"Remember, remember the 5th of November...

...The gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot"

V for Vendetta was excellent.

I had high hopes for it considering that it came from the mind of Alan Moore but that hope was laced with a slight anxiety because of the way that they had butchered The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But then again, this was a Wachowski Brothers production and coming right off a Matrix trilogy marathon screening, the anxiety was significantly reduced.

V is a story about rebellion, resistance and all things seditious. It is a wake up call for the politically apathetic and a rallying cry for anarchists everywhere. Strange that a film with all these subversive elements should make it into a country with a very prominently controlling government. Thankfully, it made it to these shores and uncut at that. (An M18 rating ensured that the subplot that deals with a lesbian prisoner actually stayed in...way to go ratings system!)

That said, I think that the film was released about 2 years too late for it to have been truly relevant. The idea that a voice of resistance is integral in times of turmoil, when people look blindly to their governments to lead the way, is an idea that should have been broadcast in the US during the height of 911 fever. (One wonders if the message would have been accepted or rejected as being unpatriotic, thus justifying the release date.)

All in all, a very nice flick. Like the Ws write in their introduction to The Matrix, it is actually possible to make an action flick that is not brainless and a brainy flick that isn't boring.

Hats off to you. And now to get a Guy Fawkes* mask...

*Fitting really, that a terrorist that is burnt in effigy every 5th of November becomes a symbol for freedom from oppression and a (supposed) guidepost toward a more democratic system of government.