One of Those Rare Films to Really Earn a 10

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 2007)

In the future, England is controlled by a fascist, 1984-esque government. One man, who calls himself V, has taken on the guise of Guy Fawkes and has made it his personal mission to destroy Parliament and get England to rise up. He befriends Evey (Natalie Portman), who sometimes sees his side and sometimes doesn't.
I've given out a handful of 10s. I think out of the nearly 500 reviews I've done, I've given out maybe 7 or 8 of them. I'm not quick to throw a 10 on something because of some whim, you really have to earn it. This film earns it in spades.
Natalie Portman is the perfect actress: obviously beautiful, but also a real actress. Some of the other casting considerations (such as Scarlett Johannsen) I just don't have as much confidence in. And Hugo Weaving, although never seen on the screen (at least not his face), made a great V. It makes me sad that Alan Moore decided to preemptively disown this film, because unlike "League of Extraordinary Gentleman", this is a winner. (And I liked "From Hell", even if Moore didn't.) I'm a little partial to this film. I love the musical themes, the alliteration. I love the anti-government, pro-populace message. I do own the graphic novel. But underneath all that, this film offers it all.
There's romance (and I mean actual romance, not just people screwing around on a gaming table). There's action, fighting and explosions. There's intense drama (I cried a few times, especially during the prison sequences). I suppose the humor might be lacking, but I hadn't really noticed because everything else is done in just the right amounts.
If you like Portman, like good dramas and action films, and are willing to suspend your disbelief for two hours (there are some things that might be just a small stretch of impossibility) this is a must-see. Already firmly planted on the Internet Movie Database's Top 250, I have no doubt it will stay there for a great many years.