Did you people see the same film I saw?

Boring

An absolute waste of money

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

"2081" is a 23-minute short film and as you could probably guess from the title it delivers a dark vision of the future. It was made over 5 years ago and the writer and director is Chancler Tuttle. The short story that this is based on is by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and he died 2 years before the movie. For Tuttle it is to this day the only project as a filmmaker and I cannot say I am too sad about this. "2081" looked pretty generic to me (especially the idea of a n equal society was done so often already) and there was nothing that made it really stand out. The ballet scenes were an interesting idea to make it look artistic, but it did not work really well with the rest of the story. Oh wait there is a terrorist and he all of a sudden starts directing a ballet dancer. Seriously? Also the drama aspects did not go so well in my opinion and the addition of successful actors Hammer and Clarkson weren't enough to save this film. Not recommended.

This was an excellently written and executed piece that brings light to the absurdity of the battle for equality. Pure equality, which I believe, can never truly be reached. James Cosmo as the father is a picture of strength, pride, and hope even in his ultimately restricted state. Julie Hagerty as the mother gives the piece a feeling of home and serenity and even peace with living underneath the governmental thumb. Armie Hammer's role as the rebellion and one whose drive it is to enlighten others of the injustice of it all was powerful and engaging. The entire film is given a somber, yet beautiful tone through the eery sounds of the cello. This film leaves a person to think about our equality and how far we should reach for it. I loved every second and highly recommend this short film.

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.