V For Vendetta

What do you get when you awaken an underground 80s comic book that compelled British readers with a voice against Thatcherism and the Orwell-ian possibility of the future with the Wachowski brothers, their existentialist and democratic questions of America and on being a modern human being, with the vicissitude of the American and anti-terror political landscape? Wow, that was a mouthful and you obviously know the answer.

As per Cinematical:

Originally written and published in 1981, the comic book V for Vendetta was created by Englishmen Alan Moore (writer) and David Lloyd (artist) in response to political events in their home nation. They created a dark fantasia about life under fascism in a near-future England, and a masked man who sprung from the shadows to smash the iron grip of power. Over two decades later, V for Vendetta comes to the big screen with a script adaptation by Andy and Larry Wachowski, with big stars and big money all apparent in the final product. And once again, Hollywood moves at the speed of lead; a rousing response to Thatcherism is exactly what the world needs now.

So there you have it. The story sets up with an enigmatic figure, who goes by the name V (Hugo Weaving – whom I would consider the Wachowski’s male muse), wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, who saves an innocent and slightly beautiful young lady named Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) from the secret police/freewheeling thugs of Britain’s current dictator.

Evey Hammond: Who–who are you?
V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what… and what I am is a man in a mask.
Evey Hammond: I can see that.
V: Of course you can. I’m not questioning your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking on the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Or better yet, as per NYC’s Village Voice:

Moore’s stories appeared throughout the ’80s, conflating Thatcherite Britain and Orwell’s dystopia, imagining a post–World War III regime founded on racial purity, sexual conformity, and Nazi-style concentration camps. The Wachowskis tweak this premise to tweak the U.S. It’s 2020, the year of perfect vision, and to no one’s disappointment, America has collapsed in chaos. Awash in secret detention camps and biological weapons (including avian flu), the U.K. is a Muslim-phobic fascist state (Koran consigned to the Ministry of Objectionable Material) ruled by a fascist Chancellor who came to power in a biological Reichstag Fire.

There are layers of complexity in the movie which, while being subject of exploration in the comic books, only add to the confusion of who exactly V is, his genesis, and the purpose behind his vengeance. The film is certainly geared as an action flick, but the action scenes are few and far between, but certainly have the Wachowski/Matrix/Anime/Comic imagined reality i.e.we have one man able to infiltrate and shut down an entire office building, bypassing security, secret police, and nearly every authority figure until he decides to confront all of them almost all at once.

As the plot unfolds, we learn more of the twisted evolution of society, of state-sponsored terror to create unity, of the desire of scientists to create better human beings through chemistry, and of what happened to those who resisted the change of society. We don’t entirely learn of the origins of V’s battle prowess, or if he is solely motivated by his penchant for retribution alone. And in learning what we do about him, we see Evey tortured and abused, and see both V and Evey becoming increasingly like each other. We also see Evey tortured in a head-shaving scene that became one of the larger buzzes about the film. While slightly rousing and certainly believable, it doesn’t seem entirely necessary.

Regardless of some of the plot inconsistencies, the expected plot twists, and minutae that only serves to confuse rather than enlighten the viewer, the movie delivers a smile.

If the option is available to you as it was for myself, see it in IMAX. If you sit in what is usually the top row and as close to the center as possible, the 60ft screen serves to encompass your entire field of vision, including the periphery. It ends up becoming as immersive as a film can become and is worth every penny in believing the reality that this film tries to sell.

For more reviews, check out these two posts:
http://www.cinematical.com/2006/03/16/review-v-for-vendetta/
http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0611,hoberman,72526,20.html

V For Vendetta, Movies, Wachowski Brothers