Equilibrium Image
Metascore

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 207 Ratings

  • Starring: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs
  • Summary: In a future society, citizens are prevented from expressing emotions and are controlled by militaristic police with the enforced use of a dehumanizing drug.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 22
  2. Negative: 10 out of 22
  1. 75
    Would be a mindless action picture, except that it has a mind. It doesn't do a lot of deep thinking, but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x, it does make a statement:
  2. Equilibrium improves as it rolls along -- either that or, ironically, it wears down the senses until the viewer succumbs.
  3. It's not only an ultraviolent, ludicrously inconsistent rip-off of Bradbury's idea, but it poisons the well for future efforts.
  4. Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    38
    Equilibrium just happens to be a really bad comic book.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 12 out of 118
  1. Critics keep mentioning the plot and the themes which are the weaker aspects of equilibrium. This movie was incredible for me because of the performances "christian bale" "emily watson" "sean bean" , the superb novelty and excellence of the martial arts and action sequences, and the crisp sharpness of atmosphere. Alot of criticism is aimed at bcuz its based in a dystopic future world and its "done before" but dystopic setting should be thought of as a genre rather than a plot so i don't think it has to be new and original all the time. Also note that it came out in 2002, soon after the first matrix movie. So it's a bit unfair to say that it copied the matrix when a lot of work would have already begun on equilibrium. Most pple would have watched it years and years after it was made, bcuz they saw christian bale in batman. Equilibrium is always in my mind christian bales greatest performance. And Gun kata a semi-realistic martial art that has spawned a real-life niche in itself. Expand
  2. MarkK.
    8
    An enjoyable film overall. Only faults I can find are the similarities to the Matrix (which cause a great amount of De ja vu) and some of the fight scenes get a bit brainless, but it's great fun. Expand
  3. MiKE
    7
    I liked this movie. but its nowhere close to bladerunner. but still I enjoyed it alot. It seems like the director really wanted to make this movie as good as possible and it shows. Not a bad movie. Expand
  4. Equilibrium is an underground Sci-Fi film with a huge cult following. If you ask any other Sci-Fi geek, they'll probably have Equilibrium in their top ten list, but I couldn't tell you why. The film is vintage Sci-Fi, with a semi-original idea, unfortunately, the cast just didn't pull it off. I've never been a huge Christian Bale fan and this movie is a prime example of why. He's given a role that suites him perfectly and he mumbles and relies on the rest of the cast to carry him. In the future, emotions and things that evoke emotions are outlawed, and Bale is one of the men responsible for enforcing these laws, but he soon turns to the other side, when he accidentally feels an emotion for the first time. Bale is a cold guy to begin with. He never shows much emotion even when his role calls for it, so aside from Keanu Reeves, he was the best choice for this role. The story was a little out there and the effects were over the top, but it's Bale himself who puts the icing on the turd cake. He's completely dependent on his fellow cast members and the ridiculous special effects his character is given. Maybe I'm just not that bright, but I really don't understand why so many people are so obsessed with this movie. The cast wasn't anything special and the story was okay at best. Expand

See all 118 User Reviews