Okay, so this movie ripped off both George Orwell and Ray Bradbury, and it's extremely similar to GATTACA. CrimeThink and contraband books were all over the place in this movie!
Yes, it was not an original concept, and the first night I rented it, I fell asleep partway through.
However, I decided to give it one more chance before I returned it. Good thing, too!
The story was pretty transparent, but the surprise came with the fight scenes - all I can say is, WOW!
When a trainer says training class will improve their gunshot efficiency by no less than 120% per student, I knew good things were in store. Thankfully, Christian Bale did not disappoint! He wiped the floor with his enemies and hardly any of them could get a shot in edgewise!
If you've read Orwell or Bradbury, you'll know how this story will finish by the time the starting credits roll. If you haven't, then you can enjoy the battle scenes and the story too! It's refreshing to not have yet ANOTHER action-movie-that-rips-off-the-Matrix's-fight-sequences.
The sequence with the gun clips alone is worth the price of a rental.
Neon Noodle,
I agree, I was extremely surprised by this film as well. Although the whole "No Emotion" law felt very rehashed, the film is still a blast. I love the fact that there are enforcers in this new world to keep everyone from feeling emotions.
The film seemed to be taking quite a bit from films like Fahrenheit 451. Most of the story was directly from that film. Just replace emotions with books and your halfway there.
But, I do have to say that the action was original, and I absolutely loved the opening scene. Bale is such a badass. And don't forget that it's also nice to see someone's face slide off.