V for Vendetta
 

I have not seen a movie which absolutely took hold of me and captivated me in such a way for a very, very long time.

It's hard to describe. And I don't think it would help much if I did. Saying too much would diminish the magic involved and the overall quality of the movie. Go see it with as few spoilers as you can possibly manage.

Is it political? Hell yes. Does it criticize Bush? Not directly, but you can see they were going for a parallel. Only one reference was so overt that it made me take notice.

I just found the whole experience refreshing as hell. And not because I'm an anarchist (I'm not), but because I enjoy movies.

And this one's hard not to enjoy. I went with friends of mixed political leanings, and all were equally enamored.

Don't let the politics turn you off to it.

See it.

SEE IT NOW.

I'm definitely planning to see it. Have you read the comics, IJD? They're by Alan Moore, a brilliant (if slightly overrated) writer with a huge cult following and stuff like Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen under his belt. My understanding is that Moore's political target with this story, insofar as he had one, was Margaret Thatcher. The Wachowksis have apparently updated it somewhat.

The parallels between Alan Moore and Frank Miller are really strong. Both are cult-favourite comics writers who wrote hugely important stories for established characters (Moore for Superman, Miller for Daredevil and Batman), then went on to do even more popular original work (Sin City in Miller's case). And while Moore attacked Margaret Thatcher in V For Vendetta, Miller viciously satirized Ronald Reagan in The Dark Knight Returns.

I've seen it.

I'll see it again tomorrow.

You should see it, too. Multiple times, if possible.

Gatac

I saw it. I thought it was pretty good for the most part. Some of the lines of dialog got a bit corny, and whatnot, and I could have done without the random Matrix-esque sequence they threw in at the end. But overall, a rather powerful movie that did what it set out to do.

There were a few examples of corny dialogue. But I would say the overall execution was so great that none were terribly noticable. I was hooked from the start.

And Moore v. Miller? Interesting. But the parallels end with their take toward their movie adaptations. Miller was very, very involved with the adaptation for Sin City, to the point where he's writing a brand new story for the sequel. Meanwhile, Moore had his name excised from the credits for V for Vendetta, mostly due to the changes.

And yes, I have heard there were plenty of changes. Thatcher stuff was updated for the Bush era, V has been somewhat humanized, and the final chapter takes a wholly different form.

I also don't really care. The movie was fantastic in its current execution. Fantastic. It really needs to be taken on its own merits. Which are numerous.

It was more, I felt, generally anti-Establishment than it was anti-Thatcherite. The early Hellblazer stories did however have very much an anti-Thatcher bent to them, and of course as an interesting aside John Constantine originally apeared as a character in Moore's Swamp Thing. (Forget the film though, that was so much crap - Keanu Reeves as John Constantine? What the hell were they thinking?)

I shall look forward to seeing it very much, but as to when I cannot say - it took an age before I managed to see Batman Begins (eugh, and how I wish I hadn't), and being off the beaten track up here somewhat it's possible that it may never even be screened. I certainly doubt it'll still be in cinemas by the time I get back down to Stoke, anyhow, which is a pity because I'd really rather like to see it in one.