10 Most Divisive Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century

Equilibrium was a 2002 sci-fi action film which followed in the wake of The Matrix and - to put it bluntly - ripped off many elements from the beloved Keanu Reeves classic such as the main characters waltzing around in big leather jackets, the world's population being portrayed as mindless slaves and the mix of kung fu/gun action sequences.

This 'homage' managed to alienate critics who decried it as a 'reheated mishmash' of the aforementioned film alongside other dystopian sci-fi like Nineteen Eighty-Four and Fahrenheit 451. While the critics annihilated the film as an unoriginal piece of science fiction audiences, on the other hand, seemed to embrace the star studded cast of Christian Bale, Emily Watson and Sean Bean.

In an exact opposite example of the audience/critic divide that is often prevalent among highbrow science fiction, Equilibrium managed to score 41% on the Tomatometer from critics but 81% on that all important audience score. However, even despite its popularity among theatregoers the film failed to make any impact at the box office with a gross of $5.3 million against its budget of $20 million.