With drama, action and sci-fi all rolled into one, V for Vendetta tells a frightening tale of England’s totalitarian future and the people who dared to fight it. Directed by James McTeigue and based on the novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, V for Vendetta is the story of a masked man named “V” (Hugo Weaving) who’s fighting against England’s strict government. Along for the ride is the reluctant Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), whom V saves early on from the police.

V for Vendetta chronicles how V attacks and kills members of the fascist government. V calls on citizens to join him on Nov. 5 the following year – a date historically associated with Guy Fawkes, a man who attempted and failed to blow up the English Parliament hundreds of years ago. On this day, V also plans to destroy the Parliament and to symbolically end the totalitarian regime.

As time goes on, Evey is continually tested by her association with V and learns how her past connects to what she’s doing. Viewers learn why V became so angry with the government – and also how despicable England’s oppressive government truly is.

Difficult as it is to pull off a film which advocates a violent overthrow of the government, V for Vendetta is simultaneously engaging and enough of a fantasy that one can understand it’s only a movie. Written and produced by the Wachowski brothers, the pair behind The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta is similarly packed with unrealistic fight sequences and explosions – all your typical action flick characteristics, but in this movie they’re not too overdone.

While usually used to entice filmgoers to the typical Hollywood blockbusters, the action scenes in V for Vendetta work well for the film and add to the story. At the very least, after seeing V for Vendetta, you’ll never think of the fifth of November the same way again.