Not what it seems


V for Vendetta doesn't deserve all of it's criticism or it's praise
I've not seen V For Vendetta yet, but the rhetoric is already starting.

It's only a film, and you can't read too much into it.

Richard Roeper agrees.

You're going to be hearing a lot about "V for Vendetta" this week -- from people who have seen the movie, and from commentators who will tell you they don't need to actually watch the film to condemn it as a pro-terrorism piece of garbage.

Deep breath. Let's take a moment to discuss what the movie is really about.

Based on the acclaimed series of comic books by Alan Moore, "V for Vendetta" is set in the London in an alternate universe of the near future -- about 20 years from now. (Moore was burned by Hollywood when "A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was turned into one of the worst films in recent memory. He has disassociated himself from the movie version of "V for Vendetta.") That means it's fictional London.

Although the time frame is in the not-too-distant future, the London depicted in the movie bears only a structural resemblance to today's reality.

If World War II had been different

In "V," Big Brother has taken over Britain. The fascist leader of the country (played by John Hurt) is a Hitlerian tyrant who spews invective on giant monitors placed everywhere. Free speech, homosexuality and artistic expression have been outlawed; citizens must abide by a curfew; and the streets are controlled by secret police. The government has conducted gruesome medical experiments on innocent citizens, with tragic and horrific results.

In short, the London in "V for Vendetta" looks like the world if Germany had won World War II.

At least see the film before condemning it.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - March 15, 2006 at 04:37 AM  Tag


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