Still holds up rather well

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2014)

It had been a while since I'd seen this movie, so the time was right to revisit it. While it has lost a little of its power in the years since, there's no denying that it is still one of the most entertaining and provocative movies of the 21st century. Recounting the plot is almost pointless now, as most everyone who's into movies knows it at this point. What I can say is that all of the performances are excellent, in particular Hugo Weaving as V. Despite having a mask over his face, or being obscured through darkness, he manages to give a performance with a lot of depth and nuance. He might represent an idea or symbol, but he brings humanity to his character and more than a little bit of wit (and wordplay). I still think that Natalie Portman is the weak link in the cast, but she isn't terrible, by any means. As far as the technical aspects go, most of the special effects still hold up rather well and the film, as a whole, is beautifully shot. There's also some variation on the bullet-time effect that the Wachowskis popularized with their Matrix trilogy (and who wrote this screenplay). James McTeigue, the director and long-time Wachowski collaborator, did his finest directing work with this film in my opinion. Overall, with an engaging, well-acted story that has still has relevant political themes, you can't get much better than this. And may this film never be forgot.