Wow. Movies always affect me more than they probably should. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, necessarily, but it’s definitely a thing.

I just tonight had the chance to watch V for Vendetta. I’ve never read the graphic novel, and as such I came to the movie with pretty much no expectations and no history with the story line. I did read something somewhere that made me think that the story hinged on Natalie Portman’s character being raped, though, and I’m quite happy to find that it did not and that she was not.

I’ll leave the story’s synopsis for those who enjoy such things are are better equipped for this one.

But wow. I was very taken by the well-crafted story. I was impressed once again with Hugo Weaving’s acting ability and absolutely loved the dialog. The themes that the movie (and graphic novel it’s based on) are dark and serious and far more realistic than the general population wants to believe. As futuristic as the film would have us believe it is, it’s actually not–and I think that that’s truly the power behind it. The beautifully crafted scenes, dialogs, action sequences and sets and the wonderfully well-acted parts within them by Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, and all the rest serve to bring to life a very real and serious reality. I’ll paste V’s first speech to the people of the country to demonstrate…

Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security, the familiar, the tranquility, repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone’s death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the annunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance, and depression. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.

Now that, my friend, is one well-crafted and powerful monologue–and one that holds truth for our current day and culture. Let me paste again that which speaks loudest to me:

And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance, and depression. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to (the government, the judges of the land, politicians). (They) promised you order, (they) promised you peace, and all (they) demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

I am quite certain that many of you won’t get this. But there is something terribly wrong with this country. We also have handed control over to those who are now dictating what is and is not acceptable without our consent nor our input.

Get it?

Wake up, Neo. The Matrix has you.