Stephen Rea

I just watched “V for Vendetta“. Back when it came out in 2006, I was a busy parent, and used any excuse I had to hate the movie. Just so that I didn’t feel very bad about not going to the cinema to see it. I saw a brief trailer of this film on TV and thought that it was yet another comics-based movie about another superhero or somebody like that. Definitely, not something I wanted to see, especially back then. So I passed.

I have to say that I am really glad that I rented it yesterday. I picked it up just by chance. I already had two other movies in my hand, and when I saw this “V” thing, I thought maybe I’ll grab three movies today, since the weekend is upon me.

Brilliant movie! It has all the easy parts – the photography, acting, directing, special effects, etc. Many films do these days. But, this one goes beyond that. It has a really good story. An interesting one. And the one that needs more attention. I’d go as far as call it a political movie. It is about the role of government and mass media in our lives, how it used to be, and how things are changing, and how they aren’t changing for the better right now. It’s a brave story too – not that many films are willing to risk the ensured profits of the entertainment industry by bringing in strong political discussion into a film. But, as it has been proven many times, Wachovski brothers aren’t afraid of risks.

I really enjoyed how this political story was prepared and told. It’s interesting, and it’s very human. If I had to describe it in terms of other movies, I’d say that “V for Vendetta” is a very good mix of “Brazil” (think George Orwell’s “1984” ), “The mask of Zorro“, and “Invisible Man” (any version you like). Yes, something like that.

This is also a film that can be watched over and over again. The photography is beautiful, the soundtrack is great. There are plenty of small details all around. And there is this sense of style and class to it.

10 out of 10 (I know I’ve been giving away too many of high ratings recently, but it appears so that I missed a lot of really good movies)