I finally got round to watching V For Vendetta and I have to say I was a little disappointed with the movie over all. It lacked depth and tension.
That said I thought the ideas it dealt with are a timely reminder of what could be. On this morning’s news I heard that the Archbishop of York was warning that the UK could slip into becoming a police state. He was speaking out in opposition to proposals for police to be able to detain suspects for up to 90 days without charge, and I agree with him. We need only look back over recent history to see that it is possible for people to manipulate the public through fear. Hitler did it. Bush is doing it. Blair is doing it. Fear is a powerful emotion, easily created and channeled.
V For Vendetta is set in such a police state where fear of people who are different has led to repression and torture of those who are seen as different. A man known only as V starts a chain of events based on the Gunpowder Plot. One of the things I liked about the film was that at the end it needs lots of people to act to make the change.
What did confuse me was the choice of the Houses of Parliament as the target. Surely Parliament is a symbol of democracy? But then again… maybe not.
V for Vendetta left me unconvinced. I thought the script flat and uninspiring with lack lustre performances from the central characters with the exception of the investigating officer and Stephen Fry’s character who were close to being real. Well real enough for me to care what they had to say and want to know what would happen to them.
I understood the message but it simply didn’t live up to the hype or work for me. Even the action sort of bumbled along. I’m sure I dozed off at one point and missed a bit but it didn’t seem to matter much.
As for the man in the mask … it’s Phantom!
Read 1984.
I guess if you hadn’t read 1984 then the whole concept might be a little fresher. V For Vendetta really is a bit of ‘superhero meets 1984’ in a Martix style movie. I agree that the characters are flat and the action was weak. It could have been so much better.
I agree.
I think it was because the ‘superhero’ simply wasn’t charasmatic or even interesting enough for me to care. I found him a bit dull which made it even more unconvincing when Evey fell under his spell. Maybe that was when I fell asleep.
Seriously, even though the twist was unexpected, I felt no emotion while he held her prisoner. The pace of the film remained the same throughout.
Matrix before V anytime!