Directed by: <\/b>James McTeigue
\nStarring:<\/b> Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Stephen Rea
\nRated:<\/b> R for strong violence and some language.
\nParental Notes: <\/b>This is not a film for youngsters. There is a fair dose of violence and the glorification of rebellion against authority. Parents will want to consider whether their children are ready for this sort of grown-up movie.<\/p>\n
\nThe Wachowski brothers and James McTeigue (their first assistant director on the Matrix films) have done it again: \u201cV for Vendetta,\u201d like the Matrix trilogy, packs a punch in individual scenes and contains plenty of thrilling action, but taken as a whole is something of a mess. Sadly, \u201cV for Vendetta\u201d is even messier than the Matrix films. Character arcs fall apart when examined, only the villains make tactical mistakes, and the passage of time is frequently unclear. However, if those who can suspend their disbelief and quiet any tendencies toward analysis will find \u201cV for Vendetta\u201d entertaining.
\nThe title character, V (Hugo Weaving, \u201cThe Matrix\u201d trilogy), is a lone freedom fighter in totalitarian Britain who goes about cloaked and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. He rescues Evey (Natalie Portman, \u201cCloser\u201d) from corrupt patrolmen, and is fascinated by her name. He offers to take her with him to a performance — which turns out to be the demolition of the Old Bailey, Britain’s high courthouse. She is horrified, but when later he broadcasts a message urging Britain’s citizens to rise up and join him in overthrowing the government, she finds herself drawn to him and winds up acting as his helper.
\nMeanwhile, dictator Adam Sutler (John Hurt, \u201cThe Skeleton Key\u201d), is demanding that his underlings find V and prevent any sort of uprising. Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea, \u201cBreakfast on Pluto\u201d) is hot on V’s trail but his investigation is turning up things about the government which Sutler would prefer stayed buried. As V’s scheme nears its completion and Finch digs deeper and deeper, the government’s hold on Britain looks increasingly tenuous.
\nThe individual scenes in \u201cV for Vendetta\u201d are extremely powerful. There are thrilling fights, moving revelations, and stoic reactions to terrible things. Unfortunately, when strung together the scenes lose some of their power. V’s character is straightforward and borderline sociopathic, but the people around him seem more driven by plot necessities than by any sort of character arcs. Evey’s reactions to V’s behavior are strange, Finch vacillates between being heroic and being one of the villains, and it’s only V who has any sort of consistency to him.
\nIt’s a pity, because Evey could serve as the audience’s entry into the strange world V inhabits, much as Neo served as an entry into the strange world of the Matrix. However, Evey is too inconsistent to be easily identified with. Her strength in the second half of the film is inspiring, but the explanation for it is difficult to reconcile with the rest of the film.
\nFortunately, V is a thrilling character. He’s much like the Phantom of the Opera: mysterious, masked, impossibly talented at a variety of subjects, and thoroughly romantic. He represents standing up against a totalitarian government, and is happy to be the catalyst for change even if he cannot participate in the new, free Britain he is helping to bring about.
\nMany things from the graphic novel have been changed, as usually happens with the transition to film. Fans of the original will have to set aside their fond memories of that story in order to enjoy this new version. Characters’ roles and professions have been shifted, and only the basic outline of the original story remains, along with a few interesting tidbits.
\nEven with its flaws, \u201cV for Vendetta\u201d is a thoroughly entertaining film. Moviegoers who can enjoy a film in the moment rather than by examining and analyzing it, and who are looking for a good action flick with a little philosophy thrown in will probably enjoy it. Those who like their philosophy to actually make sense and who insist on consistent character arcs and a flowing plot should find another film to see.
\n–30–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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