Thought provoking and astounding

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2006)

After seeing it opening night, all i can say is...wow. I am STILL having very heated debates about many of the "issues" with government that were raised iv V4V. I found it to be the best combination of thought provoking material and entertainment of any movie i have ever seen. Now, let me throw out a disclaimer for the following dissection of this movie. I am a college student, and up until this movie, i really didn't know much about how politics work or really care much for them at all either. You may write this all off as an ignorant college kid who saw a movie and created his own string of completely unrelated tangents. But that is the beauty of free speech, one of the many issues brought up in the movie ;)
The very first thing that i found interesting was the movies portrayal of the power of ideas, and how they are "bulletproof". A lot of people that i have read about and talked to have come away thinking that the way the movie approached this theme was "pro-terrorism". I can see how easy it is to take that away from this movie, but i believe there was a much greater intention. V, was by definition a terrorist, one that engages in acts or an act of terrorism, and terrorism by definition being The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. That is what he did to a T. In this day in age, because of 9/11 and the current situation in the middle east, terrorism is EXCLUSIVELY(By the large majority of the US population) viewed as acts of hatred upon innocent citizens, with no regard for any political agenda, which in many cases indeed is true. But hardly was that the case in V4V. V had a very precise(and IMO justified) vision of what he wanted to accomplish, and why. Innocent civilians were not targeted. The assassinations on former "death camp" officials, while heinous, was undoubtedly justified(again, IMO). The subsequent demolition of parliament was not just to rid the country of the Totalitarian and Nazi-esquire control, but it was a symbol to inspire others to stand up for their ideals and what they believe in. The lengths at which he went to achieve all of the above is all made possible by the magical world of movies, and the power they have to temporarily remove us from reality and bring to life imagination, which cannot be ignored when analyzing V4V.
Another very relevant topic that was discussed was media propaganda and control, and censorship. I was very fortunate to have read Noam Chomsky's Media Control shortly before seeing this film, and i felt like it made a world of difference when those issues were being raised, and what i could draw from it. No one really knows how much of what we see on TV or read in the newspaper is genuine, but there is without a doubt in my mind, a fair amount of fabrication, with the intent of keeping the "bewildered herd"(US general population) from stampeding and raising doubts and questions. The Pat Tillman story is a juicy example. At first he was declared KIA, implying that he was killed while fighting in Afghanistan. He was heralded a hero(which is undoubtedly deserved) for ignoring a million dollar football contract to serve his country. He was all over the news. When reports were finally found that had apparently been covered up that he was killed by friendly fire, the "herd" was outraged.The message the movie was trying to send here was, as V so eloquently stated, "The people should not fear its government. The government should fear its people," and in too many instances in this day in age, this is not the case.
I could go on forever about the different ways i thought the movie was intended to be viewed, and explore the MANY more themes that existed, but these summaries only allow for 1000 words. In the end, this was, just a movie, but it was undoubtedly a movie that's purpose was to entertain, awe, and stir up thoughts, conversations, and even debates among the people who go to see it. I was able to walk away thoroughly entertained, enlightened about many of the issues that we are facing as a nation and a world today, and thanks to V's extensive vocabulary, a more knowledgeable person ;). Whichever way you wish to interpret any of the themes explored in V4V doesn't matter. The fact that you actually WANT to means it was a successful feat in cinema. (P.S.) I'd be more than happy to discuss more with anyone who is willing. Like i said, i am just a college student with a very infantile understanding of many of the issues in this movie, but felt compelled to share my thoughts. just shoot me an email :D