Equals

We shan't be fooled - original ideas, concepts and scripts come by very rarely these days. Over the years I've come to accept that we shall not blatantly blame the creative team for the lack of some originality whether it is on similar premise, plot points, slight clichés, or visual styles. But when the final product is just a lazy mash up all the above, ripped off of arguably better previous films, as well as famed English literature at its most obvious, is just harder to swallow. If you ever watched Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium and Michael Bay's the Island you have most certainly watched Doremus' Equals.

Pretentiously disguising the outright obvious rehash of ideas of a dystopian society where the inhabitants are deprived of different forms of freedom for the sake of a Utopian perfect society, with slower pacing, contemplating set up shots and heartfelt-advertising- like cinematography, we are left with a most forgetful film that never once introduces a single differentiating or provocative element.

Most people will find this rather boring and to be fair, I did at first but as you watch it, it pulls you in with its dystopian view of the quite possible future of mankind and the futility and pointlessness of existence in this robotic westworld and is so well pulled off that you cannot stop to admire how bleak but poignant the story is.

I do not like Kristen Stewart as an actress to be honest as I find she evokes no emotion and has one forward gear but nothing else but paradoxically she is actually perfect for this role as is her equally strange lover Nicholas Hoult who I am also not that fond of but both play their parts well.

This is one of those films you start to hate as you watch but as it winds its way to the end, you just cannot stop but admire how well the story plays out and although a lot of the reviewers seem to hate the ending, I love it when we do not get the usual Hollywood formula ending and we get a true to life or thought provoking denouement that actually left me with a tear in my eye (just a little one though - anyone see the Bears game last night? >;o)), so this goes from a 4 out of 10 first half to a very solid 7/10 overall for me.

PS. "The Bears game" reference is the scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles pillow scene for those that are wondering - 10 stars if you got it, you are obviously a movie fan like me!

There were a lot of parts about this movie that I didn't like. I'm tempted to give it a 7. Then I remember the way that it affected me emotionally, and I have to bump up the score. It made me think, and made me very sad. I feel a little traumatized at this point, but for me, that's a good thing.

Throughout my entire first watching of the film I was left with the impression that this movie takes place in the same universe as Equilibrium. Same plot line. Same history. So instead of feeling like this movie is a copycat, I went with the idea that it is just another story line from the same time-line. This makes it easier to watch. That being said, this movie is basically just a string of recognizable ideas. I would never describe it as original, or surprising. It seemed like the love child of many different well-known stories. The movie was brilliantly filmed, however. And the main actors did a fantastic job. It was fun to watch from beginning to end; compelling, interesting, and emotionally moving. It is worth a watch.

I think this is a movie where you either love it or hate it. I loved it needless to say. The film itself is quite slow and for the first portion of the movie very dull to look at which reflects just how perfect the society they live in is. Once the colors start showing up and the music kicks in though you're hooked. The story is one we've all seen before, but it still was done well and seems fresh in this movie. The romance is slow at first but then goes full force as you watch two people experience love for the first time in their lives.

Even if you hated this movie you have to admit that its beautiful to look at and the music really helps set the tone.