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pwsull wrote:

Higher praise I could not have wished for, and especially from someone with as impressive a literary education as yourself!

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Doctor Delia wrote:

I also wanted to write a review as part of the Films of Hugo Weaving thread on the Mass Media forum, but it seemed like such an undertaking.
Anyway, now that we have been dissecting this film for almost 2 years, it might be interesting to see what all of the remaining member think about it in retrospect.

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Vivified wrote:

Wow Pwsull, what a dynamic review! I too am glad you bumped this thread, as I had not seen it before. I would be honored if you could send me the pdf of your original article.

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None the less the Wachowski’s trademark is stamped all over the production. Fortunately though, this film can trace its creative lineage to the thought provoking, original “The Matrix” rather than its two disappointing sequels.

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I believe many of the professional reviewers of this film "got it wrong" or didn't get it at all (especially Manohla Dargis of The NY Times, and David Denby of The New Yorker). They focused on its comic book origins and the previously mined literary territory it is derivative of.

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As an old fan of "graphic" (comic book) literature, I probably accept the broad premises and conventions of the movie's source material less critically than Ms. Dargis and Mr. Denby do. One can not escape the fact that the movie is based on the “graphic novel” written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd twenty plus years ago.

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But V is a very different kind of comic book animal, whose motivation and demons are compelling in spite of the broad, archetypal brush strokes with which he is painted.

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The Wachowskis have improved and updated the original material, crafting a movie that is plot driven, and provocative. They go far beyond the “action-adventure” genre the ads and trailers suggest, and into mystery, romance, and political intrigue with compelling cinematic mastery.

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It is clear that the film makers are grinding a present day political axe here, but it is done so seamlessly, within the context of compelling story, that it does not come off as preaching.

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V is a monster “created” à la Frankenstein by a totalitarian government.

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Quite disturbingly, he is as mentally ill and sociopathic as the political leaders he is planning to topple.

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Despite the perpetually smiling Guy Fawkes mask he wears, Weaving is able to communicate V’s tortured complexity and humanity through vocal intonation, posture, and gesture.

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But V’s methods are reprehensible, and in the final analysis, the only real difference between V and his fascist antagonists is that his ideals are liberty, freedom, open-mindedness, and altruism, while theirs are power, control, and intolerance.

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