Saturday, September 23, 2006

V for Very Good Indeed

I didn't get to see V for Vendetta when it was in the cinemas but read a few reviews that made it sound like the kind of film i would like.

Seeing it while shopping for dinner yesterday I picked it up on DVD yesterday and we watched it last night.

It is absolutely excellent.

Based on a brilliant graphic novel by the mighty Alan Moore illustrated by David Lloyd and brought to the screen by the people that did The Matrix, the film combines action thriller with politics set in a 1984 like future UK. As the synopsis says:

Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (NATALIE PORTMAN) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man (HUGO WEAVING) known only as “V.” Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he urges his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V’s mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself – and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.

There are several parts of the film that could easily be taken as a warning against Blairism, if in an exagerated form.

The look of the whole thing is amazing. It reminded me of the darkness of the first Batman movie (also based on a graphic novel) with touches of Frank Miller's Sin City thrown in. There are also occasional Matrix like effects.

The plot steadily unravels as the film goes on, leading to a quite spectacular finale when the lead characters have to decide which side they are on.

If you haven't seen it, and you like a bit of politics mixed with a bit of action, watch it today!

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