically, wardrobe, "gun-fu" 🙂, etc. But it's a real gem on itself and quite unique in the action genre.
The very moment, people began to feel....war broke out again.
Unhappy ending where humanity dies off because protagonist brakes the law and reason makes movie even better
A nice surprise this was. Wasn't expecting it.
The comparison to John Wick is well deserved. However, what I always noticed is how it uses much more cuts during fightscenes. In John Wick, there are a lot less cuts during fights, which make them much more intense imo.
I would agree.
Sweet that you guys reacted to and love Equilibrium. Me and my friends went to see it, thinking it might be a fun dumb action flick to just waste the day with at the theater. We were pleasantly proven so wrong where the themes along with the acting were good. It's going to turn 20 next year, which is crazy to think about.
Here's a few recommendations for you guys to add to the viewing list:
- Big Trouble in Little China (1986). John Carpenter. Kurt Russell. Martial arts. Adventure. Mortal Kombat. ;-)
- Best of the Best (1989). A good martial arts/sports movie of it's time. Also has a great 80's soundtrack. A fantastic ending that'll require tissues.
- Warrior (2011). A great martial arts/sports movie with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. Great ending.
Best of the Best is great martial arts drama, excellent movie all around, underseen and underappreciated, great recommendation, highly agree
Agreed
I love Best Of The Best. That movie shows that even independent movie can make great quality film.
Basically what happened here just not in the theater. 🤙🤙🤙🤙 Thank you for the suggestions. We will add those to the list. 🤘🤘🤘
So glad you liked it!! "Gun Fu' was first established by John Woo in the late 80s
It took a while for America to get in to it when we had the Rambos and the Dirty Harrises at the time
It's great stuff! Really surprised we don't see more then Wick doing it.
Actually I remember when this came out, it’s not that it didn’t do well, it was an art film that was only displayed in art theaters.
I lived in Northern California at the time and remember being told to drive 2 and 1/2 hours to see this in a theater, which I regret not doing to this day.
Dang 2.5hr? Would've been an awesome memory for sure. 🤙🤘
To state that John Wick's influence came from Equilibrium is almost on point. Check out John Woo's A Better Tomorrow 1& 2 and The Killer for more inspirational sources.
@Badd Medicine You haven't lived till you've watched Face/Off. Woo + Travolta + Cage = perfection! Also, highly recommend watching Accented Cinema's "The Birth of Gun Fu" & "The Rise of Gun Fu".
@Badd Medicine Yup.
🤘🤘🤘
@Badd Medicine Yes, you are correct.
I recall the name face off. That had cage & Travolta, right?
The crazy thing about this movie is that the trailer for this first dropped as a trailer for the first matrix. Made going to see matrix in theaters so great ,in my humble opinion. Great reactions 👏🏽
Much appreciated, Jose. Thanks for watching 🤙
Underrated film. Thanks for reacting to it.
Thank you for the watch. 🤘🤙
This was a movie that completely escaped my notice. Then I was reading the Corporation RPG (far future cyber-punkish roleplaying game) and they listed "Equilibrium" as one of the influences and references for the game. I bought it, watched, and absolutely loved it! Such a great movie with an amazing cast.
The story, the action, the costumes, the characters. Everything about this movie is so good.
Glad you watched it. Loved the reaction, guys.
Have you watched 1917? It's a great movie if you haven't watched it before please do...
Thank you and thank you for the watch. I don't think any of have. We can add it to the list.
The funny thing about these stories is that everyone believes it's a warning about the future when in fact we have been living it for the past 100 years.
@Tollyce Glassheart Which is ironic considering Jesus himself was supposedly a carpenter`s son from a poor Jewish family in Galilee and Nazareth,regions of Ancient Palestine and said things like:
"Blessed are the poor."
"Blessed are the meek,for theirs is the Kingdom of God."
"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
"Woe to ye that love mammon(Money)for no man can serve two masters,mammon and God, either ye will love the one and resent the other or ye shall revere the one and despise the other!"
kyre lymrick not in this movie. It's just instructions to have purpose.
kyre lymrick ironic. Afraid is feeling. It's an emotion.
The story will never go stale
This movie is 21 years old and I still watch it. From buying it at the height of DVD, to watching it on t.v now watching it online. Great movie!
I wonder if you noticed that fire from his gun is forming a cross when shooting. Especially in that hall shooting scene at the end.
