V FOR VENDETTA Is The Most Dangerous Film Of The Year

Damn fine work, Devin. I was also thinking about that Dead Kennedys song ("We've Got A Bigger Problem Now") earlier today. Now I definitely have to see this, I don't care how much it strays from the graphic novel.

Great article Devin. I would absolutely LOVE for the film to have that effect on the public. Something tells me it won't, after seeing their reaction of apathy to the whole privacy issue, but if it does, I'll love this film forever.

I think we're really going to need people like O'Reilly rallying against it for people to notice. If conservatives just ignore it, I can see the message flying right over people's heads, with it just fading out as hollywood action fare.

Well I guess I've just lost confidence in the general public's ability to grasp unmissable concepts.

I want to respond to this article and even though I've read the graphic novel, I feel like if I talk about the film without seeing it(even though you're talking more about thematic issues within the work), then I'm no better than the shmucks over at Libertas.

Do you really feel that this film will change the way tweens think about these kinds of issues, if they think of them at all? I'm all for movies that challenge the audience, and I'm very much looking forward to this one, but I hardly feel that changing how a 13 year old feels about something is going to have any lasting impact whatsover.

If O'Reilly doesn't rip and crucify V for Vendetta I'm sure someone at Fox News Channel will.

I guess I just have less faith in the youth of today than the youths of past, but hopefully they will prove me wrong.

You're a generation removed from today's 13 and 14 year olds. While I want to believe that they'll care, do you really see that sort of budding activism as a nascent quality in today's young teenagers?

It's not about the youth, it's about the cultural environment. You're what, 31? The world of 1988 is not the same as 2006 and the amount of information thrown at today's young people is growing at an exponential rate.

Right, and many of them have stayed retards as evidenced by our current political and cultural climate.

I'm not going to argue with that.

I can't help but have that attitude when I think about the environment that kids are growing up in today. I realize that as kids we all like stupid shit because that is just how it is, but it just seems like every stupid thing kids are into is even stupider than stuff in the past. And just so you know, I am 21 and I've worked at a major toy store for over 4 years, so I have seen firsthand the kinds of things that appear to be popular with kids these days. Now I know judging a generation based on what toys they like is pretty stupid, but it isn't completely. When your biggest selling toys are a group of whore dolls aimed at 10 year old girls and Tamogatchi 2.0, then I just have a hard time believing that these kids are really going to be thinking for themselves all that much for at least a couple more years. For everything that I felt and thought I knew at 12 years old that I still feel the same way about, there are probably 100 other things that I have changed my mind on. I guess I basically just intended to say that I would assume it could have a potentially greater impact on say, 16 or 17 year olds as opposed to 13 and 14 year olds.

Does anyone know if O'Reilly has talked about this movie yet? Didn't Fox News decide to just ignore Brokeback Mountain, instead of taking the "bait" and giving the movie free publicity?

"If the modern concept of terrorism had been in vogue in 1776, I can guarantee to you that that would be how the Revolutionaries would have been smeared by the British. Instead they had to stick to the usual old-fashioned lines of treason and such. In the end the American Revolution was the illegal use of violence to make political change – and if you don’t believe it was illegal, I suggest you do some reading as to find out why the signing of the Declaration of Independence was such a big deal. Each man who signed that document essentially signed his own death warrant, should he be captured – the British didn’t recognize American sovereignty and saw the Revolutionaries only as traitors who would be hung."

I was just using this argument in a discussion the other day and it's one that should be obvious to any American with even the most basic understanding of our history.
Brilliant fucking article. While many complain about you putting a political spin on so many things, I welcome it. This site is about movies and pop culture but it's always healthy to have someone putting something out there that reminds us that there's a bigger picture that we need to think about as well. Much of the art we view requires thought, debate and analyzation. It's nice to see that we're going through a period of films that hold weight and warrant these discussions. I can't wait to see V.
It's sort of amusing/scary to think that the graphic novel went through a period of time where it was considered sort of dated and irrelevant and now, here we are in 2006 and it seems sort of precient.

I'm more than happy to review any information you have on the subject.

I'm not basing "involved youth" on anything. I'm talking about competition for attention and there's more now than there was then. The internet drastically changes the paradigm.

I guess I just have a hard time believing you're in touch with what today's 12 and 13 year olds think. I'm not saying that I do, but I will say that there's more information easily available to them than they can process. V is entering into a very crowded arena.

