V for Victorious

Directed elegantly by James McTeigue, this film not only told the original story effectively, but the writing talent added by the Wachowski brothers made the movie a box office hit. It raked in almost 30 million dollars around the world on its opening weekend alone, and for good reason.

The film is set sometime in a futuristic Britain, which has a totalitarian government, and is about a freedom fighter known as V (Hugo Weaving) that opposes it. The heroine of the story is a young woman named Evey (a charismatic Natalie Portman), who is rescued from the secret police by V. She becomes an unlikely ally to him, and aids him in his plans to blow up the British Parliament buildings, like the revolutionary Guy Fawkes tried to do hundreds of years ago. Their ultimate goal is to destroy the people that made the citizens miserable, and restore the rights of minorities everywhere.

The film was original both in plot and expression. The constant action and flow of events keep the audience mesmerized, with their eyes glued to the screen and their minds furiously struggling to guess what will happen next. The identity and story of V is beautifully covered throughout, and Hugo Weaving magnificently took on the man behind the mask. The character itself was a bit boring and seen many times. Although the incorporation of it was certainly harmonious, the all-knowing, multi-talented, and wise character has dominated theatre forever, and it would have been nice to see a realistic human presented. Despite this, the rest of the characters where unique, interesting and certainly well assigned. Natalie Portman lit up the screen with her presence as usual, and brought Evey to life. She dominated the British accent, and moved the audiences with her excellent conveyances of emotion.

The themes that this film encircled were freedom, toleration, and the need to stand up when these unalienable rights are deprived. The plot is able to demonstrate these ideas well, and an overall sense of hope, even if you have nothing to fight, is undoubtedly left with the audience at the conclusion. The theme choices are made well, because the issues discussed are problems today, and even when we think we are living in a fair society, there are many that are oppressed and hurt, and this film stands up for them, and hopefully gives voices to those that need it.

The final aspect of the movie that must not go unmentioned is the flawless job done by the director and cameras. Each scene had a different perspective for the audience, and while watching it, the viewer can see and feel all that the characters see and feel. The lighting was extraordinary, mostly when used with V, and the different shades and emphases made that character as mysterious as he was.

This film was an overall success, in almost every area of filmmaking, including the box office, the script, the direction, the effects, the actors, the theme and so much more. Few can resist the charms of this thriller.