An utterly astonishing film...

Rating: 10/10 (30 March 2006)

It seems that quite a few people don't like this film. Most dissenting voices appear to be not overly concerned with the quality of storytelling, visuals, dialogue, acting etc, for all excel, but rather with the broader concept - the rights or wrongs of sedition, the questions raised by the totalitarian state of the film, the eternal left/wing continuum...
Well they're entitled to their opinions of course, but it appears that this film has caught a mood, and that something very slowly is happening out there. I've rarely seen public opinion so galvanised by a politically-motivated film, and I've personally never been so affected by a film in my life.
To leave a movie theatre open-mouthed in astonishment, one's brain whirring at a million miles per hour, is an all-to-rare occurrence in life. Yet it happened after watching V For Vendetta. But why? The fight scenes, though cool and crisp, are relatively brief, and I'm not really one to get off on fight scenes much anyway. If that's all I want, I'll watch Bad Boys II. The explosion scenes, equally, are executed with amazing aplomb, but the film would barely register a loss if the climactic explosion didn't occur. The primary message of V is that ideas are paramount, ideas count above all else and ideas will lead us to freedom. And it is the idea of the film that cuts so deeply.
I have never been so affected by a film, to the extent of contemplating leaving my lucrative but pointless job after watching it... I would welcome every single individual in the UK watching this with an open mind. If it's not your thing, fine. If you find the action not mindless enough for your taste, again fine - most of Hollywood's other product will cater for you.
But if you feel, as I feel, that something's not quite right with how our countries are ruled, then see this film, and get a glimpse of what might lie in store.