The single most important film of our times

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2006)

I have just seen the most important film of our times. V for Vendetta stands proudly and appropriately among such scathing and satirical works as Fahrenheit 451, Network, and 1984. Stylistically, it speaks directly to our generation, and its message is clear: The world is yours if you'd only stand up and claim it! From beginning to end this movie is utterly captivating. It is unflinchingly gripping and compelling in all regards. Natalie Portman, despite her unconvincing accent, turns in a fantastic and moving performance that cements her as one of the most important stars of our day. And while Hugo Weaving may not have been seen, he brings a vibrant and stoic honor to his role that I doubt could have been replicated by many others. The entire cast, in fact, is remarkably moving and all help to create a world that is both astoundingly unreal and eerily familiar. This film is made great by its acting alone, and made magnificent by everything else.
The Wachowski brothers have finally emerged from the fog of their own Matrix, and all hail their return! The script for this film is nearly flawless, the cinematography is spell binding, and the overall style sets it firmly as the masterwork of our times. In all ways it is appealing for modern viewers. It does not grow stale, but remains constantly churning through captivating dialogue, amazing action, and a truly compelling story. And like many great satires, it takes our world (our certain future and our murky past) and, rubbing our faces in it, demands that we answer the question, "If our own government was responsible for the death of a hundred thousand people, would you really want to know?" Those who do not appreciate this film (and they will be many) are not meant to stand amongst the vanguard of the new millennium. The stagnant and obstinate right will be predictably defensive, they will react reflexively and thoughtless against it. Indeed, I feel they will see their own world reflected back at them through the fun-house mirror of this film and be repulsed by its ugliness.
Perhaps unseen, but equally expected will be the jeers of the radical left. While this film may well have been tailor made to fit their ideals they will not embrace it and, in fact, certainly blast it simply because it's a major studio release. They would have us believe that a film purified of funding, that is seen by no one, is preferable to one that's been tainted by financial backing. Unfortunately, as the right is not meant to keep an old world, these people are not meant to mother a new one.
But for those of us who can embrace this film, its message and meaning must not slip away. As so many have done before, this is a work that calls us to action. Sitting idly in the theatre, only to walk calmly to your car, drive home, and go to bed does a disservice to the spirit of this film. It is not meant for the disimpassioned or the apathetic. It was made for the vanguard. If you are amongst that rank, it is your duty to see it. If not, you should probably see it anyway.