2081 (2009)

Sadly Over-hyped

Please don't spend money on this.

Just so...so bad

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

As the film opens we find ourselves in Vonnegut's dystopian world in the year of 2081: a world in which everyone is "finally equal". Society has taken it upon itself to make everyone equal....in every possible way. No one is faster than anyone else, no one is stronger than anyone else, no one is more talented than anyone else, and of course, no one is smarter than anyone else. As it is not possible to make stupid people as intelligent as others, to achieve absolute equality they have resorted to dumbing everyone down; making them mindless zombies bred to perpetuate mediocrity. The US head of state is no longer the President, but rather the "Handicapper General", whose job it is to dictate the handicaps that citizens must dawn in order to put themselves on an equal level with those who are deemed to not require a handicap.As such, we find ourselves observing a couple: the wife is the mindless religious type, who never ponders on anything that may make her uncomfortable; never questions anything, let alone challenge authority; and who does not require any handicap as she is considered the standard of normalcy. Her husband, on the other hand, is heavily handicapped, and, via various cinematic techniques in conjunction with technical handicapping mechanisms, we are shown how these handicaps manifest themselves for the affected individual. In the case of the man we are observing, they seem to interrupt his reflections on past memories that the Handicapper General feels could lead to acts of dissent.We find out more of what these memories are about when a "Breaking News" story interrupts the program he is watching to announce that "suspected Anarchist" Harrison Bergeron has escaped from custody. Arrested several years ago, Bergeron was charged with "propagandous vandalism, broadcast piracy, refusal to report for his handicapping evaluations, and blatant removal of his handicaps in a public place." The newscaster continues by stating that he is," an athlete and genius. Is extremely under-handicapped and considered to be dangerous." When the regularly scheduled program returns, something is not right. Immediately the man whose room we are watching from whispers, "Harrison". Suddenly, a mech-Jesus-esque man that looks like he just escaped from a mental institution, but was unable to fully remove all the restraint mechanisms, takes over the stage, announcing that "there is a bomb in the theatre, and the detonator is in my hand". It's Bergeron; "the greatest man you've never known", and with a sense of utopian pride he rips off his handicaps after having orated a moving soliloquy meant to inspire the masses into throwing off their handicaps and joining him in a revolution against the oppressive system and Handicapper General.In a last ditch effort to inspire the masses (while still being broadcast) Bergeron chooses a woman, gets her to remove her handicaps and together they show what can be done when given a chance, without handicaps. Subsequently we watch the counter-revolutionary police force move in, attempt to disable the broadcast, and the bomb.Will Bergeron be successful in his attempt to catalyze an uprising, or will Counter-Revolutionary forces quell the revolution and maintain their debilitating stranglehold on power? At just over 26 minutes, Chandler Tuttle's interesting take on Kurt Vonnegut Jr's tale of absurdity- "Harrison Bergeron"- is well worth a watch, especially if you are a fan of dystopian films like I am. It's nicely shot with some funny moments, and worth it alone for Bergeron's rant. 6.5 out of 10.

While this film stuck closely to Vonnegut's story (which is why I give it five stars instead of one), I couldn't help but find it lacking. I'm not sure exactly what was missing, but I did not find it as moving as the original story of Harrison Bergeron. Most of the acting was flat and unemotional. The whole thing was overly dry and serious, yet somehow managed to seem overdone. It was like a delicious recipe for chocolate brownies that was baked until all the flavor was gone. Overall, I have to say that something important was lost in this translation. There just wasn't enough feeling. This film just sucked all the emotion and humor right out of the story.

I first read "Harrison Bergeron" in my ninth grade English class seven years ago and have re-read it every couple of years since. When I saw the mind-blowing trailer for "2081" last year I could not wait to see the film. After months of waiting the DVD was finally released. To say that it did not disappoint would be an understatement of epic proportions. I was blown away by the film, easily one of the best book-to-film adaptations I have seen. Every Vonnegut film is usually adapted terribly. This is probably the first adaptation that works. Every bit of the brilliance of Vonnegut's story shines through in the film, and the few changes from the source material actually improved upon it.The cast is a dream team of some of Hollywood's finest character actors. Among the stellar ensemble James Cosmo's tortured and haunting portrayal of George Bergeron was the most riveting, and with a cast like this that is really saying something. The role of Harrison Bergeron is played by the memorably named Armie Hammer who delivers the best monologue I've seen in a long time. Patricia Clarkson's narration is also superb. The casting truly could not have been more perfect.Lee Brooks' score is superlatively performed by the Kronos Quartet and is easily the best I have heard in a short film, putting to shame all but the finest big screen feature scores. I have not enjoyed a score this much since "The Dark Knight," or perhaps "Avatar." The visuals are mesmerizing, dark, and beautiful. Top notch in every regard. This film could not be more relevant to the national conversation today. I still can't believe this is a short film. Are short films supposed to be this good? First time director Chandler Tuttle is a guy to watch.

As an avid reader of much of Kurt Vonnegut's work, I found myself thrilled to hear the news of a short film adaptation of one of my favorite works of his being made. I watched the website for ages wondering when I can get my hands on a copy of this gem. After waiting for many months, the website changed and the "buy it on amazon.com" button appeared. Within five minutes, a copy was on the way to my house.If you have never read the story, or seen this yet, I will reveal nothing!I say, buy this as soon as possible. It was very accurate and didn't disappoint. The CGI really hit it and gave the story a great look off the page.Writing: 5/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Audio/Music: 5/5 Acting: 5/5 Overall: Get this movie.