REVIEW: V for VENDETTA

This is a movie I've been excited about for a long time. It was my semi-pickup after all the Batman Begins excitement.

I'd like to sum this movie up by two quotes, both by the terrorist 'V.' The first is for the action lovers:

What you have, Mr. Creedy, are bullets. And once those guns have been emptied of their bullets, all you can do is pray that I fall down. Because if I don't, every single one of you will be dead before you can reload.

The second is the much more philosophical kind, and sums up the ideas behind the movie.

People should not be afraid of their governments, government should be afraid of their people.

This is most definately one of my favorite movies of all time. The cinematography is outstanding, the acting is never weak, and the story is, *gasp,* original. While the movie is a remake of then Vertigo comics publication of the same name, it does something that is rare in Hollywood these days: it made you think. I know, I know, I didn't know that was still allowed in Hollywood productions, but apparently they can manage to sneak one in under the radar every now and then.

V (Hugo Weaving) is a terrorist, there's no 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's. He kills British leaders and blows up buildings to achieve his agenda. This is a point that should not be softened, and the film doesn't bother to do so. He is very blunt and straightforward: he has a plan, and that plan involves killing people.

V lives in a totalitarian, near-future Britain. Not to give away to much, he has been through some horrible stuff and vowed revenge against the government. A criminal mastermind, he has carefully set up and prepared for the events in the movie. "There is no such thing as coincidence, only the illusion of coincidence."

Right from the beginning, we see V kicking ass and taking names. The very first scene shows him saving Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) and blowing up the Old Baily. It's the 5th of November, anniversary of the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot (for more on that, look it up at Wikipedia). V uses a Guy Fawkes mask as a disguise, and as his symbol for pure revolution.

Plot aside, Huge Weaving does an AMAZING job with V. For those who've read the comic, his delivery is perfect every time. He manages to say potentially rediculous and absurd lines with a poetry and feeling that embodies what V is. Weaving did all of the scenes in the mask himself before doing a voice dubbing afterwords. He somehow manages to invoke emotion in body language and expressions, desite wearing a mask and having of his body shrouded in a cape for the majority of the movie.

I've heard a lot about how wonderful Natalie Portman was, but to be honest I didn't see anything too outstanding. Don't get me wrong, she did superb at deliving the emotional points of her character and a solid acting job, but it wasn't any better then any of the other actors.

Ultimately, this movie brings into question current events. Where is the line drawn between a terrorist's evil acts and a man fighting for freedom? As more and more powers are being given to our political leaders, where should we stand up and say "enough"? Because if V's world becomes our own then "to find those responsible, one must look no further then a mirror."

It's a rare thing that a movie can stir up such powerful emotions and deep questions, and to do so with a bang is even more rare. V manages to never let you relax. The story grabs you and never lets you go. The action is intense, quick and excellently choreographed.

For fans of the comic books, it's a good adaption. It's not the exact same storyline. It's been updated to reflect more modern fears and technologies. But V is the same, the overall story arc is the same, and many scenes are almost exactly as seen in the comics. I think the changes made were healthy ones. A direct adaption of the comic wouldn't be as effective, because the comic was a different media in a different age. It's the heart, soul and mind of the comic book, just a slightly altered body. Excellent screenplay by the Matrix bros. I couldn't have asked for a better adaption.

**SPOILERS** SCROLL DOWN FOR THE BOTTOM LINE **SPOILERS**

This movie had two of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen in any movie. In one scene, Government Agent Paul Finch is talking about how, for a moment, he could see the long chain of events that V had arranged, and how it all fit together. This speech is going on while we see different images of the chaos that V has sparked, as well as an enormous domino creation of a huge letter V. And just as Finch finishes his speech, we see V knock down the domino creation with a simple flick of his finger to one domino, just like setting off the chain of events that is occuring as well as those still developing.

The second was the scene when we see thousands and thousands of citizens dressed in Fawkes masks and marching towards the House of Parliment to witness it's destruction. Thousands of V's marching unflinchingly right into a mass of armed soldiers, and just walking right by them.

Both of these scenes gave me chills. They were two of the best done scenes to ever grace the big screen. Superb. I don't think I can praise them enough. Cinematograpgy, editing, dialogue and score all came to together perfectly in a tingling cresendo.

My only real problem with the movie lies within the ending. I don't think V should've literally fallen in love with Evey, though it did provide a deeper look at V, and that was probably a good thing, but it was still a little weird. I also wished that the script had kept the idea of Evey becomming V, and using that identity to drive this new purpose of reorganization from the chaos.

**END SPOILERS**

BOTTOM LINE: 9.5/10