V for Vendetta (2006)

 Originally Reviewed

Saturday September 2, 2006

Not being a fan of "graphic novels" (which I assume is what this film is based off of) like Sin City, and not being a fan of boyish looking Natalie Portman, I didn't think I would find this film enjoyable in the least. Even the previews didn't look that intriguing to me and it seemed to continue the tired out film style of The Matrix trilogy which the writers and producers of this film also penned.

The film starts out in 1605 when a man named Guy Fawkes is hanged for attempting to blow up Parliament as a way to induce the fall of the British government which many had believed and grown corrupt. Hundreds of years later, a man whose life was ruined by the horrors of such a government has decided to complete what Guy Fawkes had set out to accomplish, his name is V.

The British government now more controlled than it had ever been before and has turned the country into a prison for the citizens who are constantly kept in check by Parliament and told that such rule is for their own good, less they become like the fallen United States who crumbled due to war and disease. V only sees Britain as becoming a more communist nation that only wishes to have a choke hold on its people, so he takes matters into his own hands.

First, V begins to knock off the various people who were apart of a national travesty which had been covered up by the government, then on Guy Fawkes day, November 5th, he plans to ignite Parliament in the same fashion and purpose as Fawkes had. All in the hopes of ending the reign of an government of dictatorship and bring forth the birth of a new, better government.

I was surprised that I actually quite enjoyed V For Vendetta, it's really kind of a strange film yet the atmosphere and the plot blend together perfectly. The film is really more a political and social spew than it is a big budget action film, although the ending does offer a rather bloody encounter. You could probably spend months going through this film and estimating what represents what in comparsion to issues in the world today.  [But as America continues to spiral into a more communistic form of rule itself the ideals and messages of this film begin to hit a little closer home.]

The acting was good I honestly didn't know Hugo Weaving was V until the credits rolled and I saw his name, although many times throughout the film I thought to myself he sounds very familiar, and I kept thinking of Agent Smith in The Matrix saying "Mr. Anderson". Natalie Portman was bearable, I have never found her attractive or talented, but she didn't screw up the film even though her English accent was laughable at times and was more like a Saturday Night Live impression.

In the end, V For Vendetta is a pretty good film; personally my favorite part was the ending when the whole town gathered on November 5th and were all dressed up like V, which was hilarious! The film definitely has some major political & social agendas going on and I'm not talking about the dictatorship aspect but its got some things it in that are obviously trying to push a certain way on issues that are going on in our country today. So if you can look past some of the blatant propaganda in this film it's pretty enjoyable.

8/10