Homework: A-A Clip Genre Analysis

I will be analysing this clip of the final fight scene from the film 'Equilibrium'.



Narrative:


‘Equilibrium’ is about a dystopian world in the future where humans are stopped from feeling emotions, as they are believed to be the root cause of conflict. The main character, John Preston, is a ‘cleric’ - people who locate and destroy emotionally stimulating materials such as art and music and kill the people using them. Preston stops taking his Prozium (the drug that stops emotion) and then fights back.
The film does not really begin with an ‘equilibrium’ – the beginning to the story before the problem arises – as everybody is already taking Prozium. The disruption occurs when Preston stops taking his Prozium and discovers and underground group of people who do not take the drug. The resolution is when Preston kills the leader, known as the ‘Father’.
The music in the film is very typical of the action adventure genre. It has a fast drumbeat and has a slightly futuristic sound.


Iconography:


One of the most iconic things in this film is Preston’s clothing. As a cleric, he wore a completely black uniform, the same as everybody else. When he goes to the fight at the end of the film, he is wearing a white uniform. This represents his stand for good, not evil, and also shows that he is unlike everybody else – he is not conforming to their rules. The two guns that Preston uses are very iconic, as they represent the special style of fighting that the clerics are taught, which he then uses to kill the Father. The bad guys are also easily separable from Preston, with their black outfits with the large black helmets.


Characters:


The protagonist, Preston, is an interesting hero, as he began as part of the large organisation which he ends up destroying. He is not worried about killing large numbers of people, but does it to free everyone from their controlling lifestyle. Preston is also made more three-dimensional as a character, as we find out about his past and his wife’s death, and how he felt nothing as he watched her burn.


Settings:


Set in the future, the dystopian state called Libria is a place where everything is ordered and identical. Everything is in control and there is no obvious threat. The thing wrong with this city is not a murderous monster or a serial killer, but each person’s lack of control over their own feelings and their own choices. The setting of a dystopian future is typical of the genre. For example, this is also the setting of the film ‘V for Vendetta’.