Whoa.... What?! I'll have to go back and check that.
This movie really shined the light on Deep Fakes and the relevance today is haunting.
Fortunately, we don`t have Deepfakes that picture-perfect yet and probably won`t for another 200 or so years at least!
Wow. Impressive pick guys. The dystopian version of the world this film takes place in is heavily influenced by George Orwell's literary classic '1984'. In that book people are not allowed to show emotion, they have extremely limited rights and no freedome of speech, and everyone is monitored all the time. Their are surveillance cameras everywhere, even in people's own homes, and the world looks very similar to the one in this movie. Very grey with nothing to evoke emotion.
What's interesting is that George Orwell wrote the book in the 1940's and it talks about a lot of technologies that didn't exist until recently. It's also considered one of the best books ever written and is well worth reading.
Boom
@Badd Medicine It's mixture of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, and a few other dystopian science fiction stories, especially of the later golden age of science fiction - 1950s and 60s. With a dose of Kung Fu Theater. Ha
Didn't even know about the books. That's pretty cool. And the story will never go stale cause it can fit in any era.
You should watch his acting as a child in Empire of the sun he is absolutely amazing. The best child actor I have ever seen.
This is one of the best Sci Fi movies, ever made.
If you really get into it, and understand what is going on, here.
One of my absolute favorite scenes, are when he rips off the plastic film on his window, and see the beauty of the sun in the sky.
Loved this movie from the moment I saw it for the first time, all these years ago.
I saw this in a real theater when I was stationed in Hawaii. I remember reading in the paper about movies playing that weekend, and decided to take a girl to see Equilibrium based on a one-paragraph synopsis. First thing I did when I got back to the barracks afterward was tell all my friends how good it was. The next weekend my buddies said they couldn't find the film playing anywhere. A story I read years later was that since the film had actually premiered in Germany (where it was filmed) and had already made its budget back there, the studio didn't want to risk any more money on advertising in the US if it were to flop.
I don't think I've ever seen a reaction to Equilibrium before. Great movie.
A very underrated gem of a movie
This is one of those 2000's movies that no one ever saw but I randomly saw on like TBS like a decade ago and it was amazing
I’ve always thought this was better than the Matrix! Saw it at the cinema.
Best line in the film “now without incident”
There's a masterful use of color temperature in this movie.
Agreed
i was lucky enough to have a teacher that was the CGI director on this film... such an underrated film
I remember renting this movie from a little video store back in the day. No idea what it was, no idea what it entailed. Just saw it had Christian Bale and cover looked cool. Turned out to be one of the better dystopian sci-fi films I've seen.
Did you guys recognize the boss. He was played by Angus McFadden otherwise known as Robert The Bruce from Braveheart. The scene with the dogs is always so hard for me to watch just like with John Wick.
I wish more people would react to this movie.
Such N interesting and fun movie
I was bored and alone one night and rented this at Blockbuster just based on the cover. One of my favorite movies.
Christian Bale can do no wrong. I vote for more Christian Bale films please ❤
I loved your comments along the film. They are all natural and don't piss off. Thanks guys.
It's a great film. Very underrated. Watched it many times.
Love the movie. And Christian Bale is just perfection.
Such underrated flim
It really is. 🤙
There is a character and scene in an anime called Trinity Blood that is practically a godsdamned love letter to this movie. Father Tres Iqus, codename "Gunslinger," is a cybernetic member of an organization called AX, deployed by the Vatican, which basically defends what's left of the earth from vampires. His fighting style (gunfu or gun-kata) is very similar to Cleric Preston's. He even uses the same type of gun.
Christian bale is a legend he always gives it all the movie a piece of art and a story that get more relevant the further we go in time im sure in this woke age there will be some day when emotions will be banned because they could harm others prepare for it ;)
My list of fav distopian and post-apo movies - these are different sub-genres of cathastrophic movies I think :)
So I want to recommend :
"Farrenhait 451" - old French version, absolute masterpiece.
"1984" - with J. Hurt, of course masterpiece too.
"Brasil" - with Ian Holm, masterpiece but a bit forgotten.
"Harrison Bergeron" - with Sean Astin, the most underated movie and great role of Astin.
