V for Vendetta Review

I just paid $5.50 to watch a radical political ad.

The movie itself was actually pretty entertaining, and if the political message was not so thinly veiled it would have been a somewhat enjoyable move. Unfortunately the hatred of the political system is so great in this movie that at times it is almost unbearable. So here is the low-down, and there will be spoilers said, but unless you feel the need to pay to see a hateful political ad there is no need to see the movie in the first place.

The story goes that V was "made" during a concentration camp experiment that "England" conducted. (I say "England" because although the story is set in England using English history it is clearly meant to be about America.) Anyways, he was made so that a company could make a virus, release it to the public, and then sell the antidote for a great profit. When the virus was released to the public everyone was scared and the government quasi-reformed to appoint a high chancellor, who ruled with an iron fist (mainly through the "Will of God", which is not said in the movie but is clearly stated). Soon after the government is given more power the anti-virus is "discovered" and the company that "found" it makes alot of money. This is all presented as if the attacks on September 11th were manufactured by the government (i.e. Bush) to gain more control over the government and so Cheney could make money (even the guy in the move had a name close to Cheney.)

So V decides that a revolution is needed. He goes about killing all that had been a part of the government conspiracy (and others) and plots the downfall of the government. He is labeled a "terrorist" by the government and is hunted down (rightfully so). We find out that the government is killing gays and anyone who practices any religion besides Christianity. In the end of the move V kills the president, and (symbolically) crashes a train into the parliament building, all in the name of government revolution. By now all the citizens who were before some sort of "sheep" are now marching on the city. The movie ends with them telling us that "V is me and V is you". (There are many more parts left out, but that is the core of the movie.)

Here is the problem: this movie claims that the government is controlling people's lives through fear, and that is wrong (which it is). So V plans a revolution where he blows up buildings and basically tries to change the government through... fear. Why we are to believe that his fear ruling is better than the current fear ruling is unsaid.
Secondly if a government was to control their population through fear, and persecution (of gays or people who practices other religions or otherwise), then that government *should* be toppled. That is what we did with Iraq, they *did* do this to their own people, and we stopped them. But in the movie we are portrayed as the reason the world is the way it is. And as country we did what the movie said is the "right thing" and we are being ridiculed for it. So obviously their solution to the current ("future") sate of affairs is not correct.

This movie basically says "revenge is OK", "don't trust anyone who thinks differently than what you do", and "the end's justify the means" (which actually in the movie they said it didn't, but it clearly is a theme in the movie). So we need to blow up the governments building and make a fair and loving government through ...? (Anarchy?)

Now, I am opposed to some of the things that they are getting at, most notably the Patriot Act, but blowing up the senate, and anarchy rule is not a solution! It may get your change, but from Anarchy comes dictators, not freedom loving rulers.

In short this movie is not worth going too, but if you do go, watch for the message, and laugh at it when it contradicts itself.