Brilliant!!

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2006)

I've always been a fan of plot lines where an enigmatic masked man befriends a beautiful woman. Call it the hopeless romantic in me, but it's one of my favorites. The added bonus with this movie is the political overtones with religious zealot leaders who are determined to rule the world through fear and intimidation. Ever wonder why you always see religion followed by violence? This movie brilliantly shows how in times of desperation, we turn to any leader who's willing to come forth, and then become blind to his corruption. (sound familiar?) This movie also makes the conspiracy theory wheels turn in your mind. Does our government create disasters in order to gain political favor? Were some of our recent tragedies known about, or even worse, planned by our own government? V for Vendetta does exactly what it set out to do: get you thinking about political corruption, absolute power and religious abuse. Aside from the political message, there's also the romantic undertones. Mix some Phantom of the Opera with Beauty and the Beast and a dash of Stockholm Syndrome, then you've got the perfect pairing of Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. The only downside to the movie is the sound. Because V is always wearing a mask, it's very hard to hear what he is saying. Have the volume at the ready. Otherwise, I loved this movie!