My first reaction to this film is, "Hey, I'm still thinking about it." That's a very good sign.
My second reaction to this film is, "God, Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are such great actors!" Consider: Hugo. He portrayed this wonderfully complex man without ever once showing his face, displaying a raw, powerful array of emotions all whilst hiding behind a facade of plastic. And never once did I think, "Mr. Anderson" or "Frodo Baggins." The man has such an unmistakable voice, yet his cadences this time around were mesmerizing.
Natalie. She can act. We knew that. She can also affect a decent British accent. I was most impressed during her kidnapping/"black bagging" scene. Her fear, hopelessness, and panic were so palpable, I almost couldn't breathe with her.
My third reaction to this film is belated after reading Kami's blog: it does smack a bit of the Phantom of the Opera. A disfigured man with a mask bestows his affections and obsession upon a girl. In POTO, the connection is music. In this film, the connection is the quest to fight oppression from tyrannical or autocratic forms of government and to uphold the principles of truth and freedom.
Which brings to me to my fourth reaction: the Wachowski brothers are again raging against the machine. Only this time, the machines are humans set in the not-so-far-away future, and the commentary is more about giving into fear than succumbing to our technological advances. It's about not letting the politics of fear corrupt the politics of truth in favor of assigning too much power to one man or group of men. It's about not repeating the mistakes of the past, since the chancellor and his regime were reincarnated caricatures of Nazi Germany and Hitler.
It's also a bit about love. Love will keep us together, especially if it's love of freedom.
I liked this movie, but I didn't love it. I can't put my finger on why not. I was rolling with it at the beginning and completely intrigued by the extremely verbose and sophisticated masked man and his affection for little Evey, his would-be protege. I was intrigued by the movie, but at the same time, I could feel the movie being preachy. I loved the fact that it was set in London (like its source material, a graphic novel), but I was deterred by the fact that America was labeled the source of the political climate yet no mention was made of how it fared. Isn't that weird? Normally, I don't care about America's portrayal in a movie, even if it's anti-America, but I found it odd that they made a point of mentioning that a war in America led to a spread of war and strife to Britain, but only Britain succumbed to the neo-fascist chancellor. My question is why them and not us?
I also don't know how I feel about the relationship between V and Evey. For most of the movie, I thought he was her father. Really. I did not sense romantic love from either party, and then the end happened. I suppose it makes sense in a way, but I honestly thought the fact that the presence and absence of her father was downplayed, except for the quotation about art and truth, as a significant foreshadowing technique. I also thought their relationship was based more in common ideals than actual attraction, but I suppose it's the evolution of their shared experiences that led to this eventuality.
I think, in the end, before I ramble on for too much longer, that this movie provided quite a bit to think about and different dimensions to consider, from its story to its performances to its message, for it is a message movie. For that reason, I rate it a solid 8; a very good movie indeed with only minor flaws. Yet, I'm a fan of narrative progression in films like this and felt that the story continuity left me a little empty. Was it effective to leave the details of V's life a secret? In the end, probably, though I'm still struggling to understand why he found Evey to be this kindred spirit. Maybe I'll have to rewatch it to look for the little details. My mind may have been wandering at the beginning because that is when I remember being distinctly impressed that ole Hugo didn't sound like Agent Smith for once. My mind is certainly wandering now as I try to remember everything I watched. "Remember, remember, the fifth of November."
Does it pass the test? Maybe. If I'm still thinking about it, and I think I have to watch it a few more times to be totally cool with it in my little, overactive brain, I might just buy it to have it at my convenience for just that purpose. I'm not sure yet though. I think I have to rewatch it at least once to be sure.
I will say, though, that I liked this movie mainly for its spirit. Never underestimate the power of the people. V's line: "People should not fear government. Government should fear the people."