A pleasant surprise

Rating: 7/10 (13 August 2006)

I didn't know what to expect from this movie really. That the Wachowski-brothers produced it didn't really tell me anything. Somehow i have the feeling that the first Matrix-movie was more or less the highpoint of their creativity, the sequels were definite disappointments and beside their visual sense they are not a reason for me to watch a movie any more.
I guess more than anything i watched this expecting an action-movie. This is something else though. Sure there are a few action sequences in the movie and generally they are reasonably well-made (although not really very spectacular). So if it's not an action-movie, what is it? Well, it felt to me like some sort of mix between Orwell's "1984" and a superhero-comic. Much of the time the movie is devoted to semi-philosophical discussions about the value of freedom and views on justice. I guess this might put some people off, not least because it's always odd to see someone wearing an expressionless mask talk so much.
The fascist-future thing has been done so many times in my opinion that i had a hard time seeing what news "V for Vendetta" could actually bring to the table. But still it's not a bad take on the genre, and the fact that it's very distinctly British helps as well to separate it from the pack. There are quite a lot of clichÃ©s (not least when it comes to the dictator and his appearance) but i could stomach most of them. The acting in the movie is OK and Hugo Weavings voice is enough filled with expression to make up for the lack of facial movement or other expressions.
I guess whether you will like this or not depends on how much quasi-philosophical discussions you can accept, especially when these discussions happen where most people would expect blazing guns. In that respect it's much like the Matrix-sequels in that it's less action and more talking. The difference in my opinion is that "V for Vendetta" is a better movie for it while the Matrix-sequels lost all their appeal without the fast pace and gun ballet. I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie and i think many others were too. The fact that the result had very little to do with my expectations just heightened the positive feelings. Recommended.