Spoiler Alert. What can I say, the Wachowski Brothers have done it again. This is a very well done adaptation of the 1980′s comic series. I had the privledge of watching this with my wife, her brother, mother, and aunt. Of course, it was right up our alley as young people, I mean for me, my wife, and brother-in-law, since it is about a man with a very intimate understanding of the corruption of the government situated in future Britain. However, I don’t quite know what to make of Kalila’s mother’s and aunt’s response. The comments the next morning from them seem to indicate that it simply is propagating anarchy against a Christian government (because of repeated references to God by the high chancellor) and endorsement of the Koran. I pointed out that perhaps we should not attach the principles of this movie to the particulars referenced to.

The principles of this movie are similar to that of Equilibrium: in the effort to prevent future war and social injustice/ills, a government tightens its grip of power by scaring its people into submission with manipulated media, and so producing a tightly regulated society, precluding religious, literary, and artistic freedom/expression. This movie highlights the corruption that led up to this system of control, and the main character “V” (Hugo Weaving) is out to knock off each person that was initially responsible for the current state. “V” is a wonderfully complex and mysterious character, although he is labeled as a “terrorist” by the state. He encounters an unasuming girl “Evey” (Natalie Portman) on the way to his first “event” and saves her as she was about to be raped by some members of the local law enforcement. The philosophical question pressed in this film is if there can be a “good” terrorism. Both the State and “V” carry forward “terrorism”, but can either one of these be justified. “V” believes that the corrupt state is simply reaping what they sowed, such that their terrorism toward him and the like caused his terrorism of them.

This movie was enjoyable to me on every level: dramatically, cinemagraphically, and philosophically. But I expect nothing less from the brothers Wachowski.