More than just entertaining

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2006)

Rarely can I say that a mainstream Hollywood movie has inspired me. I went into V thinking, "Hey man, this looks great; I'll be entertained..." and I was entertained but what struck me was the political relevance and approach of the movie. Sure you had your totalitarian government officials and "Big Brother" control of a seemingly "protected" and "free" society (MANY movies have dealt with this topic) but it was the picking of the scab to reveal the moist and tender truth of lies, deceit, power and eventual release of the populus' innate inner insurgent (try saying that fast five times!) to claim individual responsibility of their lives/communities/world that was so inspiring. One could not help but both fear and empathize with V (being the extraordinary "Everyman") and Evie's past torture via the government. There were many factors that made me fall in love immediately with the film but the one that cinched the deal was the masked masses of Londoners confronting the masked forces of the government and instead of bullets flying and yelling and blood and gore there was peace. The masses simply mixed and intermingled with those (voluntary puppets of the government) in silence. This made me just bust out man...my inner idealist cried at the simplistic beauty of the physical action in reuniting humankind in silence. Yes there was blowing up of government ran edifices too but that was not the point of the movie--the point was that we, as individuals and community, can free ourselves from socio-political brainwashing and can either choose to take the government's place of power and corruption or to unite and coexist as human beings. Wars and freedom can be won in unification and even in silence. Deep man, DEEP.