"Equilibrium", with Sean Bean,
"In Time" - from 2011, the idea of slavery through money and that this money is time is absolutely pathological and briliant :)
"Elisium", with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, - the Earth is one big slums and the rich live on the orbit in luxurious paradise,
"The Running Man" - with A. Schwarzeneger,
"Edge of Tomorrow" - with Tom Cruise, IMO its one of the most tragic heroes of all movies, to be able to defeat aliens invasion he must die, not once but many times.
"Maze Runner" trilogy, good movie for kids about kids,
"Mortal Engines" - by P. Jackson, in distant future big cities are kind of vehicles, they ride in search of energy, of sourses and they fight for sources on the vast wasteland.
IMO the most underrated movie here is Harrison Bergeron and In Time. I left "Mortal Engines" as the last on the list becouse thats decent movie but I guess way below Jackson's abilities :)
you guys are killing happy to see you grow best of luck in the future of this channel
Thank you! We appreciate the kind comments. 🤙🤙🤙
Damn..... This Reaction was so good, I'mma watch this movie right now
Thank you! And yes you should. 🤙🤘😁
Totally underated, amazing movie!!!
One of my favorites! Very underrated. But I guess there's a reason stories about authoritarian distopias don't get much attention... too close to home I guess.
Could be. Something that might also be a button push for some which is understandable.
I was ridiculed my entire childhood for this and MI 2 being my favourite movies growing up 😂
one of my fave movies of all time so underrated :)
i lost it when you said he was going to die in 10 minutes lol.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🔥🔥🔥🔥
Definitely subbed! If you guys have not seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, it's the perfect mix of comedy and action, think you'll enjoy it!
Isaac! Thank you very much for the watch and the sub. We appreciate it! And I will add that to the list. 🤙
Well to be fair Sean Bean doesn't die in everything.... though he does die a lot , but he had lived in others like Troy, National Treasure, Ronin, Silent Hill series, The Martian, Flightplan, North Country and of course in the tv series Sharpe
I mean, his character commits career suicide in The Martian.
I don't think everyone had seen Ronin.
Well, Sean Bean didn't die _on-screen_ in Ronin, but given what occurs later in the film I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't follow-up later to eliminate him quietly.
Speaking of, if you guys haven't seen Ronin you should definitely watch Ronin.
He died in National Treasure though.
I've a soft spot for this movie from my edgy teenage days. It's a fun turn your brain off movie for me now.
Right on! 🤘🤙 This movie actually a nice surprise. 🤙
I know I'm late to the party but equilibrium was one of my fab roles from Christian Bale instant subscribe.
Taye Diggs character kept smiling because the bastard could feel. That's what pissed me off the most when I saw this on DVD back in 03. There they are, killing all these people, for the very 'crimes' they themselves were guilty of. I was absolutely repulsed by the hypocrisy.
That`s the government for ya. "Do as we say, not as we do,plebes!"
Yup! Agreed!
Great reaction! Gotta do 'District 9' next if some haven't seen that.
Thank you! Not sure if everyone has. But we'll sad it to the list.
Awesome Reaction! Here is my list of a Man's Man movie: The Raid: Redemption; The Raid 2; Man From Nowhere (Korean); New World (Korean 2013); I Saw the Devil (Korean); The Frontline (Korean); Sicario.
Equilibrium is a masterpiece.
What you missed was the boy who seemed emotionalless at first is Annoyed/Angry by what his sister does with cereal! Lol ☺️
This movie is barely known, completely under-rated and one of the best ever...
I don't think Taye Digg's character was lying about being intuitive. My theory is that he was naturally resistant to the emotion suppressants which is what drew Father to him in the first place, as his potential spy.
But, despite his emotional intuition, his loyalty to Father was too great, so he wasn't able to think like the rebels.
That's why they go through the whole charade with Preston. They deliberately gaslight him and pressure him until his loyalty cracks.
When this film was released, the audience wanted high graphics, high cgi flicks which mimicked reality on screen. In time, we got superhero flix. Only now people are realizing the importance of movies with deep meaning. Hence movies like such are making a comeback
i know im late on the comment and i read alot of them but, yous talked alot about about Tate always smiling even though he shouldnt be showing emotion. But i believe that it is similar to the likes of sociopaths. i.e i have a sociopathic friend, although he tries his hardest to blend in because he realises there is something wrong with him. He smiles alot when he encounters things that probably shouldnt make you curious, but i think the smiling part of that is really a biological reaction rather than a emotional one.
