V for Vendetta (2006)

 Stylized, entertaining, but a bit heavy in parts..
I will admit that I enjoyed this movie. I have watched it multiple times and I notice a little more detail every time. I thought the acting was great for what it was, the cinematography was excellent (probably my favorite aspect of the movie), The direction was intriguing, and the story was overall decently solid and thought-provoking.

The only problem I had with the movie was its tendency to become a bit full of itself. By this I mean resorting to being a bit melodramatic at times and jauntily wacky at other times. The flow was a bit odd. The tendency for politicos to latch on to this film as if it were the all-encompassing life giving teet of the one true god has tarnished this movie for a lot of people in the same manner that goth out the bum tweens ruined The Crow. As long as you ignore the crazy fans, this movie fills the empty hole left by terrible romance comedies and "underground" films that should have stayed underground... preferably under three tons of cement, 20ft of sewer, and hundreds of feet of skyscraper.

It was fun, pretty, interesting, and worth my time. May 6, 2008

 I just love it
Haha... I just liked the movie because it challenged me intellectually, contrary to other Hollywood works... It also included a piece of Beethoven's 5th which I was playing in my school orchestra at the time. But overall the idea developed in the story just blew me away. April 29, 2008

 Unforgettable in a good way!
I never thought I would watch a movie of this nature but I am so glad That I did. I can watch this movie over and over and not get bored. Storyline, actors, director, all get a A+ in my book. You have to be somewhat of an intellectual to understand this story completely but even if you are a casual viewer You will appreciate the craftiness and excellent action of Code Name V. April 27, 2008

 Just Great!!!
Well, I just can say the sound is the best, the video is so cool. u got to buy this HD movie. April 21, 2008

 Not as clever as it thinks it is
This is meant to be a thriller with a revolutionary political message.

It fails to satisfy on both counts.

As a thriller, the anti-hero fights an evil political system, mostly for revenge for the cruelties inflicted on him, but also to bring it down. In doing so, he kills a number of figures in the system and carries out explosions to topple the state. Fair enough. But he seems invincible, almost, and the state pretty powerless, even though it is supposed to be totalitarian. V is able to distribute a very lareg number of Guy Fawkes masks undetected and to drive a train under Parliament to blow it up. No one is killed in either of these explosions, unlike in real life. Furthermore, how does the masked V supply himself with food?

Politically, this is as subversive as cold porridge. The state is a fascistic one, with an Oswald Mosley figure on top. Its homophobic and racist. How it got to power is explained by a gigantic conspiracy undetected by almost all. It fails to convince. And what happens after the overthrow of the regime? Most revolutions lead to either greater tyranny or a sordid compromise at best. The film fails to engage here, and simply cops out. We also might wonder how why the apathetic masses suddenly risk death to overthrow the state.

This film is actually in favour of the current liberal status quo, with rights to all, though it does advocate vigiliantism and capital punishment for evildoers. But again, this is not really explored. The fascist bogeyman of the 1930s is the villain of the piece - yesterday's enemy (how daring!).

This is a film which thinks it is clever, but only in an adolescent fashion, which fails to convince on any other level. Having said that, the viewer maintains enough interest to see exactly how it will turn out, because the overthrow of the evil state is inevitable, isn't it? April 12, 2008

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