V for Vendetta (2005)
Synopsis: Down with totalitarianism. Up with people in masks and capes. To the music of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
You can enjoy this film just at the surface (as Bob does), or dig as deep as you want (and there is a lot under there). Lots of symbolism gives you plenty to mine. Look up the Guy Fawkes historical references and some of it will make a lot more sense.
I had to hand it to Natalie Portman – playing opposite a masked man in a cape can’t be easy – but she fills the role out and makes it work. (And, she looks good bald, a plus in this role.) The Orwellian plot is familiar, but there are a few surprises, too. It's stylish, interesting and (if you go there), thought provoking. I recommend it. The R rating makes it not for kids – there are some scenes of torture, some upsetting images, and violence.
1 comment:
I saw this recently, on the recommendation of a friend, and for a "summer blockbuster" I really enjoyed it. Especially, given the fact that the last two offerings by the Wachowski Bros. left me feeling "meh...".
I loved how they made the plot relavant to our current political climate and pointed out (perhaps a bit obviously) their view of our situation and the fact that something needs to be done before we are in so deep that we end up like the characters in their movie. At points I would have liked to have seen this message "coded" a bit more elaborately, but I guess if you want to reach the most people you have to use short sentances with small words...
I agree with Polly that Hugo Portman did an excellent job in her acting. I was hoping to see her in another challanging / meaty role in the wake of Garden State, and I think she really delivered - especially during her "capture & interigation".
Kudo's to Hugo Weaving too for managing to infuse his roll with as much emotion and feeling as he did from behind that mask.
In the end, if you're like me and prefer small budget / no budget movies to the Hollywood blockbuster junk, this is not a terrible blockbuster. It's still got cliche's but it doesn't rely on it's financing and visual effects to create something worth watching. I think it's an important film to see if only because of it's relavence to our current political climate.
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