initial impression of "V for Vendetta"

[firecat]

Very clever of Hugo Weaving to get away from his face's being typecast as "Mr. Smith" by doing his next role entirely behind a mask.

I overall liked the movie although I thought it tried to do a bit too much. That is, I felt covered with a lot of loose ends afterward. And I didn't like the ending - I understand that they had to do something for the entertainment of all those people who showed up (as kyubi said to me afterward), but it's not like the whole thing was the building's fault.

And of course there were plot holes large enough to drive tube cars through, but that's typical of the genre.

I am suspicious of action movies that purport to contain political messages, because I think watching an action movie is cathartic and bleeds off anger, and so doesn't reinforce the urge a person might have to actually take political action. So despite all the political trappings of this movie, I have to recommend it as entertainment only.

Oh yeah - as far as I recall, it doesn't pass the Bechdel Ginger Benchmark. [sigh]

Comments

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I do think that he had a lot of overcoming (in terms of being typecast to do). In evidence, I submit that *HUGE* number of jokes that went around the internet that spoofed him delivering Agent Smith dialogue in Lord of the Rings in the scenes containing Elrond. A lot of people on my friends list and among my in person friends said that that's all they could think of whenever he was on-screen, as well, and I heard people in the theatre whispering, 'Mr. Anderson,' after his lines.

I'm not sure that appearing in a mask will help that, though. But the terribleness of the sequels seem to have knocked The Matrix down several pegs in the "cultural icon" stakes, so maybe time will do the job.