Les Jones

A&E > Movie: Equilibrium

Equilibrium has a little bit of every sci-fi novel and movie ever written. The populace is placated with a drug called Prozium (shades of Soma in Brave New World), you can be arrested for sex crime (1984), all art is banned (Fahrenheit 451), and a messianic hero is the human race's best hope against continued oppression (The Matrix). The basic plot is that all art and sensuality has been banned on the theory that it excites the senses and leads to violence, crime, and war. The police arrest anyone who commits sense crime, and then burns their contraband.

Visually, Equilibrium owes a lot to two sources. The obvious one is The Matrix. You see the influence in the leather-clad fashions and elaborate gun-fu.

The second, less-obvious source seems to be Apple's groundbreaking, sci-fi-themed "1984" commercial, directed by Ridley Scott (Aliens, Blade Runner). You can watch the Apple commercial online at Uriah.com. Like the commercial, the movie features a droning populace enslaved by faceless storm troops and giant video screens of Big Brother. Also like the Apple commercial, a solitary, superior individual dares to destroy the man behind the curtain.

In this case the individual is John Preston (Christian Bale), a Grammaton Cleric charged with enforcing the state's laws. He begins his transformation from enforcer to rebel when he accidentally misses a dose of Prozium. As his feelings return he awakens to the sad dystopia that he helps to maintain and eventually endeavors to overthrow. His awakening doesn't go unnoticed by his colleague and rival, Brandt (Taye Diggs), who hopes to advance his career by exposing Preston.

Good stuff. For you gun nuts, see Ogre's Guns of Equilibrium. I never would have known about the movie if not for Ogre's article. IMDB's Equilibrium entry has some good discussion threads, and this piece of trivia: "Originally, the drug Prozium was named Librium (hence the term "People of Libria" as often referred to throughout the film). However, Librium turns out to be a registered trade name for the anti-anxiety drug Chlordiazepoxide." The unofficial fan site is another good resource for information and multimedia.