Tuesday, March 10
Equilibrium : Where not feeling can actually be fun
Third Time's a charmIn the near future, after another reoccurrence of one of the greatest man made catastrophes that hit our world, Humanity has finally found a solution to perhaps one of the greatest problems that has plagued it ever since the dawn of time. Convinced that it is their ability to feel that has caused the Third World War and all the previous violent conflicts prior, human emotions have finally been exchanged for what the reality of a war-free Utopia.
Feeling, the bane of humanity, is gone thanks to the introduction of a drug known as Prozium. War is nothing but a word in the memories of a barbarous past. Society is finally functioning at almost a hundred percent efficiency. With the exception of the dregs who still cling to "feelings," what they believe defines humans instead of the vile parasite it is that slowly degrades its host. To which the Council of Libria has commissioned a military organization to hunt down these "sense offenders" and erase all traces of EC-10 (material with emotional content). And along with these are an elite fighting corps known as Grammaton Clerics, headed by the mysterious "Father." These "holy" paladins, skilled in the art of Gun Kata, are the bastion of the new war-free society.
Yet, what if one of the members of the Clerics were to be compromised by the Sense Offender Underground?
Err... yes that would connate to the situation wherein the Clerics having a traitor in their midst, but we also would have the story of Equilibrium. When Grammaton Cleric John Preston accidentally does not take his periodical Prozium dose, he is suddenly hit head-on by the contraband emotions his kind is sworn to erase. Like a child who has been finally allowed out after only catching glimpses of the outside world from foggy glass paned windows, John plunges into a bout of self-doubt. Did humanity take a turn to the better by chaining their emotions? Or did they forget what it means to be what they are and paid a cost too high for "peace"?
Deja vu? Bad? Of course not!
Yes, all this sounds like a retelling of something that's been buzzing around the head of almost every Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader's head. Found right beside the Beta Quadrant and that Wormhole into the dimension of hot sexy chicks in "Federation Regulation Silk Uni--"
Whoops. Anyway you get the point, this is old sci-fi/fantasy material. Get a society, slap the "feelings-are-a-sign-of- evolutionary-rejects" plot, sprinkle some group resistance fighters who still have the ability to feel, and add that optional convert to the resistance who (more likely than not) have a romantic connection with one of the rebels.
But then again, almost every modern Sci-Fi flick has its roots found in one of those B-Movies of old. The presence of story elements older than your Grandmother is not a good reason NOT to watch Equilibrium. In fact it's the opposite, the sysnthesis of those elements in this movie was well carried out.
What you don't know... actually see...
The emotion-"less" society portrayed in Equilibrium was indeed an eyeful and even more. The city of Libria, though meant to be a blocky, grayscale collection of buildings (IE Sci Fi movie-goer eye candy), was shot pretty well. It is depicted in a certain scene where John Preston claws at the material covering his windows. Covering that was meant to shield the inhabitants of that room from seeing sights which would inspire the feeling of awe. And what a feeling of awe it was.
Another high point of the movie was the Gun Kata fighting style of the Grammaton Clerics. It is the ultimate synthesis of Man and Gun (IMHO). The Clerics, utilizing a wealth of combat footages, are able to pick the correct sequence of maneuvers and stances in any kind of situation that would minimize any kind of physical harm what would come to them. I don't need to elaborate any more on this as you will see the application of this fighting style a lot in the movie.
You thought the action scenes of the Matrix were breathtaking, you have to watch the "final" actions scenes here, one of them involving a Melee-based Gun Fight (no this doesn't pertain to smashing each other silly with firearms).
In conclusion, stop reading this article and watch the film.
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15:34
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15:34
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