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Sunday, 06 August 2006 |
  Movie adaptations of graphic novels continue to come pouring out of Hollywood. Add in adaptations of video games, and sometimes it seems like they account for half of the American movies made these days. They run from the fairly traditional, such as the Spider-Man movies, to the bold (Sin City) to the wildly fun and bloody (Resident Evil), to the fairly profound and artful (A History of Violence). One of the latest entries, V for Vendetta, is based on a "Graphic Novel" and produced by the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix Trilogy).
V for Vendetta is set in a not-so-distant London, after disease has, so the British news claims, turned the United States into an enormous leper colony, justifying the fascist government currently in power in England. It is pretty much the standard repressive society, with "Police" roaming the streets, stopping and doing whatever they please with anyone who may be breaking the many repressive laws. Free speech is dealt with harshly and, as it turns out, some citizens are experimented on in an effort to develop a better race of humans.
On November 5, a masked terrorist, known only as "V" (Hugo Weaving) appears and starts committing acts of violence against the ruling class, promising a grand revolutionary act will occur in one year. The man, and his mask, are inspired by Guy Fawkes, who in 1605 attempted to kill King James I and all members of Parliament by blowing up Westminster Palace. "V" crosses paths with Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) and kidnaps her to prevent her from being tortured as a possible conspirator. As the year passes, Evey has difficulty deciding whether or not V has the best interest of the country in mind, or is blindly carrying out his vengeance on those who created him.
Although V for Vendetta is visually involving and there is quite a bit of subtext to the story, with no real indication throughout the movie whether V is ultimately good, or simply psychotic, it plays too much like a compilation of so many common evils found in Sci-Fi. We have the Orwellian style dictator (ironically played by John Hurt, who played the protagonist Winston Smith in Michael Radford's adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four), the fascist police force, and a whole group of evil geneticists who have spent years performing all types of horrible experiments on their subjects. Even with the interesting Guy Fawkes aspect, it all plays too much as though it was put together like some sort of Frankenstein's monster, from the pieces of many greater works.
No doubt, viewers who are pre-disposed to love it, will love it. Particularly those not familiar with the literary works it quite obviously borrows from, particularly Orwell and Kafka, who will be able to think it is far more original than it is. The character of "V" can also, at time, be odd, to say the least. He is always hidden by his mask and dressed in his black cloak, completely disguising any clue to his identity, though flashbacks indicate he wouldn't exactly be recognizable anyway. Still, there are thoroughly enjoyable, convincing visuals, some satisfying bits of civil disobedience and a a resounding, if a bit manipulative finale. The world created by director James McTeigue and cinematographer Adrian Biddle (his last feature, before his regrettable death of a heart attack in late 2005) is thoroughly engrossing. Too bad the story doesn't quite hold up its end of the deal.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Rupert Graves, Clive Ashborn
Director: James McTeigue
Written by: David Lloyd, Alan Moore (Comic Book); Andy & Larry Wachowski (Screenplay)
Cinematographer: Adrian Biddle
Studio: Warner Brothers Pictures
Rated: R
Running Time: 132 mins
Release: 2006
Reviewer: John Rice
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