A film about rebellion that gives you plenty to argue about afterwards.
Nerdy Up North Podcast
The setup
Britain has fallen under the control of a fascist government when Evey Hammond encounters the mysterious V, a masked revolutionary carrying out an increasingly elaborate campaign against the people responsible for creating the regime.
V for Vendetta is one of those films where the conversation around it becomes almost as interesting as the film itself. The ideas about government control, fear, propaganda, identity and whether violence can ever be justified in the name of freedom give it far more to chew on than a standard action movie.
Hugo Weaving somehow creates an incredibly expressive character without ever showing his face. It's a performance completely lead by his voice and excellent diction. The most famous example of this being when he reads off a giant sentence composed exclusively from words that begin with "V".
V himself has some action scenes but they almost feel like they were made for the trailer. They're a bit Matrix-lite in my opinion, it also doesn't help that Hugo was in those movies too. But this movie's strength really does come from the writing.
It being an adaptation of an Alan Moore comic means that they already had an excellent base to build a movie on. And even if Alan doesn't particularly like it, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy and absorb some of his message by watching this. Even if you haven't read the comic.
Natalie Portman's character arc is amazing in the movie but the only thing that lets her down is the performance. Her accent is a bit distracting at times and her having to share the scenes with Hugo as he puts on the performance of a lifetime certainly doesn't help matters.
Positives
Hugo Weaving's performance; strong political themes; memorable visual identity; excellent dialogue; genuinely dark when it needs to be; a story that still encourages discussion.
Negatives
Natalie Portman's accent can be distracting; some of the politics are deliberately broad; its darker material will not be for everyone.
Verdict
Stylish on the surface but with plenty underneath it, V for Vendetta remains one of the stronger comic-book adaptations of its era. Whether you agree with V or not is almost beside the point. The fact the film still makes you think about it is what matters.
