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"Equilibrium" is a movie that portrays a futuristic dystopian society. It is very reminiscent of the classic dystopian books such as 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The society is one where all of the citizens are brainwashed into believing they are happy, and that the government in charge is the best possible, and any other form of government would be unacceptable. The society itself is a very unexciting place to live. It is a sterile, productivist utopia geared to the mass production of goods, similar to Brave New World (BNW), whose state motto is "Community, Identity, Stability." Social stability is the basis for the cities' success, each person has their own task and role to perform in society. In "Equilibrium," they are given the drug Prozium so that they will feel no emotion, similar to the drug soma used in BNW. Prozium, however, is not given the side effects that soma has, such as the ability to overdose and cause depression.

The societies do differ to some extent, however. The idea that emotion will eventually overcome the totalitarian government is very realistic in this movie, whereas a revolution in BNW doesn't feel as appropriate. Aldous Huxley's society does a much better job of getting rid of anything that facilitates emotion, such as getting rid of the family unit. One feels when watching the movie that it wouldn't take much to spark feelings between John Preston and his wife and children. The very fact that his wife was taken away from him for the crime of owning art gives him a reason to feel. His son also plays an important role, in that he has never taken the drug Prozium, and is only playing along that he feels no emotion. But when he discovers that his dad also hasn't been taking the drug, he encourages him to do what he feels is right. The element of rebellion in this movie is also very strong. It is never established whether Libria (the city in which the movie takes place) is a single city or part of a network, although it makes more sense within the context of the film that it is just a single city. This is due to the resistance that takes place outside the city. They are very organized in their collection of art and books, and their ability to remain stealth. The government from time to time conducts raids on the outskirts of the city to try to get rid of the rebellion.  The element of a controlling government brainwashing the public is used extensively (but at the same time very well). There is a Mustapha Mond-like head of government, known as the Father. However, the Father doesn't really exist, but is actually one of the other members of government using technology to make himself into another person. This film brings together many elements from other past books and films, another of which is "Logan's Run." The biggest difference between these two is the idea of feeling. In "Logan's Run," everything that is done is based upon pleasure. In "Equilibrium," pleasure is virtually non-existent. Both of these movies again seem to prove that a utopian society is impossible without certain dystopian elements, blurring the line between the two until it is indistinguishable. "Equilibrium" is a very enjoyable movie that takes the idea of a dystopian society and blends it with a quasi-cyberpunk feel to it, identifiably of the era during which the Matrix trilogy dominated the industry. It is a film worth seeing both for its enjoyment value and for its credibility and verisimilitude as a futuristic dystopia.