Line #21 YMMV/Equilibrium


1	* AnticlimaxBoss: The epic battle between Preston and Brandt... [[SingleStrokeBattle isn't]]. [[spoiler:[=DuPont=]]] puts up a bit more of a fight. A bit.
2	* {{Anvilicious}}: The use of emotion-controlling drugs in this Dystopia.
3	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
4	** Some people say Brandt is obviously ''off'' his meds, because of his pleased smile throughout the movie. Others say he's obviously ''on'' a full dose, and [[SlasherSmile his smile is as meaningless and menacing as a shark's]].
5	** The man who tests Preston for emotion also utters "Oh shit!" before Preston kills the guards in the room, as do many of guards in the Nethers who utter "Oh fuck!" when Preston unleashes on them.
6	** There could also be an interpretation akin to the RPG ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', where ''none'' of the characters are on the meds, and some hide it better than others.
7	** It's possible even a person taking the meds can feel the smallest amount of emotion, and the emotions being shown by Brandt and the others is just more extreme emotions "leaking out".
8	* CompleteMonster: [[TheManInFrontOfTheMan Vice Council DuPont]] and his right-hand man, [[SecretPolice Grammaton Cleric]] Andrew Brandt, rule Libria with an iron fist. Presiding over a totalitarian system where [[{{Thoughtcrime}} all human emotions are forbidden]] and [[EmotionSuppression suppressed with the drug Prozium]], [=DuPont=] has Brandt snuff out any resistance members to be punished and incinerated. Working together to trick Grammaton Cleric John Preston into joining the resistance, Brandt happily oversees personally cruel missions, like executing women and children as well as the dogs they were hiding; or attempting to force Preston to execute a group of resistance members himself. Implied to [[StrawHypocrite not even take Prozium themselves]] and giddily revealing that "Father", whom they allegedly serve, died long ago and is now merely a convenient face for their regime, the two, when they set up Preston to lure the resistance to them, smugly gloat about their victory, believing they have won to expand their draconian rule over all of humanity.
9	* CriticalDissonance: This film has a 41% (4.9/10) rating given by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 81% (4.0/5) audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 7.4/10 on IMDB.
10	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: This movie apparently made quite an impact on Japanese pop culture ([[SarcasmMode if only we could]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae understand why...]]), if the numerous references to it in media produced there say anything. Works as diverse as ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'', ''Literature/TrinityBlood'', ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', ''Anime/MazinkaiserSKL'', ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' are among those that make some kind of ShoutOut to this film.
11	* HilariousInHindsight:
12	** [[Creator/ChristianBale Bat]][[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy man]] shot [[Creator/SeanBean Ned]] [[Series/GameOfThrones Stark]]! Which is more hilarious that Batman talked to [[Creator/JackGleeson that kid]] in the Narrows who ended up being responsible for Ned Stark's death.
13	** ''Film/JohnWick'' makes an entire movie out of the concept of a badass named John massacring a bunch of mooks with his GunFu skills over a dog.
14	** [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Batman]] works for an authoritarian regime led by [[Creator/SeanPertwee Alfred]] [[Series/{{Gotham}} Pennyworth]] and [[Creator/AngusMacfadyen Jor-]][[Series/SupermanAndLois El]].
15	%%* HoYay: Preston and Brandt.
16	* HypeBacklash: The fandom tends to talk this movie up quite a lot, which can leave new viewers somewhat underwhelmed by the [[Creator/GeorgeOrwell Orwell]]-lite storytelling and over-the-top gunplay, particularly after far more grounded and realistic action movies had supplanted the [[RuleOfCool exaggeratedly stylized "cool" stuntwork]] exemplified by this film.
17	* JerkassWoobie: Mary O'Brien, who comes off as overemotional. She is so unstable and violent that the Tetragrammaton Council may have a point about emotions being dangerous.
18	* JustHereForGodzilla: Hands up, who watched this movie just for the GunKata scenes?
