A Poor Man's Matrix?
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rodgers-sa — 11 years ago(September 19, 2014 03:13 PM)
Bales character has questioned things since his wife was taken, when he confronts Sean bean he begins his true journey. Killing Sean Bean is a style of reincarnation, his spirit to subvert enters bales character. Sean Bean is the catalyst, Emma Watson is guide.
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Intothenightalone — 11 years ago(September 19, 2014 07:16 PM)
That may be true, but I would have wanted Sean Bean to stick around a little longer and for there to have been a scene with great dialogue where Sean questions Bale's mindset. He can still kill him, but I wanted more of a catalyst moment.
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xMCGRUBERx — 11 years ago(January 03, 2015 11:06 PM)
This movie was awesome. Has its flaws. I think u could say its a poor mans matrix, but i dug it alot more. Matrix movies are sweet, no doubt. I just really like this one. Plus ive owned a bunch of that breed of dog that puppy is, so i always cheer when i see it.
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willgray0302 — 9 years ago(August 26, 2016 03:21 PM)
I don't think there's anyway to deny the influence of the Matrix on this movie in terms of
stylization
(Preston's appearance is undeniably similar to Neo's, though you could argue the Watchowski's actually borrowed from Equilibrium to make Neo's suit for Reloaded/Revolution. But the combination of Preston's similar look and the highly-stylized action force you to think of the Matrix)
set pieces
(Matrix lobby scene v. Preston's shootout with the guards in the hall with all the pillars after the "Father" reveal),
tone
(darkish gray, totalitarian dystopia) and
characters
(Preston - Neo, William Fichtner's character - Morpheus).
The other obvious influence on the film was Gattaca (1997), another great sci-fi flick. Equilibrium basically plays out like a combination of Gattaca and the Matrix. It borrows from the Matrix for it's action and visual flare while borrowing from Gattaca for plot points and pacing. Fear of discovery drives the tension in Gattaca as it does in Equilibrium, though the protagonist's deception in Gattaca is much more meticulous. Also, since Ethan Hawke's character isn't a gunkata-wielding, near-superhuman freak, the stakes of Hawke getting caught feel a lot higher in Gattaca than in Equilibrium.
Where Equilibrium really fell short for me was failing to flesh out the characters. There just wasn't anything compelling about "Father" or Taye Diggs as villains, they had no depth. They're completely forgettable compared to Agent Smith and the Machines. While Neo and Trinity's love story feels fairly cliche and tacked on, there was zero substance between Preston and Emily Watson's character to make their "relationship" believable. Plus, didn't Preston's wife die like a year ago? I mean in the flashback his kids were basically the same age as they are in the present. But now I've digressed into plotholes, another subject. -
tyrexden — 9 years ago(September 19, 2016 12:33 PM)
Its a flat-out copy of the Matrix. There's no way in hell, when this thing was pitched that they didn't mention The Matrix to the investors.
The plot? Not really Matrixy but thats besides the point. Nobody even knows what the Matrix movies are about anymore, particularly after the sequels.
The movie is a visual copy, which is the main thing about The Matrix Nobody even mentioned the fighting the choreography with martial arts and guns and fast motion and slow motion. Straight lift from the Matrix.
Even look at the poster Slicked back handsome white guy with a bald black guy to look like Fishburne. They even made Taye Diggs look tall, when in reality, he's like a foot shorter than Bale. -
triplegrim — 9 years ago(November 16, 2016 06:03 AM)
It is clearly inspired by The Matrix in terms of action, style and visuals. The plot is pretty much from Fahrenheit 451 though.
Matrix was so groundbreaking when it came to the silver screen in 1999 that it set the bar untill the mid 00s. Pretty much anything you see from 2000-04 has the slow-mo, the circle cam, the stylized plastic coats and every other beep that was done to death.
I think Equilibrium is a superior film to The Matrix though, and bears rewatching, while the Matrix looks and feel very dull to me in hindsight.