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A service to our youth through you, their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word MAR22126 Equilibrium (2002), R Analysis Date: December 6, 2002 CAP Score: 42 CAP Influence Density: 2.05 MinMax: -87 |
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EQUILIBRIUM (R) -- ...one has to read a book or look at a painting to become a free-thinker or become open minded. Production: Blue Tulip Distribution: Dimension Films, Miramax Films Director(s): Kurt Wimmer Producer(s): Sue Baden-Powell, Jan de Bont, Lucas Foster, Ninon Tantet Written by/Screenplay: Kurt Wimmer Cinematography/Camera: Dion Beebe Music: Klaus Badelt, Ramin Djawadi, Geoff Zanelli Film Editing: Tom Rolf, William Yeh Casting: Juel Bestrop, Jeanne McCarthy, Lucinda Syson Production Design: Wolf Kroeger Art Direction: Erik Olson, Justin Warburton-Brown  To begin this, I must tell you that due to scheduling conflicts, I had to leave 75 minutes after the start of Equilibrium which is claimed to be a 107 movie. I will share with you what I was able to gather. The analysis figures are for the 75 minutes. I suspect that since the writers had not gotten to the sexual immorality part yet that it followed the first 75 minutes. I guess I'll never know. I can say I'll never care. At last! A brainless killing movie [Ps. 11:5] with something to say. At least, for those who go to movies as an intellectual experience instead of to satisfy carnal fantasy. In a form of Orwellian "Big Brother" totalitarianism, Equilibrium is set in post war World War III which was apparently started by the people thinking too much and feeling too much. People thought so much someone got the itch to kill and had access to the nuclear button as well. The idea of people without Word-based ethics having access to the button makes me glad we have a Christian President. Now, in dread and fear of anyone ever thinking or feeling too much again, a regime is set up to kill all who are Sense Offenders. A special paramilitary order (spelled G-e-s-t-a-p-o) is established to kill on site anyone who is caught feeling or thinking. Cleric John Preston (Christian Bale) is a Captain of the special force. The powers that be were so deep in fear of the people starting to think for themselves again that all are required to inject Prozium to fight off the urge to think or feel. Forced addiction to control the masses? I wonder whom in the history of the world has tried such control? It certainly wasn't Jesus. God is the one who gave us the freedom of choice. We are the ones who abuse it. Could it have been the men who tried to control the masses with the narcotics of "Religion is the opiate of the masses?" So much for trying to excuse submission to sin with belittling religion. Strange how people who try to justify sin by claiming faith in God is mindless oppression usually end up with it back in their face. But then, maybe it is not so strange after all once one gets past thinking that faith in God is prison to liberty and closed mindedness. A sort of cool sequence was when Cleric Preston, troubled with thinking and emotions in a down period from the Prozium, noticed the rain trickling down his apartment window. Raising his hand to try touch the rain on the other side of his window, he noticed a film covering the glass to prevent vision through it. Little by little he dug a scratch into the covering to where he could get better grip on the film and lift it off in larger sheets until the glass was free of the film and he could see outside. "See the light" would have been appropriate popular insult to faith in Christ (as is most of the movie) as he saw for the first time the beauty of the day and sunlight on it. Even the drab camera filters could not completely mask the beauty. This was the turning point in Preston's allegiance to the Equilibrium. It was reminisce of Wizard of Oz when the color came back to the land. In addition to Orwell's "Big Brother", there are shades of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" (the temperature at which paper starts to burn) and Hitler's regime as all works of art and literature are destroyed. Y'know, the book burning of Hitler? Even Mona Lisa was torched. Anyone caught with a book was killed. Including Clerics. Preston even shot in the face one of his own who he found with a book. And guess who was the next Cleric who confiscated a confiscated book? Hint: it was not Cleric Brandt (Taye Diggs). It seems by the logic of this movie that one has to read a book or look at a painting to become a free-thinker or become open minded. Another obvious presence in this movie is one very hard for me to put into words. It is a strong theme of persecution of the Christian faith and the popular though misguided impression of the Christian faith by presenting all the popular arguments against the Christian faith. I am certain many malcontent forum feeders will write us and claim "the movie is about you", about how faith in Christ requires blind servitude to spirit-binding rules, about how the Christian faith requires fear tactics to control the masses, about how the Christian faith requires the severe oppression of free-thinking and open mindedness when nothing could be further from the truth ... or the Truth. it is more of the slick talk and smooth-sounding arguments to confuse those who live by the Christian faith and to proselytize the undecided ones. [Rom. 16:17 - 18, Col. 2:4, Acts 20:30] Oh, how little they know, the ones who are so sure they do. If there is any theological comparisons to be made from to this movie, the heavily oppressed ones who pay for their "faith" with their lives - the Christians - are the Sense Offenders, "sense" being self-defined by "the father" and master Cleric (Angus MacFadyen) who fits the anti-Christ description better than any other character in the movie. And the Clerics, the ones who do the bidding of the father (of lies) without question, fit the mindless automaton description of Satan's dogs very well. Aside from the "intellectual aspects", Equilibrium was nothing more than a slice of your life spent watching killing and murder. Some very graphic. Yes, I can appreciate and respect the technical marvel in Equilibrium but when art uses sin, art becomes sin. In my opinion, there was nothing of any moral value to the movie at all. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W): Impudence/Hate (I)(1): Sex/Homosexuality (S): Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O)(2): Murder/Suicide (M)(3): |
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| NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth. |
| "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our nearly seven years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
