Hope that we might awaken

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2007)

The fact is that no matter what you might think of this adaptation of the graphic novel or the methods used by V to achieve his ends, the production values (extremely high!) or the acting, what it tells us about ourselves and where we are currently heading makes it an absolutely worthwhile film to watch.
The film takes place in a dystopian future that is very nearly the present for much of what is still known as the "free world." Wars and disease had shocked people into submission and a power hungry dictator filled the gap in their minds with mock security and peace. Sound familiar? Endless war, countless diseases, the fear of the terrorist under the bed? The film is hardly novel in its portrayal of a dystopian future. This same future was envisioned by Orwell and Kafka, in the film Brazil and by countless others. What is unique to V for Vendetta is the hope it provides amidst such a bleakly accurate portrayal of crumbling humanity.
In case you haven't seen the film, I won't give the ending away. In fact, it isn't precisely the ending of the film that lends the note of home, anyway. For me, this hope comes from hearing someone else say the truth in a meaningful way, allowing for the possibility that others will hear it and something will be sparked within them.
As V puts it in the film: "Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent." That dystopian future is our immediate future. WATCH THIS FILM. Open your eyes and decide if this is the future you really want for yourself. Stop giving your silent, obedient consent to suppression of your humanity.