Monday, January 26th, 2004
Equilibrium - What a Movie
I just saw a terrific movie!Enter the world of Equilibrium where there is no war, emotions are suppressed, and artistic expression forbidden. The guardians of order are an elite fighting force of Grammaton Clerics who specialize in the martial arts system and code of the Gun Kata. There is nothing they cannot do to enforce the ideals of their society but what would happen if a first class cleric suddenly began to feel?At first glance this sounds like a typical sci-fi B-movie plot; but hold your gaze-- this movie is far from typical. Unlike most futuristic sci-fi flics, this is a wary scan into a likely future. Emotions illegal? How could that be possible? How could it even be enforced? I'm sure our ancestors would balk at their future; our current reality. How could we have come this far? Maybe this is how: a little line given by the narrator at one point in the film gives us insight into how a society could come to a point of outlawing art, music, poetry, love, friendship, caring-- FEELING. My friend Austin brought it to my attention-- if he had not, I might have overlooked it. The narrator attributes it to the development of 'hate crime.' (What the film's director had to say about that line.) It makes me think about hate crame-- why are we punished for hating? Do we not have a right to feel? In British Columbia, a pastor can be arrested for reading certain portions of the Bible to his congregation. Here is a very interesting link with more information on hate crimes. Equlibrium is amazing because it dares to connect the dots. And it describes the worst-case scenario for taking our current attitudes to their logical conclusion. But it's amazing for lots of other reasons too! Great special effects, though apparently they spent only $20 million on their budget. If you like to think, and enjoy challenging status quo, then this movie is for you. If you want light entertainment and wired kung fu, look away. You probably liked Matrix 2 and 3. ~Jason
Tags:movies 0 likes ↑