And when he begins to raise his voice near the end, it is like a narcissist who found out that they were not the centre of attention.
I saw this in theaters, and it didn't disappoint. I didn't even know Christian Bale back then. Funny how the movie is like a dystopian utopia (or an utopian dystopia?). aha :P
🤣🤣🤣 his voice in this reminded me a lot of his Batman Begins for Bruce.
If you like this movie you gotta check out Snowpiercer. Released in 2013. One of if not mine is in a category of Best underated films along with others. peace n Frybread grease ;)
Taye Diggs' character seems like what would happen if you give a natural-born psychopath Prozium. If you already have trouble accessing emotions except for anger and/or deriving pleasure from making others suffer, would Prozium even do anything?
This is a society that rewards psychopathy, where they actively try to turn their forces into one. I mean, murdering your wife without emotion is pretty ruthless. So that anger/getting pleasure from hurting people might be something they overlook, or just say "Nah, you don't need Prozium", since he's effective for their goals.
Just to note the blood spray was actually black pepper when people got shot.
And to note another gun Fu type movie starring
Milla Jovovich called ultraviolet.
Great classic film!
🤘🤘🤘
Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, for reacting to this!!!! I have loved this movie for years. Most people I have talked to know all about Matrix and John Wick, but when I mention Equilibrium they scratch their heads. Now all we need is a kick ass movie with Keanu Reeves AND Christian Bale. Imagine!
IMO they could probably pull off anything. 🤣🤙🤘
@Badd Medicine You're very welcome. That could be fun, but I was thinking more along the lines of an original script. Something in Sci-fi or maybe a Cowboy movie? Wait now I'm nerding out. LOL.
Thank you! Yeah, could you imagine Bale & Reeves? Or just even adding in Bale to Wick?! 👀👀👀👀👀👀
This movie is heavily based on book, which I recommend, called Farenheit 451 by R. Bradbury
This movie , I feel (lol), is greatly underrated , thanks for checking it
I think Christopher Nolan saw this film and choose Christian Bale for Batman role .
Wouldn't be surprised if that happened🤙🤘
The fact that while making this-FIVE YEARS before Batman Begins, the director bet Bale 500 that he'd be Batman within 10 years. Bale paid that gladly.
12:35 wrong!
He’s playing Beethoven’s 9th symphony.
It was released on May 7th 1824. 197 years ago.
The copyright duration of composed music is the same as for books, paintings and other literary and artistic works: the author's lifetime + 70 years. Therefore, the musical compositions of old masters like Beethoven (1770 - 1827) or Mozart (1756 - 1791) are all in the public domain and you can freely use them.
it depends on the recording
Loved this movie, seen it so many times! hope you will too
For our first time, we were surprised that we didn't really hear about this until the comments on our John Wick reaction.
I've always loved this movie
Thank you for the sub. We appreciate it! And I think it was practical and funny with the Ford spot. 🤣🤣
@Badd Medicine subbed, interesting to see reviews on older movies! the casino royale was was awesome, I seen that in cinemas...and yes it was a weird flex with 007 in that ford mondeo 😆
Surprised at how good it was.
Have you guys seen Gattaca? Not a violent movie like this one, but the constant feeling of tension is similar!
I loved this movie. All my friends hated it and endlessly roasted me for enjoying it =)
Just a small fact that you may not be aware of, Sean Pertwee who plays Father is the son of Jon Pertwee who played the third Doctor in Doctor Who.
Sean Pertwee is in Event Horizon
This movie was very good and Kurt Wimmer followed up this movie with Ultraviolet (2006) staring Milla Jovovich.
One of my faves! Thanks!
Thank you! 🤙🤙🤙
If you guys like Christian Bale, you should check out "3:10 To Yuma" if you've not seen it. One of the best movies ever made as far as I'm concerned.
We can definitely add that to the list
You should watch Robocop and Robocop 3. It's very interesting to see your reaction to these movies :)
One of the best gun-fu movies ever
Bale cited this as his favourite role.
About the last polygraph scene - they didn´t checked his sleeves, because Preston had a apparent weapon - ceremonial katana. Also the fact that they suppresed their feelings means they forgot how to improvise.
You should add "V for Vendetta" to your list!
@Badd Medicine Love it!
Added! 🤘