Movie Info

V for Vendetta

After a fairly dismal winter season of movies we see the release of V for Vendetta. This is the Wachowski brothers' (Matrix Trilogy) adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel. The Wachowski brothers have said that they did not want to alter too much of the original story. Now I haven't read the graphic novel (Soon...) so I don't have anything to compare with. With that said, I still think V for Vendetta is a great film. Although it is a story set in the future, the questions the film asks are relevant today.

V for Vendetta is set in the future where the people have voted for and approved of a totalitarian regime in Britain. It seems that after some severe terrorist attacks, the people of Britain give up some of the "freedom" for security. With the government in total control, the people of Britain now live in fear of the people who supposedly "protect" them.

The main character is V. Played brilliantly by Hugo Weaving (Matrix, Lord of the Rings). You never see Hugo Weaving's face as it is always behind a Guy Fawkes mask. V is labeled as a freedom fighter, although his original motives were more about personal vengeance. V sees that the time is ripe for the people to rise up in rebellion against the oppressive government and carries out several terrorist acts to make his point.

It is before one of his terrorist acts when V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from some Minutemen (government agents) and develops a relationship with her. In latter events, Evey actually rescues V from the authorities before he is captured. V takes it upon himself to enlist Evey in his cause. Evey is reluctant and unwilling to join V's cause and eventually escapes. I won't give a synopsis about the rest of the film, but that is enough background for this review.

V for Vendetta is a movie with a complex storyline that I don't think many viewers will appreciate. Alan Moore wrote the graphic novel as a commentary about the Thatcher government in Britain during the 80s but the same commentary can be applied to the current political situation in the United States and other Western countries. What is freedom? How much of it are we willing to give up to feel secure? Is the government always right? These are difficult questions we don't want to answer. When I was watching this film I felt like the governments of the world were collectively kicking me in the nuts. I don't know why exactly, but I just felt like it.

Besides the political commentary there is a lot of individual angst in the movie. V's Vendetta was originally about vengeance but it grew beyond him and he knew it. He knew the importance of being a symbol and that you cannot kill a symbol. Also, is V a terrorist or a freedom fighter? Are the men he kills innocent men just following orders? or willing participants? Movies in the past have always portrayed freedom fighters as "good" men with good morals. A more realistic freedom fighter willing to sacrifice not only himself, but others in his cause. Because ultimately the cause is bigger than any one or group of individuals. V is definitely one of these latter freedom fighters.

The acting was superb on all counts and the set design convincing. I enjoyed how London was still portrayed as a modern high-tech society with elements of a darker side occasionally showing its presence. The computer graphics at some points were mediocre but it didn't deter from the overall story. John McTeigue showed that he has skills as a director and I look forward to future movies from him. This being a Wachowski brothers film, it screamed for the inclusion of some "bullet time" sequences. There was only one such scene but it was done really well and contributed to the overall story. As I said before, I have not read the graphic novel but I'm really compelled to go and buy a copy to see what differences there are.

I really enjoyed this movie and it is definitely on my DVD buy list. The only thing I really did not like was the rating that the movie had. At 14AA this meant that teenagers could come in to watch the movie. As this movie had an underlying serious tone, a lot of the philosophical concepts were lost to the younger audience. In fact, there were several scenes where the teenagers decided to laugh (because they didn't grasp the concept) or just talk loudly. I'm not saying that all teenagers lack the intellect or maturity to appreciate the film, but I definitely think most do and their behaviour definitely interfered with movie experience for the rest of the audience.

So go see V for Vendetta (preferably later at night with no teenagers) and let the ideas presented by the movie marinate in your head.

Dragoncrypt