[Mini-Review] V for Vendetta (2005)
This is a Mini-Review of the film (now available on DVD) "V for Vendetta", a 2005 release and totally unrelated to the TV mini-series "V", the latter which I watched part of eons ago so will probally review later.
At a glance: 5/5, must see, a modern classic.
Not only is it entertaining, but its content is more and more relevant in this era of increased authoritanism.
I had almost forgotten that this movie existed, until kitten brought it up when I challenged her that I'd watched more movies than her. Anyhow, I have a comy of it, with the behind-the-scenes, which I watched and loved, and then watched the entire movie. I must say, it was a great way to relax during exam times, but enough of my subjective drivel.
The movie is based on a graphic novel [1] which I haven't read, but I hear is great, published back in 1986. It's set in a slightly futuristic sci-fi alternate world, where England is the last remaining country which is widely "civilized", although it bares a striking resemblence to the world of Libria in Equilibrium.
V, one of the main protagonists, seeks to be the spark that sets the world on fire; quite literally since he is inspired by Guy Fawkes.
Well, anyhow, I don't want to spoil it, but that was the first few minutes of the movie... the whole thing is long (132 mins, or about 2 1/4 hours, vs. your usual 1 1/2 hour fare), but it doesn't drag on at all. The story is intriguing, the directing is spot on, the acting is great, and the writing is consistently excellent. The actions scenes, though few, show a unique stylistic flair that is just slightly unbelievable, but yet impressive... it's not as "far out" as the Matrix but gives the same sort of chill as Trinity's famous "hang-in-air-kick" stuff.
If this film has any bad sides: with modern attention spans and whatnot, it's a bit long (but not drawn out) and low on action (the main complaint I heard at the cinema), but that's more a fault of the audience than the movie.
Also, although I'm a fan of EQ, I must say that V does a better job of getting some of the same points, and more, across, partly because there's less focus on action, and partly because V and Evey are easier to identify with than Preston et cetera. Moreover, we know what effect V has had on the society, but in EQ, it isn't actually clear... but that's another Mini-Review, I guess.
Notes:
[1]: "Graphic Novel"s are what adults collect and read rather than comics. They bare a striking resemblence to the former, but then to be larger, better bound, on higher quality paper, cost more, and feature more mature themes. In super-te societies such as Japan, they're very common, but in the U.S., mostly unheard of and unpromoted. For example, they're graphic novels (and paperback novels, you know, with just words, no pictures) based on the Final Destination trilogy of movies, but I hadn't even heard of them until recently... by contrast, the Death Note graphic novel is out now in English, and was finished even before the series aired on any network in the neo-commonwealth.
I guess I'll write more on those, with links, later.
At a glance: 5/5, must see, a modern classic.
Not only is it entertaining, but its content is more and more relevant in this era of increased authoritanism.
I had almost forgotten that this movie existed, until kitten brought it up when I challenged her that I'd watched more movies than her. Anyhow, I have a comy of it, with the behind-the-scenes, which I watched and loved, and then watched the entire movie. I must say, it was a great way to relax during exam times, but enough of my subjective drivel.
The movie is based on a graphic novel [1] which I haven't read, but I hear is great, published back in 1986. It's set in a slightly futuristic sci-fi alternate world, where England is the last remaining country which is widely "civilized", although it bares a striking resemblence to the world of Libria in Equilibrium.
V, one of the main protagonists, seeks to be the spark that sets the world on fire; quite literally since he is inspired by Guy Fawkes.
Well, anyhow, I don't want to spoil it, but that was the first few minutes of the movie... the whole thing is long (132 mins, or about 2 1/4 hours, vs. your usual 1 1/2 hour fare), but it doesn't drag on at all. The story is intriguing, the directing is spot on, the acting is great, and the writing is consistently excellent. The actions scenes, though few, show a unique stylistic flair that is just slightly unbelievable, but yet impressive... it's not as "far out" as the Matrix but gives the same sort of chill as Trinity's famous "hang-in-air-kick" stuff.
If this film has any bad sides: with modern attention spans and whatnot, it's a bit long (but not drawn out) and low on action (the main complaint I heard at the cinema), but that's more a fault of the audience than the movie.
Also, although I'm a fan of EQ, I must say that V does a better job of getting some of the same points, and more, across, partly because there's less focus on action, and partly because V and Evey are easier to identify with than Preston et cetera. Moreover, we know what effect V has had on the society, but in EQ, it isn't actually clear... but that's another Mini-Review, I guess.
Notes:
[1]: "Graphic Novel"s are what adults collect and read rather than comics. They bare a striking resemblence to the former, but then to be larger, better bound, on higher quality paper, cost more, and feature more mature themes. In super-te societies such as Japan, they're very common, but in the U.S., mostly unheard of and unpromoted. For example, they're graphic novels (and paperback novels, you know, with just words, no pictures) based on the Final Destination trilogy of movies, but I hadn't even heard of them until recently... by contrast, the Death Note graphic novel is out now in English, and was finished even before the series aired on any network in the neo-commonwealth.
I guess I'll write more on those, with links, later.