I don't think the internet and the added avenues of information make this generation any more or less susceptible to receiving and processing ideas. New technology making current generations dumber is a crutch that each passing generation uses to slam the next one with. There has always been apathetic idiots who don't care about what's going on and there always will be. Just as there has always been, and still is, those who have their eyes wide open and are willing to fight for change.

I am also not sure if this movie really is going to have that strong of an appeal to young adults. I would certainly like it to be as successful as possible, but I don't know if it really has had anything advertised so far that will make boys of all ages want to have to see it no matter what. If it does begin to turn into, "the movie that they don't want us to see," then that should be enough to draw them in I guess.

When did I say the word "dumber"? I just said that V is entering a crowded field of information and therefore may not reach people as easily as it might have twenty years ago.

And if you don't think the Internet makes it easier to access information (even if the information is of questionable veracity), then may I introduce you to a website called Google?

Nope, Fox News gave it all kinds of free publicity, as you say. O'Reilly tried to claim it was a bomb the weekend it came out "because it's only made a total of $15 million." (Again, that's in its FIRST weekend. O'Reilly clearly understands that his viewers are morons.) Over at Slate (I think) there were some articles depserately trying to spin the idea that Brokeback is not the hit the liberal commie Hollywood accountants claim it is, or something.

Ironically, I really felt Brokeback wasn't well served by all the hype. In fact, I always feel a little uneasy about heavy-handed polemics in the movies that basically support my viewpoint, because hard-right conservos have successfully created a "Hollywood vs. America" knee-jerk reaction. If Hollywood says it, it MUST be wrong. Unless they agree with us, of course.

It certainly doesn't help if the movie is clumsy or poor.

Great preview Devin. Its funny that conservatives don't like the film precisely because it hits so close to their reality. Their bluster proves the one of the film's points.

Those are cool posters. If it isn't the Obey Giant guy, its an okay knockoff.

My interest in V For Vendetta was pretty much zero thanks to the combination of the sheer shittery of previous Moore adaptations and the involvement of the Wachowskis. Given the stodgy, posturing psuedo-deep speechifying and intrusive videogame action of the Matrix sequels, I considered them possibly the worst candidates to adapt something like this. The trailer did nothing to change my mind, as it looked to me like a student film made by someone whose only influences were The Matrix and the petulant "pissing off my parents" rhetoric of Rage Against The Machine.

However, if Devin's right and they've managed to produce something that can provoke genuine depth and debate then I'll be more than happy to eat my words.

Devin - you speak the truth. Absolutely fantastic article. You see some of those same problems in the UK with Tony Blair - a so-called Lefty who is so right wing he makes Thatcher proud (God, I hate him as much as Bush).

This was definately near the top of my list, but it is now a movie I have to see on opening night in Leicester Square. And I do have to get one of those way cool posters.

Yes, but what was the bullet-time like?

Just wanted to chime in and say I really enjoyed this article after the first two paragraphs. There was an article in the Economist a while back comparing turn of the century anarchy with how we perceive terrorism today. If they've managed to keep even a third of the tone from the books in the film, I'll be pleasantly surprised. Having said that though, the trailer does imply that they've simplified certain aspects of the book.

Another top piece of work dev.

Im finally reading the graphic novel of this at this moment and sweet jesus if I dont see this film soo I may just burst.

The idea of my beloved fellow Melbornite Hugo as V has me beside myself.

Yeah, but would you vote Cameron to get him out of office? That's the problem I have with all this...everyone's telling me I have all this choice, in politics, in what I buy, in what I wear, whereas in fact I don't. I don't have a choice, I just have the illusion of choice.

people voted Blair in just to get the Conservative government out of office. I think that's a completely reckless way of choosing how to vote. Not to mention the fact that by the time of the next election, it'll be a choice between Gordon Brown and David Cameron.

I want to preface my post with saying that I generally liked this article, and this is saying alot considering I do consider myself a center slightly right leaning person. I may not agree with you 100% Devin, I have to admit you are very right in alot of important points and are to be comended for not letting this article devolve into a psudeo rant. It is a smart peice of work that probably should be read by more people then it will.

I do have one point that was brought up in the article that I would love to discuss with you guys.

