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V for Vendetta
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MPAA RATING: R for strong violence and some language
Starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Rupert Graves, and Roger Allam
Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V for Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man (Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he urges his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself -- and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption. (Warner Bros.)
| GENRE(S): | Action | Drama | Sci-fi | Suspense/Thriller |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski Alan Moore (characters) David Lloyd (characters) |
| DIRECTED BY: | James McTeigue |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: August 1, 2006 Theatrical: March 17, 2006 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 132 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA / Germany |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 382 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Kristina S gave it a0:
The film won’t work for the same reason that Watchmen won’t work. Even Alan Moore who wrote Watchmen has said it won’t work as a film. Both V and Watchmen depend on one giant thing that no longer exists: fear of a nuclear war between the US and the Soviets. Based on the fear of the extermination of the human race, even an extreme figure like Watchman’s Oz or Vendetta’s V can appear justifiable. Outside that end of the Cold War fear however the source material won’t work. What makes this film junk as a film and as storytelling is that it’s explicit pro-Terrorist and anti-American, anti-Bush politics fly in the face of the reality: terrorists really DO want to kill us all; they’ve tried very hard; and have succeeded in Beslan, Bali, Tunisia, London, Madrid, Jakarta, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheik, Amman, New Delhi and more. Not to mention NYC and Arlington VA and Shank’s Field PA. The authorities don’t look like fascists but people barely able to cope with the onslaught of evil that leads to Islamic nutcases beheading 16 year old Catholic Schoolgirls. Hard to make those guys sympathetic. Hard to make the authorities fighting these guys the enemy. At a time when people risk their lives to vote against bin Laden’s terrorists intent on blowing them up, the film is going to flop. Big time. Why? Because what people see on the news every day tells them the movie’s politics and story is full of garbage. What’s bigger is the agency problem of Hollywood. At a time when more and more of Hollywood’s core audience (male 12-24) is bailing out for video games that give them heroes to be and villains to defeat, Hollywood is intent on driving them away. Guys want to be John McClain defeating the terrorists in Die Hard, not being one of them. If I were Icann I’d be pushing this film as WHY Time-Warners should be broken up; a big terrorist attack killing say thousands of Americans (we can’t be lucky forever) contemporanous with release and not only is the film toast but so will Portman and Weaving as stars due to collateral damage. It’s pretty telling that the best Hollywood can come up with is a big slap in the face to “Jesusland” and the idea that terrorists are bad guys, instead of making a movie based on Flight 93, the guys in Afghanistan, or counter-terrorist guys. Being explicitly opposed to what most of your paying customers hold dear is a good way to lose their business.
Kerry L. gave it an8:
After reading the posts on the site, I felt inclined to put in my two cents. V was a fine movie, but as with any movie, it had flaws. The biggest flaw was Natalie Portman. She was poorly cast; the role seemed too big for her. The rest of the actors did an amazing job, especially Hugo Weaving even though you never see his face. The British actors did an excellent job, as they almost always do. The film has a fine plot, but it took entirely too much depth out of the novel. The film could have been about half an hour longer and been much better. What is very interesting about the story is that despite being written more than twenty years ago, it remains relevant today. Although not as good as it could have been, it is definitely worth watching. A mature audience which is not letting its political biases cloud its judgments will enjoy the film for what it is: a good action film, with a quality story.
Chris S. gave it a10:
The voting tells you more about people than the film. The story is a powerful one showing a future in which right wing extremism goes well, to extremes. The rankings seem less about the movie more about the readers reaction to the consequences of extremism in the state. I did not find the plot that unbelieveable, rather a bit too close to reality for comfort. Plagues like that are conceivable. Medi manipulation like that is conceivble. And the masses well we were led after September 11th weren't we? The way it critises those who hate for race or religious reasons...I can well understand their reactions to this movie. Better a backlash against the movie rather than one at ourselves. 10. Its novel. Its clever. No other movie like it. ...but its definatly not Superman saves the world.
Sylvok A gave it a9:
Was an alright movie, not the best ever made but one I still dont mind watching. Also side note, but did anyone else notice a large amount of the negative reviews seem to be copy-pasted. I think this got freepered at one point.
Dan gave it a10:
One of my favorite movies. I understand why some didn't enjoy this movie, but for me everything really came together. The story may be "juvenile" in terms of politics, but maybe it needs to be so that more people can understand it. Moving, and politically motivating. Take the chance if you are on the edge, it really is phenomenal.
Harry F. gave it a10:
This is an amazing film, great characters, lots of action, but at times it is also very dark and political, and even humourous at times. You will like the characters in this film, especially V, who is impossible not to like.
[Anonymous] gave it a10:
The 2006 movie V for Vendetta is an intelligent, action packed, political thrill ride. The movie is based on the David Lloyd graph novel. The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) wrote the screen play and James McTeigue directed this great movie. V for Vendetta takes place in a near future Great Britain with a totalitarian regime in power. The theme that portrayed throughout the movie is that the people should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people. The main character Evey Hammond (Nathalie Portman) is a working class woman who gets mixed up with the mysterious freedom fighter/terrorist known only as V. The man in the Guy Fox mask is played by Hugo Weaving (Mr. Smith in The Matrix). V wants nothing more than to topple the unjust and controlling totalitarian regime by any means necessary which brings up many ethical dilemmas throughout the movie. Symbolism is a huge part of the movie and is coupled with intelligent dialogue and allows for an intellectually rewarding experience. Nathalie Portman delivers a good acting performance and really goes all the way with shaving her head. Hugo Weaving delivers as well with the difficult situation of having to act without any facial expression and exclusively using tone of voice and hand gestures. Overall V for Vendetta satisfies your pallet for intelligent storyline, thrilling action sequences, and creative acting that keeps you engaged for the entire two hours of movie magic.

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