V for Vendetta - Film Review

Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

V for Vendetta is produced by the Wachowskis who did The Matrix and is based off of Alan Moore's amazing graphic novel of the same name.

V for Vendetta is set in a future dystopian future where London is a police state occupied by a fascist government, and a vigilante known only as V (Hugo Weaving) uses methods of terrorism to fight the oppressors of the world in which he now lives. When V saves a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) from the Fingermen (secret police), he discovers an ally in his fight against England's oppressors.    

This is definitely one of my favorite comic book films, and might be one of my favorite films in general. Moore's comic is one of my all time favorites too. He's probably my favorite comic writer despite reading only three of his works.

Hugo Weaving plays V, a mysterious vigilante with a Guy Fawkes mask who is against the fascist party, Norsefire. He also takes Evey Hammond to his underground hideout, The Shadow Gallery.

You're not really sure if V is good or crazy in the comic, but in the film he's clearly the good guy.
In the film, V is disfigured as a result of the torture he suffered at Larkhill Resettlement Camp, one of many concentration camps where pretty much anyone who is not white, Christian, or heterosexual are exterminated by Norsefire, and having near-superhuman physical abilities as a result of the biological experiments he was put through. His room number "V" is where he got his name. He (SPOILER) dies after being shot multiple times despite wearing a vest, and he is given a Viking funeral by Evey.

The Guy Fawkes mask has been synonymous with, Anonymous, and a lot of people protesting various things since the release of this film.

Natalie Portman gives a great performance as Evey Hammond, a girl who is saved by V from Fingermen and works at a TV station that is hijacked by V, who plays a video he recorded on all screens over London and then brings Evey to his hideout.

Evey runs away from V after he kills a priest trying to have his way with Evey (he thinks she's younger than she actually is) and goes to stay with Gordon Deitrich (Stephen Fry) but he is beaten after making fun of the chancellor on TV and killed after a copy of the Koran is discovered in his house.

Evey is taken prisoner by V, but she thinks he is Fingermen. The following sequences involving the torture Evey undergoes, her hair being shaved off, the inspiration she finds in Valerie's letters, with her character's transformation, are all taken from the graphic novel.

Evey Hammond is one of the best examples of character development I have ever seen in any movie ever. When you have a character in the beginning of a movie, and by the end they're a completely different person, you have a good character.

My favorite scene is when Gordon and Evey are watching TV and the chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) is on the talk show that Gordon is hosting that makes fun of V and Sutler. Almost every TV in the movie is a JVC set.

John Hurt as Adam Sutler (Susan in the book) is the dictator and chancellor of England. He mostly appears as a face on a giant screen, like Big Brother in the film Nineteen Eighty-Four, which Hurt was also in. Anyway, not much else to say.

Despite being written by the Wachowskis,it's not the action heavy film like The Matrix, but it's a political drama instead, so if you didn't know that before watching this, you might be disappointed.

Pretty much everything about this movie is great. The directing, the writing, the acting. Even the source material is amazing. I highly recommend you check this movie out. It's one of my favorite comic book adaptations, comic books, and possibly favorite films.

9.5/10

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