History YMMV / Equilibrium

* 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}}'', ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', ''Anime/MazinkaiserSKL'', ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' are among those that make some kind of ShoutOut to this film.

---> "[[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!!!]]'''"

** The opening scene when the ''Art/MonaLisa'' is burned. It had to be the best-known painting in the world to make sure even the LowestCommonDenominator would catch the drama.

** The opening scene when the ''Mona Lisa'' is burned. It had to be the best-known painting in the world to make sure even the LowestCommonDenominator would catch the drama.

--> "[[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!!!]]'''"

* {{Narm}}:
** The opening scene when the ''Mona Lisa'' is burned. It had to be the best-known painting in the world to make sure even the LowestCommonDenominator would catch the "drama."

** [[spoiler:Brandt]]'s '''[[SpecialEffectsFailure CGI face]]''' on the floor after his CleanCut, preceded by his unnecessary yet very courteous turn to the side, so the audience can see it sliding off his skull.

* SmallReferencePools:
** They're burning a painting? Make it the ([[FridgeLogic original]]) ''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.
** Averted with "He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven", the Yeats poem Partridge reads. The common reference for Yeats would be "The Second Coming".

* VindicatedByHistory: Was not especially well-received upon its initial release, garnering generally unfavorable reviews and failing to make a dent at the box office. Years later, especially in the wake of the recent surge in popularity of {{Dystopia}}n fiction thanks to stories like ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', the film is much more popular, with its GunKata in particular being imitated by countless shows and video games. It also started getting more recognition from [[PeripheryDemographic anime fans]] around ten years after its release after Creator/GenUrobuchi became a big name in the industry as he happens to be a ''huge'' fan of this movie, to the point that its influence can be seen in several of his most famous works such as ''Anime/PsychoPass'' and ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''.

** [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Batman]] works for an authoritarian regime led by [[Creator/SeanPertwee Alfred]] [[Series/{{Gotham}} Pennyworth]].

* 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/DevilMayCry 3'', ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'', ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', ''Anime/MazinkaiserSKL'', ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' are among those that make some kind of ShoutOut to this film.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: [[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).]]

* AnticlimaxBoss: The epic battle between Preston and Brandt... [[SingleStrokeBattle isn't]].
** [[spoiler:[=DuPont=]]] puts up a bit more of a fight. A bit.

* {{Narm}}: The opening scene when the ''Mona Lisa'' is burned. It had to be the best-known painting in the world to make sure even the LowestCommonDenominator would catch the "drama."

* 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/DevilMayCry 3'', ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'', ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' are among those that make some kind of ShoutOut to this film.

** The scene where Brandt catches Preston [[ManlyTears weeping]] [[WhatAnIdiot outside in a public area]] in a world where emotions are forbidden.

%%* WhatAnIdiot

* CriticalDissonance: This film has a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but has a score of 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB.

* 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.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[EvilChancellor Vice Council DuPont]] is the second-in-command of the Librian state under its founder [[ShadowDictator Father]]. He presides over a totalitarian system in which all human emotions are forbidden and suppressed with a drug called Prozium. Any "[[{{Thoughtcrime}} sense offenders]]" who are caught by the elite [[SecretPolice Tetragrammaton Order]] are punished with immediate processing and incineration. [=DuPont=] executes a plan to destroy the anti-Librian Resistance once and for all by manipulating one of the Clerics to become a sense offender and deliver the Resistance and himself to [=DuPont=] on a silver platter for mass execution. This would normally make [=DuPont=] another totalitarian agent, but it's eventually discovered that Father has long since died and [=DuPont=] is in fact [[TheManBehindTheMan the real undisputed dictator of Libria]]. Moreover, he's a sense offender who [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem considers himself to be above his own rules]], freely indulging in art and literature behind the scenes. Unlike Father, who [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans genuinely believed that he was creating a utopian society]], [=DuPont=] has the moral conscience to understand the immorality of his actions, yet he knowingly and purposefully abuses the system [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans simply to secure his own power]] by oppressing millions and slaughtering thousands for a crime he (and his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Brandt) [[StrawHypocrite commit all the time]].]]

** ''Film/JohnWick'' makes an entire movie out of the concept of a badass with GunFu skills massacring a bunch of mooks over a dog.

* HilariousInHindsight: [[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.
** ''Film/JohnWick'' makes an entire movie out of the concept of a badass massacring a bunch of mooks over a dog.

* TearJerker: [[spoiler:Mary O'Brien's execution. And John Preston can't do anything except remorsefully watching the entire cremation.]]