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From Amazon.co.uk
"Remember, remember the fifth of November," for on this day, in 2020, the minds of the masses shall be set free. So says code-name V (Hugo Weaving), a man on a mission to shake society out of its blank complacent stares in the film V For Vendetta. His tactics, however, are a bit revolutionary to say the least. The world in which V lives is very similar to Orwell's totalitarian dystopia in 1984: after years of various wars, England is now under "big brother" Chancellor Adam Sutler (played by John Hurt, who ironically played Winston Smith in the movie 1984) whose party uses force and fear to run the nation. After gaining power, minorities and political dissenters were rounded up and removed; artistic and unacceptable religious works were confiscated. Cameras and microphones are littered throughout the land, and the people are perpetually sedated through the governmentally controlled media. Taking inspiration from Guy Fawkes, the 17th century co-conspirator of a failed attempt to blow up Parliament on November 5, 1605, V dons a Fawkes mask and costume and sets off to wake the masses by destroying the symbols of their oppressors, literally and figuratively. At the beginning of his vendetta, V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from a group of police officers and has her live with him in his underworld lair. It is through their relationship where we learn how V became V, the extremities of the party's corruption, the problems of an oppressive government, V's revenge plot and his philosophy on how to induce change.
Based on the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore, V For Vendetta's screenplay was written by the Wachowski Brothers (of The Matrix fame) and directed by their protégé James McTeigue. Controversy and criticism followed the film since its inception, from the hyper-stylized use of anarchistic terrorism to overthrow a corrupt government and the blatant jabs at the current US political arena, to graphic novel fans complaining about the reconstruction of Alan Moore's original vision (Moore himself has dismissed the film). Many are valid critiques and opinions, but there's no hiding the message the film is trying to express: Radical and drastic events often need to occur in order to shake people out of their state of indifference in order to bring about real change. Unfortunately, the movie only offers a means with no ends, and those looking for answers may find the film stylish, but a bit empty. --Rob Bracco
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By G. O'Neill
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I dont see many blu-ray reviews here so I thought I would address that imbalance.
This is top notch entertainment. The film can be interpreted on many levels. It can be seen as an action flick with many amazing set pieces with gunfire, explosions and gory violence. Or it can be seen as a deep political statement with strong relevance to the uprisings happening currently in the middle east and north africa. The recurring message of mass popular acceptance of a dictatorship which is corrupt, violently reactive to any form of criticism and outrageously favouring cronies could have been referring to any one of the regimes now undergoing revolution. In Tunisia a man set fire to himself and provided the stimulus for people to wake up and use their collective power to overthrow their totalitarian government. In Egypt a Facebook page was the initial stimulus. V only exists because the fascist state experimented on him and his wish is to be the spark for a British revolution. It is a complex story of government manipulation of media, the deliberate creation of an atmosphere of fear where the populous feel a need to depend on the government. The parts are played beautifully. The lengthy verbose utterings of V are given life by Hugo Weaving who also plays small side roles. Natalie Portman doesnt quite pull of an English accent but still gives a deeply moving performance which completely drew me in and made me believe. John Hurt plays a psycho-nutter-fascist prime minister very well too.
Is it worth buying the blu-ray if you already have the dvd? Well, hmmmmmmm, sort of. I didnt see much improvement in the picture quality. But the soundtrack is a completely different story.... Read more ›
This is top notch entertainment. The film can be interpreted on many levels. It can be seen as an action flick with many amazing set pieces with gunfire, explosions and gory violence. Or it can be seen as a deep political statement with strong relevance to the uprisings happening currently in the middle east and north africa. The recurring message of mass popular acceptance of a dictatorship which is corrupt, violently reactive to any form of criticism and outrageously favouring cronies could have been referring to any one of the regimes now undergoing revolution. In Tunisia a man set fire to himself and provided the stimulus for people to wake up and use their collective power to overthrow their totalitarian government. In Egypt a Facebook page was the initial stimulus. V only exists because the fascist state experimented on him and his wish is to be the spark for a British revolution. It is a complex story of government manipulation of media, the deliberate creation of an atmosphere of fear where the populous feel a need to depend on the government. The parts are played beautifully. The lengthy verbose utterings of V are given life by Hugo Weaving who also plays small side roles. Natalie Portman doesnt quite pull of an English accent but still gives a deeply moving performance which completely drew me in and made me believe. John Hurt plays a psycho-nutter-fascist prime minister very well too.
Is it worth buying the blu-ray if you already have the dvd? Well, hmmmmmmm, sort of. I didnt see much improvement in the picture quality. But the soundtrack is a completely different story.... Read more ›
37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Evey
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This film stands as strong as the Matrix did in its day. Being loyal to the Matrix film, V for Vendetta is also decieving until the end. At first the film seems to be a comic book action film (similar to the Matrix) but by the end it asks some challenging questions about the nature of our reality and I believe there are many truths in this film. Notice the government logo is a doublecross and this is not by accident. The film asks the question, 'who are the real terrorists?' - and I think it is a viable question since this film is based in a fascist England with the gagging of the media to fabricate the news and the imprisonment of those who do not fit within the regime.
