V is for Anti-Allegory

I love allegory. Let's say allegory is a story moved by the symbols. The classical defintion has something about "generalizations about human existence." Good old wikipedia backs up my micro-thesis with "...conveying a meaning other than and in addition to the literal."

Now my main problem with V for Vendetta is the ammount of explaining going on about the symbols. V walks around saying he is the mask, the mask is the spirit of vendetta, etc. Everything is overly explained and spelt out. If you are boiling a symbol to the surface, its symbolic meaning becomes a literal one and cheapens any allegorical oomph that it had. Strunk'n'White tell us to cut unneeded words, high school english teachers tell us to show not tell, etc etc. (I'm remind of another mature comic to movie, Batman Begins, and how the word "fear" was said more than "batman" by a margin of 2:1.) Exposition that worked fine in thought-bubbles and small omnsicent narrator rectangles that hugged the top of the frame seems laberous and almost didactic (the bad kind they tell you not to make yr art projects like) when it becomes an other tea conversation.

This is not post modern or self aware. This is a poor implementation of allegory. Also, the pacing of the movie is off and there are plot holes. Not truck sized ones as Mr. Alan Moore would believe, but Evey's change of opinion at the Bishops is poorly implemented. The Matrix Bro's (or did one have the sex change yet?) The Matrix Siblings spend a fair ammount of time on the microcosm matrix of V when Evey is imprisoned. People who hadn't read the graphic novel told me that they had no clue it was all a mirage, so it was successful, but it seems they gloated on this bit for a while. Whatsherface looks ok with a shaved head. Now if only she was drinking milk in all of those scenes...

There's a visually bonerific scene involving colored dominos falling down to reveal a designer's republic V logo. (Honestly curious if this was CG or not.) Anyway, all the dominos tumble except the last one, which V pockets. I was surprized no one used this domino to blow up parliment, or maybe assassinate someone, or this final domino had some sort of remote detinator, or was the key to the subway train. It does get a lingering shot before said train goes kablooey.

V's own name is a letter, which along with numerals, is the most abstract and at the same time concrete symbols there are. Actual paradox is my favorite cement. Can I bring in Thomas Pynchon? I think I can. Pynchon wrote a book called V. which involves a lovely little lady named V. The letter/title is a roadmap, and a symbol for the novel, with two story arcs coming into focus, like the angel of an acute triangle traced and converging on the point of origin. Now that's what I call an aside.

I still liked the movie. I thought it showed a great facist/despot nudging towards dystopia. In the future but realistic. Up there with Brazil. Now I want to buy some knifes.