Striking, inspiring, and lots of fun to watch.

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2015)

The main purpose of this movie is to give us a taste of what a world without fear might be like. Of course it does so by showing what a world controlled by fear can also be. This is made even more socially prevalent by the setting of 2020, only fifteen years after its release and only five years from now. Though we aren't given all the details of the transition from our current state of affairs into the Fascist society of tomorrow, it seems like the transition basically starts now (2015), implying how quickly things could go south. It's also interesting that they allude to the U.S. as if it is war-ravaged and essentially in chaos and that the current British government is partially run by the church, exemplified by the "Strength through Unity, Unity through Faith" motto. While V's main goal is to overthrow the government, he does so in part by giving the common people a sense of power and the idea that the government does not truly control them. This is furthered by the scene when Evey frees herself from all fear.
V is an intriguing character. You want to root for him because of his flamboyance, mysteriousness, radicalism, and seeming invincibility. But at the same time, his vengeful rampage seems so heartless that you kind of want to tell him to stop. I think the reason for this is that V believes that some crimes are unforgivable and that things can only be made better by the destruction of any person or institution that commits these crimes. He believes these things so strongly that he is willing to use any means to achieve his ends and has not one instant's hesitation between assessing the situation and acting on it. He seems to feel that his own conscience (along with the lives of others) is worth sacrificing for the good of the many. However, he also has a heart as seen in his progressive relationship with Evey and how he seeks to liberate the people. He even gives Delia Surridge a quick and painless death, solidifying his belief in the inexcusable and that being sorry for what you've done or being a good person at heart does not excuse your crimes. Whether his views are truly moral or not is certainly questionable, but you can't deny that he gets stuff done because of it. His target audience for these radical ideas, aside from the whole of England, is Evey Hammond. She is as appalled and awed by V as the audience is meant to be. She loves him for his ability to change her so drastically, but at the same time disagrees with his acts of terrorism. Evey works in the national television network (or what I think the graphic novel called the Mouth of the government), and so has a good sense of where much of the corruption that V seeks to end comes from. Stephen Fry's character Gordon sees this as well, and uses the people's "reliance" on television to stir things up a bit through his satirical propaganda. The final main character is Finch who is head of the detective force (or the Nose) and is therefore part of the government's innermost circle. Through his investigation and search for V and Evey, he discovers the dark secret of the current regime's rise to power. The notable minor characters are Adam Sutler the dictator, Creedy the head of the the police force (or the Hands), Valerie the lesbian woman who inspired V, and Dominic who works for Finch.
The main plot line aside from V trying to eradicate fear is Finch's investigation of the government conspiracy that V was a product of. I'll try not to spoil it, but I'll just say that it's quite intriguing and horrifying to watch the entire backstory unfold. I kind of expected the plot to be somewhat action driven, but there actually aren't that many action sequences. There are some exciting and intense scenes along with a few instances of combat, but there truly isn't that much action. What action there is has a very stylized feel to it, similar to that of the Matrix of course but with it's own distinct style. But V isn't really trying to wage war on the government himself. He wants to inspire the people to stop letting themselves be controlled by the government, so there is not really much need for V to pick random fights with the oppressors.
In terms of execution, it was beautiful. The colors were perhaps overly vibrant, but it looked nice. The script flowed well and the acting was great, though not with any outstanding performances. The directing and scene cuts and such capped it off to give us an experience that was not only thought provoking, but also entertaining.
If you're looking for something inspiring or exciting, this is an excellent pick. It feels like an action movie, but as stated before, it's not action driven. Pretty much everybody above the age of about 15 should see this at some point especially if you plan on being an active voter or involved in politics or government in any way. I would cation that there is potential for some to be politically offended by it since I've heard that the ideals in question align themselves with those of most liberals. I am politically unaffiliated, so I can give this last piece of advice without being biased: please have an open mind while watching this and take what you can from it even if it is not an enjoyable experience. Overall Rating: 8.8/10.