Pretentious, and not even for a good purpose

Rating: 3/10 (14 September 2006)

Well, the critics have spoken, the box office has spoken, the fans have spoken, and now I will speak:
This movie is junk.
Anyone who thinks this is high-flown political allegory should take a remedial class in civics, and another in history, and yet a third in rhetoric. Anyone who thinks it's art needs to take a shower.
V for Vendetta has none of the flash of the Matrix, but all of the pretentious pseudo-intellectual "philosophizin'." It oversimplifies both politics and human nature to the point that none of the characters are remotely believable, nor is their situation. Despite this, it manages to fail even at the level of popcorn fare, yielding not even a satisfactory final scene. Simply put, it's not even technically successful.
Statements which should be the clear bulwark for the opposing forces are mumbled unintelligibly through several layers of cardboard (Mr. Weaving' voice is often-times inaudible. Don't believe me? Go look at the message boards: half of the threads are requests for clarifications on the inaudible dialog). Confrontations like the final fight scene, which should be titanic, are instead grungy and poorly lit (seriously, someone buy the cameraman a mining helmet or something).
And then there are the characters wandering through this pasteboard wasteland. The main bad guy is never seen, and never provides his rationale, rendering him beyond flimsy and certainly no threat. The main hero is similarly opaque, since the filmmakers decided obscurity would somehow seem like wisdom to the sweating masses of fanboys who elevated this dreck. The most emotionally affecting voice comes through a long flashback sequence from a character long-dead. That should tell you something about the characters.
And finally, the politics: shoddy, ill-researched, and venal. All the characters we're supposed to think of as 'noble' seem motivated by the most pettily personal of reasons, with the arguable exception of the main police officer investigating V's actions. That the system would rise, then collapse so spontaneously is not only unrealistic, but irresponsible since young and foolish filmgoers are apt to mistake anarchy for freedom. My worst possible curse upon them would be that they get precisely what they ask for.
Thank all Gods that may be that their safety, the arts, and the world, are in better hands than these.