Movie Info
Movie Name: V for Vendetta
Studio: Vertigo Comics
Genre(s): Comic Book/Action/Adventure/Drama
Release Date(s): December 11, 2005 (Butt-Numb-A-Thon in Austin, TX)/March 17, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R
Villain? Victorious? Vigilante?
England is being ruled by an iron fist under the Norsefire Party. The people are frightened. Those who oppose the government are taken away…never to be seen again. When Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) is caught out past curfew, she is saved by an enigmatic man simply called V (Hugo Weaving). Evey is plunged into a world of politics and finds herself now a target by the totalitarian government V is trying to destroy. As V works to rally the people, the High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) tries to maintain control. The revolution has begun, and V is leading the call.
Directed by James McTeigue, V for Vendetta was adapted by the Wachowski Brothers from the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore. It originally was released at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival in Austin TX, in December 2005, but then had a full release in March of 2006. The reviews were mostly positive but some critics didn’t like the darkness of the story. It has since gone on to be a cult classic.
Victory!
Alan Moore is difficult to adapt. Movies like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen failed, while V for Vendetta succeeded. V for Vendetta has a great script and managed to capture the essence of the comic. Having read V for Vendetta multiple times, I was worried, but it did work. V’s sing-songy style of speaking does work better in the graphic novel and the themes of V and 5 are easier to catch, but the movie still does make good use of them.
As presented in the story, it doesn’t matter who really plays V, but Evey is very important since she acts as a the template for the people…first in denial and fear of what is really occurring, and then willing and ready to fight after being broken. Portman does a nice job and people love her, but I think they even could have found a stronger Evey if they tried…still she isn’t bad. The rest of the cast including Stephen Fry as Gordon Deitrich as a closed homosexual celebrity who sacrifices himself in V’s campaign and Stephen Rea as an officer trying to catch him.
Vindicated!
Since its release, V for Vendetta has become a bit of a rallying point for various parties. Guy Fawkes masks show up at every protest. Like Fight Club, the movie is kind of dangerous and that is part of its fun. It is one of those movies that can be used and misused by various groups for radical messages. The idea that V is any man is a message that anyone can take and use.
V for Vendetta is a movie you can watch multiple times. It is fun, smart, and looks great. I like it much better than the Wachowskis’ Matrix films both in style and theme. Where a movie like From Hell faltered, V for Vendetta gets it right.
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