Equilibrium (2002)

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I kind of categorize this movie with Boondock Saints*, in that they are both action movies released around the same time that, despite little to no theatrical release, gained a huge cult following in high school and college-aged males. A remarkable accomplishment, seeing as both are remarkably stupid (or maybe that's part of their appeal?). Many-a college dorm conversation was had pertaining to why these films should not be viewed as good. At least Equilibrium has the decency to have some cool choreography and an attempt at some stylistic flourishes, while Boondock Saints has neither... and has the added bonus of being morally repugnant.

 

*The Boondock Saints is clearly fodder for HDTGM itself. If anyone needs evidence of this, the bizarre documentary on its writer/director Troy Duffy, entitled Overnight, is a chronicle of Hollywood douchery to befuddle anyone. It's not great filmmaking, but it does show Duffy to be an astonishing asshole.

I didn't care for "Boondock Saints" once I got around to seeing it, with one of my biggest problems being that while watching it, I was constantly thinking "I get it, Troy Duffy, you've seen Pulp Fiction and True Romance too many times too", but I think that a lot of the praise that's heaped on it by the millennial set has to do with the fact that they HADN'T seen all the crime movies that those of us at least a decade or so ahead of them had grown up on. "Overnight" was pretty incredible in showing what a fuck-up Duffy was in regards to pissing off anyone that could help him and burning all his bridges before he even HAD any, but I think that the fact that it took for-fucking-ever to get made and then even longer to actually be SEEN by much of anyone benefited it in that it put more distance between itself and everything that popped up in Pulp Fiction's wake. It might not have been as memorable and may have gotten lost in the mix of a dozen other movies that it looked like at the time. I've found that it's a fantastic "gateway movie" to better movies though, as there have been a lot of people I've known that have loved it that haven't seen the better movies that inspired it, and I'm always happy to share those with people.

[DrFancyPants 13]

I love Gunkata fan films because they disregard the greatest thing about guns ... RANGE

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2uRSCpcc-k

[Lando 2019]

I kind of categorize this movie with Boondock Saints*, in that they are both action movies released around the same time that, despite little to no theatrical release, gained a huge cult following in high school and college-aged males. A remarkable accomplishment, seeing as both are remarkably stupid (or maybe that's part of their appeal?). Many-a college dorm conversation was had pertaining to why these films should not be viewed as good. At least Equilibrium has the decency to have some cool choreography and an attempt at some stylistic flourishes, while Boondock Saints has neither... and has the added bonus of being morally repugnant.

 

*The Boondock Saints is clearly fodder for HDTGM itself. If anyone needs evidence of this, the bizarre documentary on its writer/director Troy Duffy, entitled Overnight, is a chronicle of Hollywood douchery to befuddle anyone. It's not great filmmaking, but it does show Duffy to be an astonishing asshole.

 

I don't think it's fair to say Equilibrium is dumb in the same vein as Boondock Saints because it ripped off Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. It's more fair to say that anything it brings to the table is unoriginal.

[Lando 2019]

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever and Ultraviolet MUST be covered before Equilibrium should even be considered.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

 

I don't think it's fair to say Equilibrium is dumb in the same vein as Boondock Saints because it ripped off Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. It's more fair to say that anything it brings to the table is unoriginal.

Oh, I agree. It just felt like they came into my sphere of knowledge at around the same time and that the same type of people were hyping them as amazing, leading to similar groans emitted from me. In retrospect, I feel it's totally acceptable to hate Boondock Saints and everything about it, while Equilibrium is just mostly unoriginal and boring.

[dlo burns 129]

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever and Ultraviolet MUST be covered before Equilibrium should even be considered.

 

Two things:

 

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever was based off a video game (kinda) so the movie came out and bombed, but they made a game based off the movie ... and both the games were actually pretty great (they might feel pretty dated because they were made for the GBA)

 

Ultraviolet, I think that movie is un-doable for this show since the plot only takes up 10min of the movie (if that). I love the movie, but mostly just to have on as background noise whole doing chores. Although now that I think about it they probably could spend half an hour trying to decipher the goddamn rolling ball attack. Aaand because I'm an obsessive compulsive ass who has to be correct about everything I checked IMDB finding this which makes me want to track down that version.

Against the wishes of director Kurt Wimmer, the film was completely re-edited by the studio after they saw the original version which they apparently did not like; they saw it as 'too emotional' for the action film they were expecting and re-edited it so there would be more of an emphasis on the action and to cut it down to a PG-13 rating. The edition shortened the film from its original length of 120 minutes to 88 minutes. The director was quite angry about the edition, and many fans agree that it lowered the quality of the film significantly.

[Lando 2019]

I didn't realize that Ultraviolet is directed by the same guy as Equilibrium, and now I see that he is writing a remake of Point Break with Gerard Butler attached as Bodhi, oh boy (although I did like Chasing Mavericks)

[AlishaHoekmanLikness 0]

Just watched this on Netflix. I am usually not too fussy about sci-fi/dystopian future movies, but this one was so bad. Just so...so...so...so...bad.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

I didn't realize that Ultraviolet is directed by the same guy as Equilibrium, and now I see that he is writing a remake of Point Break with Gerard Butler attached as Bodhi, oh boy (although I did like Chasing Mavericks)

 

 

Saw the trailer for the new Point Break, it looks fucking terrible.

 

In regards to this movie, the gun kata really is some of the most nonsensical shit to come out of a sci fi movie in quite some time.

[Joven 373]

Its not nonsensical if your only opponents stand less than 3 feet away from you in a circle, have eyesight on par with an earthworm or just aim way worse than a stormtrooper, haven't even cocked their guns yet, and are literally scarecrows filled with talcum powder...luckily for ol' Cleric John Preston, that's the case roughly 90% of the time he has to use it.

 

Also about the "statistically traditional trajectories of return fire", I turn to the Quiptracks iriff: "I know he's standing over there, but my family has been using these trajectories of return fire for generations! Why should I change for this guy?!"

 

Thats basically the only way the movie's gunkata works.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

the final battle with bale and the president is so nuts, the fact that they both had to memorize that goofy choreography is hilarious.

[EricJamesHiltner 0]

Batman fights Big Brother in a world mashed together from "1984"/"A Brave New World"/"Farenheit 451" but wants to be The Matrix.

It's almost Shakespearean, but you can't quite put your finger on why it's bad or good.

[WTF?MichaelDorn 12]

I love this movie! Sure it's difficult having a movie where everyone is supposed to be absent of feelings. I took it as you can never truly have a society void of feelings. Although, this is not the first time I have heard this movie compared to the matrix, I believe the two movies differ greatly. For me, this movie is on par or greater than the matrix.