For people who like to think about their movies

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2011)

I had never read the comics and must confess had not actually heard of them until the film's release. All i knew was that it had people in masks and apparently some strong violence.
What I expected was a generic superhero movie (batman style) with a predictable plot and lots of action. What i got was a very good surprise. Set in an alternate reality whereby America won the Vietnam war and Nixon as president long after the legal limit for presidency the film succeeds in building tension as the cold war becomes much closer to another World War whilst at the same time retired heroes (or masked vigilantes) appear to be being picked out for assassination.
I won't talk any more of the story but that combined with the brilliant acting all round and character development that attatches the viewer to the characters like no other film I've seen makes this one the top 5 films i have seen.
But! this is only my opinion and the film would not be enjoyed by firstly those looking for another Dark Knight as I would place it in a completely different genre, it requires more thought with only a small number of action sequences and it is more about the deep story and the background than a face off between two nemeses. And also by those who find it hard to accept films as they are and need films to be realistic because, lets face it, a blue godlike man is hardly the most believable character.
Overall the film is a great symbol of different perceptions on society and is everything I would enjoy seeing in a film although it wasn't until i saw it a second time i realized how great it is.