V for Vendetta (C or 2/4 stars)
Great Britain is a fascist state in 'V for Vendetta', a futuristic poli-science film directed by James McTeigue. Freedom fighter, V (Hugo Weaving) uses terrorist tactics to fight oppression. He rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from the corrupt secret police, and asks her to be his eventual ally against the evil powers that be. While I understand this film's appeal, magnetism, & its mirror-image of certain real life events that have happened/could happen in the near future. I found entire scenes within this movie to be utterly boring and, at times, self-indulgent. I also feel that Portman's performance pales in comparison to some of her more recent, impressive works.
Evey learns a summary of V's ferociously checkered past & decides to help him bring down the atrocities of the fascist regime. He's labeled a terrorist, but V is actually quite ambiguous in spirit. V has and will continue to attack Chancellor Adam's (John Hurt) regime by way of gunpowder, sword, & explosives. He's able to implode 2 of London's sacred landmarks and even takes over the government-controlled air waves to try to get other citizens to defy tyranny and follow in his (and now Evey's) footsteps. What did the government do to V (personally) to promote such an uprising? There is a revelation about V, and even Evey's backgrounds. This revelation spurs on their plight to justice and freedom.
Still the secret police chase & chase & chase Evey to no end. As November 5th approaches (the day V says he'll end the regime for good, by way of the most massive destruction anyone's seen), his plan to demolish the Parliament seems more of a reality. Detective Finch (Stephen Rea) becomes steadfastly determined to catch V and reveal the real man behind the mask. But with V making such an effective mark, can he, by chance, be able to sway the Detective's opinion of the imperialistic regime before the end? A final tussle unfolds, & it is Evey who is left to bring down Westminster Abbey. Using V's mask, she takes on his persona and now hopes to find an able successor to create the society that she, V, and countless others can only hope for.
You know, this mysterious Gothic tale has a certain verve; a confidence to stand-out amongst other similar films. The set designs are sumptuously cool (though the filming of them is too dark). V's character is of a cunning visionary. The political allegories are present. The action is bloody for all those whom love gore. And I'm sure this movie will please & entertain many. For some reason, I (and my dad) just hated it. It felt incredibly long. It was too dark, too grungy, too often. The dicey editing made my head hurt. The plot was pseudo-intellectual & paced more urgently than it had to be. I just didn't care about a lot that was going on. A LOT goes on, but there's little 'feeling' that remains. The first 45 minutes had me, but then I was lost in an overloaded movie, full of indisputable concepts.
Evey learns a summary of V's ferociously checkered past & decides to help him bring down the atrocities of the fascist regime. He's labeled a terrorist, but V is actually quite ambiguous in spirit. V has and will continue to attack Chancellor Adam's (John Hurt) regime by way of gunpowder, sword, & explosives. He's able to implode 2 of London's sacred landmarks and even takes over the government-controlled air waves to try to get other citizens to defy tyranny and follow in his (and now Evey's) footsteps. What did the government do to V (personally) to promote such an uprising? There is a revelation about V, and even Evey's backgrounds. This revelation spurs on their plight to justice and freedom.
Still the secret police chase & chase & chase Evey to no end. As November 5th approaches (the day V says he'll end the regime for good, by way of the most massive destruction anyone's seen), his plan to demolish the Parliament seems more of a reality. Detective Finch (Stephen Rea) becomes steadfastly determined to catch V and reveal the real man behind the mask. But with V making such an effective mark, can he, by chance, be able to sway the Detective's opinion of the imperialistic regime before the end? A final tussle unfolds, & it is Evey who is left to bring down Westminster Abbey. Using V's mask, she takes on his persona and now hopes to find an able successor to create the society that she, V, and countless others can only hope for.
You know, this mysterious Gothic tale has a certain verve; a confidence to stand-out amongst other similar films. The set designs are sumptuously cool (though the filming of them is too dark). V's character is of a cunning visionary. The political allegories are present. The action is bloody for all those whom love gore. And I'm sure this movie will please & entertain many. For some reason, I (and my dad) just hated it. It felt incredibly long. It was too dark, too grungy, too often. The dicey editing made my head hurt. The plot was pseudo-intellectual & paced more urgently than it had to be. I just didn't care about a lot that was going on. A LOT goes on, but there's little 'feeling' that remains. The first 45 minutes had me, but then I was lost in an overloaded movie, full of indisputable concepts.