V for Vendetta

“Remember, remember the 5^th of November. The gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”

-V for Vendetta

James McTeigue director of V for Vendetta creates in the viewers mind something of masterpiece. He brings to life the beautiful graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Essentially, V for Vendetta tells what is wrong with the world and what the solution might be. Some parts of the solution may be cut and dry and are to be taken at face value. Where as others it is up to the viewer to interrupt. 

The story is set in a futuristic London. A time in the future when England prevails and the former super power USA is reduced to a leper colony. The irony of situation is that England has come to resemble the present government of USA. There are several more rough regulations put into place. The government keeps the people under control by the stories of impending terrors. The people don't care or they don't dare speak out, as the media keeps on feeding them the sensationalized terror stories. At this time Chancellor Adam Stutler the stereotypical bad guy rules England. Minorities are treated without any sympathy. Homosexuals, Muslims, people who dare to voice their opinion are gone before they can even begin to defend themselves.  

Evey Hammond is the female lead in the movie; played by Natalie Portman. She is an employee at a premier telecasting company. The spectator first meets Evey when she walks out after curfew and is assaulted by two policemen. From the shadows emerges the hero - man in the mask – V Hugo Weaving. After an impressive and easy-looking fight the policemen are reduced to a bundle and the heroine is rescued. V further impresses her and the viewers with his chivalry and Shakespearean dialogues. His way with words has captivated audiences since the films release in 2005. 

V invites Evey to a music concert at the end of which the London court explodes in a fabulous firework. Confused and horrified, Evey parts ways with V. Her resistance not withstanding, Evey's life takes a non-returning journey forced by V as he finds a Protégée in her. 

The viewer come to learn in bits and pieces that V is a victim of some experiment that the government secretly carried out which distorted him beyond recognition, along with thousands of other people, on a 5th of November.

V has a simple and daring plan. On November 5th he will blow Westminster Abbey as wakeup call for the sleeping citizens of England. An act that will pull at least a few roots of the dictatorship. In his journey to this finale he eliminates a few high ranking official personnel. He is called a terrorist by the government and popular media. Even in the present world isn't the normal definition of a terrorist a horribly one-sided? 

This film has a fairly star studded cast. Natalie Portman shows such dedication to her role in the movie that she shaves her head for a few of the more intense scenes in the movie. Though Hugo Weavings face is not seen the whole movie his ability to carry out lines with the right voice inflection gives him so much personality. It almost gives the impression that the mask moves, when in reality it is the very same. The cinematography in V for Vendetta holds true to the comic book. The fight scenes have a graphic novel feel. Giving comic book readers exactly what they are looking for. 

V for Vendetta is full of political statements and ethical codes. It teaches the viewer that one shouldn’t allow themselves to be oppressed just because the government is seemingly omnipresent. One of the most famous quotes from the movie, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”, is something that the viewer should take into consideration after watching this film. This movie may be radical and dramatized, but it is there to show people that turning a blind eye does not actually make things better. 

This movie can be extraordinarily eye opening if one remains open minded while watching it. Here in the Ozarks people tend to be closed off from abstract ideas. One of the themes in V for Vendetta is that people of different religious backgrounds or sexual orientation is against the law and not tolerated. When looking around this area one gets the same picture. There are several people around this area who are either fiery and out spoken about oppressing groups that are unlike them, or there are those that just pretend nothing is wrong. V for Vendetta could really show people that just because someone is different doesn’t mean they are unworthy of your attention. 

Overall, I would give this movie 4.7 out of 5 stars. While it is wonderfully directed, the spectator needs to reserve two and a half hours in order to watch this movie. In today’s society people want something that will entertain them and keep their very short attention spans. Also, the story of V’s life is spread out through the whole movie. It may take watching the movie more than once before the viewer grasps exactly who V is. Given that I can quote the whole movie I didn’t have a hard time watching this film again. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.