I personally think there is a clear line dividing Terrorism and Freedom Fighters. There is a differnce between the Boston Tea Party and suicide car bombing. I personally think that line is WHO you are attacking. The revolutionaries of 1776 didn't kill British citizens, they killed British soldiers. The terrorists who are so rampant today go for any one of opposing race, religion, or nationality, often they find the biggest crowd and blow themselves up. It sends a strong message to be sure (well hardley the message now then say 20 years ago) but it isnt the same message being sent by George Washington and the first American revolutionaries. I truly think that to effect change you need to first make a clear identification of why the government needs to be changed. They did that in 1776, they did that in Afghanistan when it was under Russian occupancy, they even did it in Vietnam when we were there. I think though for groups like Al Queda and the such they dont have specific government they are agianst, they dont even have a specific nation they represent. They are religious fanatics, 10x worse then our own bible belt. They are differnt then even the people represented in V for Vendetta. If they truly didnt want us in their countries then the right course of action is attacking those troops stationed in thier country. The Iraqi insurgents have said so much more to the world by putting up such a fight in Iraq then anything Osama or any of his lackys ever have said.

There is a fine line between Terroism and Revolutionary, but the line is there.

Great article, Devin.

Guys and girls, it really is a good movie. Trust me.

Trust Nordling. Trust Nordling. Trust Nordling.

Damn straight. I won't shoot off in your mouth, and the check really is in the mail.

If Im re-hashing points that have already been discussed, I apologize. The thing is, I want to see this movie. My political views already match those that Devin is saying the film is trying to endorse. The problem I see, is that I don't think a movie can be dangerous anymore. It's not going to change my mind, as I already agree with it. Fahrenhiet 911 didn't change my mind, because I already agreed with it. Even with Moore's (Michael that is) extreme propaganda (and I don't mean that negatively) those that already leaned extreme right, stayed that way. It did fuel the fire of the existing believers, but the result, I fear, was still impotent. How can a movie draw in the people it needs to convince? Unfortunately, no matter how good this movie is (and I will find out for myself as soon as possible), don't you think it will spend most of its run preaching to the choir?

Fahrenheit 9/11 wasn't masquerading as a cool action movie.

If a movie is going to change anyone's minds in this day and age, it's going to have to affect the youth most of all, those who haven't been entirely locked in to their beliefs yet. Considering how this film's being marketed, there's actually a chance of that.

As such, I also guarantee, saying the sweet innocent children of America are in danger of becoming terrorists is how the conservatives are going to attack the film, if they decide to attack it at all (and I sincerely hope they do).

I completely agree. And I think that's why I get so pissed off.

I think AICN Moriarty said it best

I can't wait to see the flick, it looks great but I think we would be wishing for too much to think that a movie based on a comic book would change the world. I think that some liberals are thinking that this movie may give them a soap box to stand on but it is a movie, a work of fiction based on a comic book that was concieved *gasp* before Bush was even in office, before the current war on terror.

I spent my formative years chasing down every violent, pro-gun, pro-vigilante justice, kill the drug and sex obsessed teens film I could find. I'd bet Devin did something similar. I don't think either of us are very right wing.

Shut up, you fucking nazi.

Excellent work, Devin. I don't agree with your politics (but then why should I...they are yours and not mine), and I often find you at best a well spoken, good writer who likes pithy send-offs and stirring the pot. You also have shit taste in films (but it's your taste, etc etc), and you are a pretentious know-it-all windbag who is rarely open for discussion, just belittling opposing viewpoints and shunting the discussion to comfortable (for you) realms.

But that's the message board.

This is an op-ed on a very exciting film. I think you got the ages of impressionable kids wrong...the ones that matter are 17 and 18. Still beholden to the action spectacle V promises, but possibly interested (though they may not know it) in more. The 13 or 14 year old is not. Not yet.

One thing you brought up again and again is the key point V could hit home. The very cornerstone of democracy is debate and discourse. Our fundamental failing, besides the fact that both major US parties are much more alike than different, is that their is no avenue of educated communication between them. Ideologically, liberals and conservatives represent extreme sides of an issue. Sometimes one of them is right and the other is wrong. But not often. Usually, the actual answer appears in between the two, the balance between being generous and being taken advantage of. In being safe, and being totalitarian. As with most things in life, a balance is needed. The balance cannot be reached without open minds and open discussion.

Still, an excellent op-ed.

No, you shut up.

Something about this generation of kids getting more access to information and such (example Google)... reminded me of this: Epic 2015

It's on subject IMO.