The Politics
The core of the movie is about the following question:
Can a terrorist be a hero?
V's answer to this question is a big "yes". Yes, a terrorist can be a hero. Yes, violence is justified, it might even be necessary in the fight against oppressive regimes. In the words of V, "blowing up a building can change the world."
Think about (even though V has some British architecture in mind) how relevant that is to our world today.
There are futher references to current world events. Obvious references to the Bush administration, Avian flu, attacks on the subway, the systematic persecution of gays and Muslims, unethical pharmaceutical companies, conservative pundits cynically cultivating fear, news channels devoted to hatred and intolerance (complete with a Bill O' Reilly-esque anchor), vivid allusions to Abu Ghraib and references to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria - it's all inside.
V is a terrorist, but is a government that controls its people through fear morally superior? Wasn't the Boston Tea Party terrorism in service of liberty? When do we call terrorism heroism? Ultimately, the political questions that you will have while watching V for Vendetta are what make the movie great to watch.
If you give don't give a **** about the politics, there are still some aspects of the movie that you might enjoy, but I don't think you'd enjoy it as much as I did.
The Good
Hugo Weaving is superb as V and deserves special praise for agreeing to spend the entire film behind a
Guy Fawkes mask. I knew there was something Agent Smith-ish about V's delivery, and I was happy to see Weaving in the credits. Portman is equally good while playing Evey and she provides some nice eye candy, as well
The action sequences were slickly choreographed, with V's steel knives slashing everything in sight, and beautiful, satisfying explosions.
The script is intelligent, slightly bordering on being a bit too talky, but it's focused more on character building than explosions.
I also enjoyed several references that were made to
1984 (the party motto, the "Big Brother" screens). I'm sure there are many more that I'd pick up if I watched the movie again.
The Bad
The film is not without it's flaws. The love story felt entirely useless to me. There were a few moments where V and Evey talk about things like life and art, and other crap. V for Vendetta would have been a better movie without them.
I have a feeling this comes from the Wachowski brothers habit of trying to be too intellectual and philosophical.