God damn. It feels like I'm coming out of hibernation. Well, I'd better follow you lead here, Harry, and post a review.

V For Vendetta

Well, damn. I must admit that I was most impressed with this film, but not in the fanboy sense that a lot of others were impressed. I did not read the graphic novel and shall hardly mention it here, as I know little about it.

This film is so modern and yet so timeless that I couldn't help but want to cheer at certain points. The film's tackling of the subjects of government control, religious fundamentalism, group anxiety, and martyrdom was both fabulous and efficient. But most importantly, I must praise the film for being entertaining.

I was rooting for V midway through his “V-speech” at the beginning. And though I wanted more action throughout several sections of the movie, I was quenched when I reached the climax kill-scene (which, apparently, was absent from the graphic novel... too bad for them).

As far as the acting goes, this was BY FAR my favorite Natalie Portman performance. There was a scene after the head-shaving scene where she broke down and it was right there that she tore away any doubts that I might have had, previous to this film, about her acting abilities. Oh, and it was great to hear Agent Smith's voice without having to see Elrond's face. The guy oozes with charisma (in a creepy way), but it is his VOICE that is most appealing. And the cop... I loved this guy's performance. The side characters' performances not only kept the film afloat while our main characters were absent, they added a lot to the film itself.

The only acting job that I didn't enjoy was that of the usually great John “Alien” Hurt. A wee bit over the top, I say. Could have been a little bit more like Dubya and a little bit less like Adolf. Subtlety, man.

There also is a slight downside with the film's feeling of inevitability. I was never too surprised about anything that was going to happen. In fact, I pretty much knew where this was going from shot one. I think that that's too bad because if there was just a little bit more of something in this film it might have blown my mind.

All in all, I recommend this film to everyone. Even my right-wing girlfriend at the time liked V For Vendetta. So you should, too.

4.5 out of 5.