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I know this film has been out since forever. I really wanted to see it in theaters, but I never got around to it. Now, I have finally recieved the DVD from Netflix…

The film is set in a future in a very-nazi like society - Britain, something like 20 years from now. The government has total power, and it really is a fascinating cross of Nazi Germany and the near future. Anyway, in all societies there are rebels, and in this particular one Codename “V” is our rebel. He wears the mask of Guy Fawkes of the Gunpowder plot. V is inspired by Fawkes, and sets out to do what Fawkes could never achieve: Blowing up the British Parliment. This presents a perplexing moral question: Is terrorism ever right, and if so, when?

Anyway, the story consists of Natalie Portman’s character (Evey Hammond) getting involved with V. (Hugo Weaving) We are very much looking at the film and V’s character through Evey’s eyes.

I won’t spoil the rest for you, but be rest assured that this is NOT your typical summer action film. It’s really an entertaining movie that makes you think about things. It packs so much into just one film: Historical influence, totalistic societies, terrorism, fear, persecution of minorities.
The acting is very good throughout. Portman dows a great job with Evey’s initial fear of the situation at hand to her eventual “loss of fear” and joining with V. Hugo Weaving as V is a bit hard to analyze as an actor, seeing as he wears a mask for the entire movie. Still, his voice is a terrific one. The other supporting actors are nothing special. They aren’t bad, but they aren’t given as much room to shine as the main characters.

I have to say that I enjoyed this just as I enjoyed the Matirx - they both make you THINK, and then you get to see people fight awesomely. It makes sense, seeing as V for Vendetta (the movie, not the comic book) was written by the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote and directed the Matrix.

I will admit that I expected this movie to be more violent then it actually was. There wasn’t that much violence, and it didn’t repeatedly throw it at you throughout. The scenes with violence - yes, they were violent and sometimes graphic, perhaps unnessicarily so - but it was used to make a point, to show the cruelty of the person causing it.

I can’t stop THINKING about this movie. It seriously makes you think about the parallels to today’s events and conflicts. This movie should seriously be shown on the first day of high school all over the world. Seriously.

Still, V for Vendetta isn’t perfect. It has similar problems to Casino Royale: Plot order. It’s just that the beginning and end are eventful and good, but the majority of the middle is boring in comparison. And it does drag on for a while. the entire movie is almost 2 and a half hours, and even though it’s all good stuff, it could have been cut down to 2 hours without feeling too rushed.

So all in all, V for Vendetta is exactly what I expected, and more. You always feel unsure of things - V is supposed to be the good guy, but he does some pretty horrible things. Is it right? That’s for the viewer to decide.

My english teacher says that she prefers books to movies because books are open to interpretation and you can make your own decisions about what you see. Well that’s the beauty of this movie: It makes you think more than Shakespeare ever could make you think (and it’s voluntary thinking, too.)

5/5 stars