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Parents' Guide to

V for Vendetta

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Complex but heavy-handed action film. Adults only.

Movie R 2006 131 minutes
V for Vendetta Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 26 parent reviews

MomGamr
MomGamr Adult
July 11, 2020
age 15+

Ignore the 2 stars, this movie is excellent.

This movie's rating is way too low. 2 stars is ridiculous. The photography, dialogue, intrigue, action, musical score and special effects are excellent. That said, I would recommend it for older teens for the following reasons: 1)Complicated politics: involving corruption, intrigue, sabotage. Themes that might be harder for kids under 14 to understand. (But if your child is interested in these topics he/she may really enjoy it.) 2)Sexual violence/Torture. There isn't any on-screen sexual violence, but the threats of it are present, as in real life. The torture is emotionally intense, but limited. Showing this in the political context is important. Ugly, but important. 3)Bloody violence. There isn't alot of it. Some of it is generalized, like what you would see in any action film or video game with guns, and some of it is up close (the context is revenge), so, its disturbing, but not gory (some blood, no guts). Ultimately, it's a political film about extreme governments and their players: from the head of the government on down public workers. It explores the actions people take (supporting it, accepting it or resisting it or fighting against it).
Brandi44
Brandi44 Parent of 9 and 12-year-old
June 5, 2011
age 13+

What are some of these people talking aboout?

First of all, the only reason this should be R is because of the storyline that is probably too complicated for younger kids. But if you are rating the content, this movie could be PG-13. Seriously guys? Whoever thinks you should be 17 and older to watch this film are WAY to protective over there kids... Anyways, great movie worth watching if your 13 and over so you understand this movie.
See all 26 parent reviews

What's the Story?

More generic action movie than philosophical investigation, V FOR VENDETTA focuses on a young woman's political education. The underlying, irresolvable question has to do with terrorism: why and how are people pushed to commit it, and what might it achieve, aside from fear and oppression? Can calculated violence, ever, as its proponents argue, lead to "freedom"? At the center of is masked terrorist V (Hugo Weaving), who battles against a very corrupt British regime. Out after curfew, Evey (Natalie Portman) is about to be raped by some bad cops when V appears, kills them, and initiates his instruction of the vulnerable Evey in his anarchistic plot. V's rage is fueled by the usual superhero's past trauma. While the movie allows that torture only reproduces terrorism and violence, it also presents V's scheme as revolutionary and effectively symbolic. While V is hunted by a decent cop Finch (Stephen Rea), he keeps Evey at his secret lair, where he makes her tea and eggs for breakfast. Her eventual escape only leads her to a more awful place, imprisoned and tortured. At last, she admits, she is no longer afraid to die. And in this, she finds what V calls "freedom."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (26 ):
Kids say (83 ):

Heavy-handed pronouncements exemplify V for Vendetta's distrust of viewers to interpret what they see, making the film's political and social commentary seem more cartoonish than insightful. Yes, imperialism is really bad, and yes, Nazi-ish iconography is a sure sign of a regime's need for change. What's less clear, and could use some reflection, is how V's violent acts will or will not produce more victims and vigilantes. "Freedom and justice are more than words," he says, "They are perspectives." And as such, they need rethinking at every step.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's presentation of terrorism as reasonable response to state oppression. Is violence ever an appropriate response? How do the evil chancellor's raging and V's tragic background (abused and institutionalized as a child) make V's cause seem sympathetic, even if it's illegal and aggressive? How does Evey's own childhood loss of her parents make her ready to be V's protégé? For fans of the book, families can discuss the differences between the film and its inspiration.

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