With a masked man using theatrics and terrorist tactics to make what is arguably a very good point, V For Vendetta is poised to be the most divisive and thought-provoking movie--or at least "big" movie--of the year. Thankfully, it's also the strongest, most exciting and most intelligent thrill ride since The Matrix. Based on and updated from Alan Moore and David Lloyd's eerily relevant mid-'80s graphic novel, V follows a man in a Guy Fawkes mask (Hugo Weaving) who, aided by the sometimes unwilling Natalie Portman, exposes, undermines and ultimately stands up to a fascist government.
While some will be annoyed by the suggestion that terrorists are people, too, others will revel in its socially and politically charged plot. Granted, like the book, the movie is slow in spots, but it is ultimately a literate and intelligent film that will have people talking.