Trailerblazing -- Equals

Equals -- May 26, 2016 -- directed by Drake Doremus -- starring Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver

Living in an emotionless future is a bad prospect indeed. Just ask Nia and Silas, Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult's love-stricken characters from Drake Doremus's latest film. Better yet, ask John Preston from Equilibrium, Kurt Wimmer's underrated 2002 actioner that Equals seems to be liberally borrowing from. I am going to save my final judgment for the actual product, but I can say that the trailers for these two works look virtually identical, give or take a sequence or two. While Wimmer's film focused on the protagonist's journey instead of a forbidden romance, Doremus's story is almost the same and the aesthetics are indistinguishable; hell, even the title is similar. It is obvious from the hauntingly evocative Breathe In that Doremus has a knack for mapping emotions in any situation, so I am hoping that there are depths to Equals that the trailer is not showing. In terms of themes and style, though, the film apparently shows nothing that has not been seen before. The cast is good, but it remains to be seen if they can elevate the material. I cannot conclude without the Equilibrium trailer, just for kicks. Seek it out and enjoy.