Movies continue to reflect the highly-charged political moods of the day with V for Vendetta, an adaptation of a comic book series turned graphic novel by Alan Moore (whose name is not listed in the film's credits). When Moore wrote his story in the '80s, the idea of a revolutionary terrorist would not necessarily have been a push-button topic; presented today, it may be viewed as sensitive. This observation, though, may only be one more piece of evidence backing up the story's general potency, for as governing bodies have used fear to control various populations throughout history, it is surely still happening across the globe now on a much more visible public stage. Thus, the sensitivity of V for Vendetta's arrival as a movie only emphasizes its good sense of timing.

The story takes place in a dystopic future (what other kind is there?) where the government of Great Britain rules over its people in a totalitarian state. Plotting against the system is a mysterious, skillful figure wearing a Guy Fawkes mask who calls himself "V" (Hugo Weaving), whose goal is to methodically incite the populace to stand up against its wicked leaders in what will be a dramatic show of defiance (which involves the planned demolition of certain British landmarks). This unusual mission of idealism is mirrored by the movie itself -- it has no concerns of following any normal conventions of entertaining its audience and seems more occupied with the loftier goals of getting viewers to consider its ideas.

This approach creates a tradeoff -- political discourse in the place of feel-good action -- and the movie does have a bit of trouble handling that. Its script was written by The Matrix's Wachowski Brothers, with the Matrix series' assistant director, James McTeigue, taking over as the head director here. The Wachowskis are making it a habit of writing movies in which the characters pronounce all their ideas instead of having those ideas emerge naturally and being integrated in the narrative. Again, a formality takes center stage over messier human interactions.

An added concern relates to noble ideas (the price of freedom, the value of art) simply being restated as another pulse in the history of such discussions rather than explored from a specific or more personal perspective. Complementarily, the film tracks the idealogical development of its protagonist, who is not V (he's mainly a catalyst), but a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman). As the audience's surrogate, Evey, who has every reason to be distrustful of her government, is put on a path to achieve full acceptance of V's radical position. However, through the method of her quite unorthodox indoctrination, the journey can't help but feel awkwardly mechanical.

In the Matrix series, the Wachowskis also had a problem with naturally expressing their ideas visually; V for Vendetta, fortunately, does better in that department. Perhaps because it's based on another visual medium (comics), perhaps because McTeigue is directing, this movie at least offers a few interesting visual motifs. It makes liberal use of Orwellian imagery (tv screens everywhere) and juxtaposes Nazi symbolism (the bad guys sport an angular symbol) with anarchic symbolism (letter enclosed in a circle). Evey's transformation is also made starkly visual. And V's constant wearing of his mask ensures that the man behind it is never mixed up with the ideas represented by the mask. He's a living ideal, a walking symbol, and the movie successfully keeps the line drawn and the focus intact there. This is a good strategy because it supports the movie's overall feel of formality.

What this movie creates is a slightly odd feeling of "show and tell," with both "show" and "tell" equally distinct. If the film  isn't showing us its ideals with imagery, it's telling us through the oratory of its characters. Whether or not this is ultimately successful as a method of audience engagement remains a question mark, but V for Vendetta deserves credit for the attempt. The Wachowskis, for better or worse, continue to exhibit a willingness to alienate their constituency's lust for thrills for the sake of philosophical and political exchange -- and that takes a fair amount of courage, so more power to them.

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated "R" for strong violence and some language.)

Review also posted on www.windowtothemovies.com.