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.

Equals is set in a futuristic world where, inexplicably, people have decided to "do away with emotions." Of course this phrase never has any real meaning, since any kind of inclination to do anything can be counted as an emotion. So really it's a sci-fi setting to explore the practice of the suppression of emotions. A problem which has never existed.

OK, before I trash the movie too much: the acting is fine, the set design and look are very good, and the world-building is excellent. But what is the story here? Two people who aren't supposed to fall in love do so anyway. Call me a cynic but I need more than that.

Compare and contrast Equals with The Lobster, another sci- fi/dystopian movie about suppressing emotions. Rather, The Lobster compares the societal demand that people form couples, regardless of how dysfunctional they are, against an underground movement of people who insist that being single should not be cause for rejection by society (though the rebels go too far the other way, adopting the "no emotional connections" attitude that fits with Equals). Somehow The Lobster manages to fit an interesting and funny story into the world. Equals? It gives us practically nothing.

Perhaps this is just a distillation of the concept of Forbidden Love. I really expected more.

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.

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!

This film tells the story of a futuristic world where people have no emotions, and any display of emotions is a disorder treated by death. Two individuals find themselves feeling for each other, and they have to do everything they can to avoid their fate.

"Equals" is very visually stunning. The sets are really beautifully minimialistic. The lighting is great as well, I love how the cold colour lighting complements the atmosphere of the film. The wardrobe is great as well, the white colour scheme really works, everyone looks so stylish and smart in the film. The whole atmosphere of the film is very well thought out and effectively presented to the viewers, immersing me into this strange futuristic world. The story is very engaging too. I just love "Equals". I am blown away by it, it is my clear favourite film in this genre.