Post by ZapRowsdower on Mar 17, 2006 3:21:12 GMT -5
I watched this last night, and I've been going over it a thousand times in my head trying to figure out, did I or did I not like this movie? And what's my basis? I try to watch movies on a somewhat objective level, and I was doing fine throughout the first half of the movie, but then the Orwellian politics behind it started to bother me.
Understand that if you are conservative, Republican, or merely someone who is NOT on the "Hate Dubya" bandwagon, you probably will not like the movie very much. This is almost the fantasy sci-fi equivalent to Fahrenheit 9/11.
Personally, I am NOT a Republican (I don't believe in political parties) or a conservative, but I am also not on the "Hate Bush" bandwagon either. And I grow sick of all the Orwellian rants that compare Bush to Hitler, because love him or hate him, we would all rather have Bush as our leader. So now we have V for Vendetta. The Wachowski bros. have basically alienated Conservative audiences for this one. You know what that means?
Important film. That's right. A controversial movie that's going to be talked about by people who love it and by people who don't. There will be debates surrounding the movie, based on ethics and politics. But I'm talking about V for Vendetta as a political statement here. How is V for Vendetta as a MOVIE?
About a half hour ago, through much deliberation and dwelling, I have come to the conclusion that I really liked this movie... not as a political statement, but as a movie.
It is a tale of a totalitarian government (future England) that became so through fear from the public. "V" is a freedom fighter (although his methods can be misconstrued as terrorism) intent on freeing the English from its oppressive government. Now when you look at it THAT way, it doesn't sound so bad, even if you are a conservative.
The screenwriting was excellent. The dialogue, fantastic. "V" is such an awesome character, and Hugo Weaving deserves much praise for bringing this character to life. Natalie Portman, thank God, is an actress again. Her accent may be just a little off, but she does a fine job all the same.
The fight scenes are few, but strong. The movie is actually quite "talky", but that's to focus more on the story, and from an objective point of view, that's a good thing.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS.
A few things that did somewhat bother me - they connected the events in the future to current events, citing the current war on Iraq as the cause for the way their world is. This not only bothers me from a political perspective, but from a cinematic point of view, as well. By connecting this fantasy future to our current time ruins the detached sense of fantasy established early on. Some may argue that's a good thing, as it brings the movie's Orwellian themes home. I don't.
I'm also afraid some simple-minded people are going to watch this movie and get the wrong ideas from it. "V" isn't blowing up innocent people, but in fact destroying symbols which have lost their meaning anyway. That's what makes him a freedom fighter, and not a terrorist. Still, this may inadvertently incite some radical action from within the country, and that's not a good thing.
SPOILERS FINISHED.
Great acting, great screenwriting, great direction. As a political statement, fuck it. As a movie, objectively, it's very nice.
Story: 5/10
Acting: 10/10
Screenwriting: 20/20
Direction: 13/20
80%
Understand that if you are conservative, Republican, or merely someone who is NOT on the "Hate Dubya" bandwagon, you probably will not like the movie very much. This is almost the fantasy sci-fi equivalent to Fahrenheit 9/11.
Personally, I am NOT a Republican (I don't believe in political parties) or a conservative, but I am also not on the "Hate Bush" bandwagon either. And I grow sick of all the Orwellian rants that compare Bush to Hitler, because love him or hate him, we would all rather have Bush as our leader. So now we have V for Vendetta. The Wachowski bros. have basically alienated Conservative audiences for this one. You know what that means?
Important film. That's right. A controversial movie that's going to be talked about by people who love it and by people who don't. There will be debates surrounding the movie, based on ethics and politics. But I'm talking about V for Vendetta as a political statement here. How is V for Vendetta as a MOVIE?
About a half hour ago, through much deliberation and dwelling, I have come to the conclusion that I really liked this movie... not as a political statement, but as a movie.
It is a tale of a totalitarian government (future England) that became so through fear from the public. "V" is a freedom fighter (although his methods can be misconstrued as terrorism) intent on freeing the English from its oppressive government. Now when you look at it THAT way, it doesn't sound so bad, even if you are a conservative.
The screenwriting was excellent. The dialogue, fantastic. "V" is such an awesome character, and Hugo Weaving deserves much praise for bringing this character to life. Natalie Portman, thank God, is an actress again. Her accent may be just a little off, but she does a fine job all the same.
The fight scenes are few, but strong. The movie is actually quite "talky", but that's to focus more on the story, and from an objective point of view, that's a good thing.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS.
A few things that did somewhat bother me - they connected the events in the future to current events, citing the current war on Iraq as the cause for the way their world is. This not only bothers me from a political perspective, but from a cinematic point of view, as well. By connecting this fantasy future to our current time ruins the detached sense of fantasy established early on. Some may argue that's a good thing, as it brings the movie's Orwellian themes home. I don't.
I'm also afraid some simple-minded people are going to watch this movie and get the wrong ideas from it. "V" isn't blowing up innocent people, but in fact destroying symbols which have lost their meaning anyway. That's what makes him a freedom fighter, and not a terrorist. Still, this may inadvertently incite some radical action from within the country, and that's not a good thing.
SPOILERS FINISHED.
Great acting, great screenwriting, great direction. As a political statement, fuck it. As a movie, objectively, it's very nice.
Story: 5/10
Acting: 10/10
Screenwriting: 20/20
Direction: 13/20
80%
