V for Vendetta
Those crazy Wachowski brothers sure have a knack for writing compelling stories about freedom. The Matrix is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of all time. I don't think V for Vendetta is /that/ amazing, but there is one way in which it trumps The Matrix: the relevance of its plot to modern life.
The system of control in the Matrix is transparent to those within its grasp. The people inside have no way of knowing that their free will is nothing but an illusion. In system of control in V, however, is much more tangible in terms of technological and political proximity to the modern world. The oppressors are not futuristic, mechanical overlords. They are regular people who came to power through the regular political process. Their tools, fear-mongering and xenophobia, should be familiar to anyone. Their motive, the consolidation of power in their own hands, is the same motive that drives all governments.
... After all that writing, I've just realized that what I really want to say is much simpler. In summary...
1) V for Vendetta is a sweet action movie. Go see it!
2) V for Vendetta is a frightening portrayal of where our country is headed with legislation like the USA PATRIOT Act. Even scarier is the fact that Britain and Australia may be even worse off than us! Scarier /still/ is that most people are so oblivious that they will probably sit through V for Vendetta without ever realizing how close we are to becoming 'citizens' of a police state.
4 comments:
You should read the comic too. It's interesting how they made the change from "the future" (1997) to the modernized movie one.
The thing that interests me most about the comic is that V is cast as more of anarchist that isn't on such solid moral ground, relative to the fascists.
V is still an anarchist in the new version. The Wachowski brothers are anarchists (think of this and wath the Matrix, a few of the lines will make more sense). In the movie, the supposition is that the people will then elect a new, non-fascist government I guess, but there is no garauntee of that. I believe that Guy Fawkes was an anarchist, but this is just through casual conversation so I'm not sure of the fact behind it.
Let me be more clear about my initial comment. In the movie, V is portrayed as more of an anti-fascist than an anarchist. Most people would agree that being anti-fascist is pretty awesome. From what I've read about the comic, V is a pure anarchist, and holds beliefs that [most ppl would find] less morally acceptable (or at least more ambiguous) than the beliefs/goals of the movie character.
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