Review Of The Film V For Vendetta
Following the war, London has become a police state gripped in turmoil by a fascist government and a vigilante secretly known as Vendetta but goes only by V. V uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressors of the world in which he now lives. When V saves a young woman named Evey from the secret police, he discovers an ally in his fight against England’s oppressors.
The central theme of this film is freedom and its relationship with the absence of the government. Revenge is a powerful emotion that can make people do regrettable things and be satisfying when achieved yet can be all consuming for certain individuals and hurts not only the victim, but also the people caught in the crossfire.
In V for Vendetta, V is characterized by his powerful actions, appearance, and motivations which he uses to fight against England’s oppressors. In the film, V never reveals his face. He wears a Guy Fawkes mask which symbolizes an anti-government and his appreciation of the rebellion by wearing a symbol of oppression. He hides his face because he is not the same man from years before and prefers to keep his identity protected. He makes a remark saying “Beneath this mask there is more than flesh, beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.” This signifies V’s idea of revolution and there’s nothing that can stop his idea. It’s not until the end of the film when we realize the importance of the mask and the purpose it served for V when thousands of people wearing the same mask march to the Tower of London to symbolize the revolution. V also uses his actions to express how he feels about the government.
The main conflict that viewers have is the question whether or not V is a hero or a villain. V wants revenge for the injustice of the British government and what people have done to him creating a new government. This makes V a hero in the film. Through V’s process of planning and executing these plans, he pick’s different buildings and uses them as a symbol for the citizens of Great Britain. Without the use of symbols in this movie, no change would have occurred in the government and for the people of Britain. V states that “A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.” This quote highlights the final scene when the Tower of London blows up, marking the end of the rebellion. Throughout the film there are some motivations that make V stand out as a character. In his out rage against the government, V mudurs people. He is unafraid of facing his victims and shows no mercy. V is sentimental in his connection with former prison mates but his main motivation is to get revenge to get back at the lab and stop the oppression. This is well represented by the Scarlet Carson which he gives to his victims symbolizing those lost and buried with the Carsons.
Another motivation is V doesn’t want suffering. He desire is to change the system and take down the government from the inside. However throughout the film, V uses revenge as his main motivation to revolt against the corrupt British government. It's what fuels his anger in killing people. In his ways of doing so, he uses his violent actions that define him as a character throughout the film. There are three characteristics are what define V as a character. His motivations, appearance, and motivations. Throughout the film, these are powerful and make a statement of rebellion for the people of Britain.
I thought there was an important message conveyed in the film and that is revenge. It’s an emotion that can make people do regrettable things yet people do so much to achieve it. There is a significant remark V makes, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” This highlights the oppression of the people and the impact they made on the government based on V.
Overall I enjoyed this film. The messages conveyed are seamlessly connected with issues of our present day. For example, protests all over the nation take place trying make an impact on our society. The director effectively characterized V by making him prominent throughout the film making him carry the main message of revolution and revenge through his actions, dialogue, motivations and appearance.