19	* MagnificentBastard: [[TheGunslinger John Preston]] is a brilliant hunter and fighter of the elite Grammaton Clerics who begins to question Libria's draconian state. After [[FirstTimeFeeling having his eyes opened]] to the plight of the demonized "sense offenders", Preston begins gathering reconnaissance for [[LaResistance the resistance]], even as he continues leading raids to maintain his facade. When the smug Cleric Andrew Brandt attempts to force him to execute a group of offenders, Preston uses the opportunity to [[FrameUp plant his gun on the latter]], nearly getting Brandt executed for insubordination. Even when Brandt and his superior, Vice-Counsel [=DuPont=] attempt to trick Preston into bringing them the resistance, Preston utterly outguns them with trickery of his own, [[OneManArmy massacring their guards]] before dispatching the dictators.
20	* OlderThanTheyThink: The film was released in 2002, about a decade before the teenage dystopia genre took off thanks to works like ''Film/TheHungerGames'', and it can also come across as a subversion of many of the oft-mocked cliches present in those works.
21	* {{Narm}}: Occasionally overlapping with NarmCharm.
22	** The opening scene when ''Art/TheMonaLisa'' is burned. It had to be the best-known painting in the world to make sure even the LowestCommonDenominator would catch the drama.
23	** The scene where Brandt catches Preston [[ManlyTears weeping]] outside in a public area in a world where emotions are forbidden.
24	--->"[[InvincibleHero This man]][[DramaticPause ... this senior Cleric...]] [[SeriousBusiness has ceased the dose!]] '''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment He is feeling!!!]]''' [[LargeHam He is the WORM that has been EATING at the CORE of our great society!]] [[CaptainObvious And I...]] '''[[ChewingTheScenery I HAVE BROUGHT HIM FOR YOUR JUSTICE!!!]]'''"
25	** [[spoiler:Brandt]]'s CGI face on the floor after his CleanCut, preceded by his unnecessary turn to the side, so it can slid off his skull in perfect profile for easier rendering. It's regarded as a big SpecialEffectsFailure.
26	** Preston's HeelFaceTurn moment where he discovers emotion. It's supposed to be a very moving scene, but Bale's [[DistractedByTheSexy well-oiled muscular physique is a little distracting]].
27	** All hail Creator/ChristianBale, saviour of puppies!
28	* SmallReferencePools: They're burning a painting? Make it the ''Mona Lisa''! Man stumbles for the first time on music? The Ninth Symphony! Just imagine how the movie would've progressed if he'd found a Music/PhilipGlass record instead.
29	* SpecialEffectsFailure:
30	** [[spoiler:The face-cutting scene]] looks as believable as some early Flash[=/=]CGI animation. Worse, if you look closely when Preston leaves the room, you can actually see [[spoiler:Brandt's face]] on the floor; it's clearly a photo printed on a piece of paper. [[spoiler:(Also, in the photo, he's smiling).]]
31	** Also, while not a special effect, during the scene where Preston shoots Partridge and kills him, for a few brief frames you can clearly see that it's a body double/stunt double and not Sean Bean.
32	* TearJerker:
33	** [[spoiler:Mary O'Brien's execution. And John Preston can't do anything except remorsefully watching the entire cremation.]]
34	** The scene when Brandt orders to the soldiers [[spoiler:to exterminate the dogs in the fence]] is particularly difficult to watch. Especially for the animal lovers.
35	** Preston hunched over next to Partridge's body, barely holding back tears as he apologises for killing him. Partridge rejected Prestons apology as he was killing him, saying he wasn't not really sorry, he didn't even know what that word really meant. ''Now'' he knows.
36	* VindicatedByHistory: While a failure at the box office, the film developed a cult following after its release for its stylish action sequences and sci-fi dystopian setting. This is most noticeable in its influence on the works of Creator/GenUrobuchi, such as ''Anime/PsychoPass'' and ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''.

Context YMMV / Equilibrium