Evey's parents were imprisoned and died after becoming political activists when their son died of a virus outbreak and Evey realises that there is something wrong with their country.
In many ways this film paralells real life, many have said that the media is controlled, the government using covert means to control its people.
I completely fell in love with 'V' played by Hugo Weaving, and I must say is acting in this is flawless. I found that I could not entirely connect Hugo with 'V' as his accent was wonderful and his portrayal of 'V's character was a lot different to characters I have seen Hugo play before. 'V' is such a lovable character, there is one scene where Evey walks in on him play acting and he is embarrassed and doesn't know what to do with himself which I found hilarious.
But as with many characters 'V' has a tragic background which has sort him to exact revenge on others.... Read more ›
Evey's parents were imprisoned and died after becoming political activists when their son died of a virus outbreak and Evey realises that there is something wrong with their country.
In many ways this film paralells real life, many have said that the media is controlled, the government using covert means to control its people.
I completely fell in love with 'V' played by Hugo Weaving, and I must say is acting in this is flawless. I found that I could not entirely connect Hugo with 'V' as his accent was wonderful and his portrayal of 'V's character was a lot different to characters I have seen Hugo play before. 'V' is such a lovable character, there is one scene where Evey walks in on him play acting and he is embarrassed and doesn't know what to do with himself which I found hilarious.
But as with many characters 'V' has a tragic background which has sort him to exact revenge on others.... Read more ›
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having just read some other views I'm greatly suprised that anyone should dislike this film but I think as someone has already commented perhaps it is a film that you'll love or hate. I've certainly never seen so many reviews about one film on Amazon before, and whether peoples responses are positive or negative it's certainly got them all talking. I've not read the original comic book, and have not read 1984 since school which it was partly based on. However I still found this a very original, incredibly thought provoking film which blew me away. Hugo Weavings acting was absolutely spectacular and although I thought him a good actor I never realised he was a great actor. To make you feel for a character who's facial expressions you can't even see as they wear a mask all the time is no mean feat. I also thought despite some other peoples reviews here that Natalie Portmans performance was definitely her best yet and I thought her rather good and that she has potential to be a vey good actress.
My partner and I could not miss a second of it and had to pause it for toilet breaks and couldn't sleep for hours afterwards talking about it. After I'd watched it I had a similar feeling to when I'd first finished reading Lord of the Rings that I had just experienced something brilliant, the like of which one only experiences a few times in your life.
If you love brainless, mindless action films then this film probably isn't for you, if you want a film which will sit you down and make you think about your life and the society you live in, then this film is for you.... Read more ›
My partner and I could not miss a second of it and had to pause it for toilet breaks and couldn't sleep for hours afterwards talking about it. After I'd watched it I had a similar feeling to when I'd first finished reading Lord of the Rings that I had just experienced something brilliant, the like of which one only experiences a few times in your life.
If you love brainless, mindless action films then this film probably isn't for you, if you want a film which will sit you down and make you think about your life and the society you live in, then this film is for you.... Read more ›
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
grate
it was fantastic had been looking for it for ages love the film . glad to have the dvd for my colection
Published 8 days ago by Mizz Amanda
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Excellent film we really enjoyed watching it, my daughter is doing this production for school and we ordered the film to get an idea of the plot which was fantasic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Julie Longhurst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guy Faukes Tale
A beautifully crafted story with the feel of modern day, futurism and renaissance settings. A brilliant film, very well acted
Published 1 month ago by Miss H E Peckham
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Words simply cannot describe this film, the emotions and excitement it produced in me were amazing. This film is simply wonderful
Published 1 month ago by Oddguy8
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remember, remember this movie
Ok, whoever has an interest in history, conspiracy, politics, philosophy, futuristic development etc - this is the film to watch. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katja Hillebrandt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lyrically stunning
This is an Excellent film, one of my favourites of all time. Highly recommended. Some of the best vocal script writing of any movie.
Published 1 month ago by Stuart M. Gibb
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good it should be outlawed
One word - Wow. I read the back of the DVD case and it says the lead female character, Evie has to decide if V is villain, or hero, and after watching it, granted it is not real,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by David
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Film
I have watched this film many times, and it still make me fell amazing.
The detials in Dise 2 are very useful.
The detials in Dise 2 are very useful.
Published 1 month ago by YZLV
4.0 out of 5 stars
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Published 1 month ago by Vid
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent filmatisation!
This is an excellent filmatisation of the graphic novel of the same name. It is almost better than the graphic novel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jan Patrik Sahlstrøm
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