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Equilibrium
Dimension Films / Miramax Films

8.6 based on 22 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 123 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

FILM:

• Ultraviolet

• Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R for violence

Starring Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Angus MacFadyen, Sean Bean, William Fichtner, and Dominic Purcell

In a future society, citizens are prevented from expressing emotions and are controlled by militaristic police with the enforced use of a dehumanizing drug.

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Kurt Wimmer
DIRECTED BY:	Kurt Wimmer
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 13, 2003  Video: May 13, 2003  Theatrical: December 6, 2002
RUNNING TIME:	minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

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:

70

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

A terrific cast, stylish direction, and elegantly choreographed mayhem help make it far better than it might have been -- Though ultimately silly, Equilibrium's shopworn but stylish synthesis of ammo and ideas is surprisingly engrossing.

70

LA Weekly Ron Stringer

The fun here is not so much in the solid if stolid performances from Bale and co-stars Taye Diggs and Emily Watson (gussied up to resemble the Jefferson Airplane–era Grace Slick) or in Wimmer's overpolished plot devices as it is in the production values.

63

USA Today Claudia Puig

The martial-arts sequences take this prosaic thriller to a higher level.

60

Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf

Equilibrium improves as it rolls along -- either that or, ironically, it wears down the senses until the viewer succumbs.

50

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Not a picture that makes you think very much -- except to wonder why the studios keep making movies like this.

50

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

A preachy parable stylized with a touch of John Woo bullet ballet.

50

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Mostly plays like a routine thriller with a classy cast.

50

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

The best thing about Equilibrium is its impressive look. Along with its generally fine cast and some well-choreographed fights, that goes a long way to making the movie watchable -- despite its underlying stupidity.

50

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Just because it's a good idea doesn't mean it's easy to do well. Screenwriter-turned-director Kurt Wimmer has a hard time keeping his actors from, well, acting a lot of the time.

40

TV Guide Ken Fox

Flashy, "MATRIX"-style action sequences trump ideas; it's hard not to feel you've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story.

40

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This operates at the intellectual level of the old "Star Trek" in its limp last season, and the professed humanism is belied by the extreme violence and Nazi-chic production design (not to mention a voice-over that traces the outlawing of emotion to "the revolutionary precept of the hate crime").

38

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

It's not only an ultraviolent, ludicrously inconsistent rip-off of Bradbury's idea, but it poisons the well for future efforts.

38

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Equilibrium just happens to be a really bad comic book.

30

Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

An accidental entertainment, Equilibrium is a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left.

25

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Super- violent, super-serious and super-stupid.

25

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Equilibrium doesn't tread softly on our dreams; it tramples them.

20

Variety Dennis Harvey

Misses with its blowhard treatment of a silly, obvious script. Results might hazard "Battlefield Earth" comparison if new pic were a tad more fun.

20

Film Threat David Grove

Since Equilibrium shamelessly rips off every Orwellian science fiction thriller in film history, what other reason is there besides sheer desperation for the film to be so stupidly violent?

10

Village Voice Dennis Lim

As this clueless, bulimic debacle madly regurgitates ideas and iconography from Lang to the brothers Wachowski, Leni Riefenstahl to L. Ron Hubbard, Ray Bradbury to Susan Faludi, it's not just Bale who has a hard time keeping a straight face.

10

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Equilibrium is like a remake of "1984" by someone who's seen "The Matrix" 25 times while eating Twinkies and doing methamphetamines.

0

The New York Times A.O. Scott

If someone left "1984," "Fahrenheit 451," "Brave New World," "Gattaca" and the Sylvester Stallone potboilers "Judge Dredd" and "Demolition Man" out in the sun and threw the runny glop onto a movie screen, it would still be a better picture than Equilibrium, a movie that could be stupider only if it were longer.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 123 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

TARGET1058 gave it a10:
Great movie...might not make you think a whole lot but the action and it being something different makes up for it.

Alex P gave it a7:
Granted this is no Oscar caliber movie this is probably the harshest critic score on all of metacritic and that is a big statement. This movie is very entertaining while managing to keep an interesting storyline and believable acting, and when I think of all the far worse movies (and there are many of them) who have received about double the score I really wonder what the critics expect. I does give me hope though to see the huge abyss between the users and critics scores.

Stefan M. gave it a10:
those who gave this film 0 are jealous!!!! OK, it has from films like Fahrenheit 451, 1984, etc. some ideas, but Kurt Wimmer was doing this project for 12 years and his final product, Equilibrium, is fantastic movie! so, those who gave it less than 6 can come here and suck my balls!!!!!!!!!

Matt L gave it a9:
I'm going to have to side with the general public on this one: it was indeed a good, and more importantly, fun movie. I think critics, in their pursuit of pure analytical commentary of movies, have forgotten the magic of the movies : having fun. Sure, the story was a little inconsistent, overused, what have you, but me and my friends had a blast watching it.

MiKE gave it an8:
This movie, actually "works" Just dont take it seriously! and You will have a good time watching it. Sure there are numerous thins which dont make any sense, but overall, somehow, the director got luck and made a decent movie worth seeing.

Michael M. gave it a2:
For a surprisingly large group of talented actors, this was pretty much a steaming pile. The premise behind the movie was beyond juvenile and rife with inconsistencies. Why would a repressive future society need to so clearly mimic the aesthetics of Nazi Germany? Why is art equated with emotion? Is emotion what REALLY defines humanity, is emotion REALLY what is the source of conflict in our society, rather than calculated rational decisions in the struggle for power? Is the movie self aware enough to realize the irony inherent in the actions of the principle actors in regards to the premise of an emotionless fascist society? Conceptually flawed, is the action enough to redeem this movie? In the end the answer to all these questions is no, as the action is mediocre and the acting transparent, the plot predictable and the conclusion forgone within the first few minutes of the film. I'm a big fan of SF movies, and will champion any movie that truly reveals something about the human condition, extrapolates an interesting society or scenario, or can engross me to the extent that i will suspend my disbelief and accept the premise that is being presented to me. That a movie like this gets such high marks from viewers profoundly disturbs me.

Andrew K gave it a9:
This movie was well shot and compared to many other hack n slash sci-fi action movies, the plot/script had some thought put into it. Contrary to the negative comments of the press. I, as a viewer and person, consider it a well done movie. What do you most of the comments have to back up their negatives? Reviews on other, past movies. Review a movie based on itself and you have a good movie.. not because you care to think about other movies in its place. Encore.

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