"The Gunpowder Treason And Plot..."

My review of this week's box office champ, V for Vendetta, wouldn't be complete without providing a little back story first (or without discussing the source material and the team behind it).

By the time I heard about Alan Moore's landmark V For Vendetta, it had already been on the market for quite a while, and it was very hard to find. I was lucky enough though, that a very good friend of mine had a copy of the Vertigo graphic novel (a publishing imprint of DC Comics)...and I was also very lucky that he trusted me enough to put my grubby hands all over it...long enough to read the epic tale.

There's no question that Alan Moore is one of the best story-tellers that has ever worked in comics. His stories are always interesting and fun to read. No matter the subject, his ability to draw you in, and then keep you riveted with each turn of the page, is just amazing. V For Vendetta was no exception. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the book's artwork by David Lloyd and Tony Weare. Lloyd did a great job working with Moore to create a chilling vision of a very possible near future that leaped off the page, while Weare did a fine in maintaining the tone when he was tapped to lend a hand.

Like the book, the film is set in the futuristic world of a totalitarian Britain, telling the story of a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from the clutches of a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante known only as "V" (Hugo Weaving). V is no ordinary vigilante though. He has the charismatic charm and class of 10 men, while at the same time, proving quite deadly with a sword, taking on Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt) and his conformist policies. Before long, V urges his fellow citizens to rise up against the oppressive government. As Evey uncovers elements of V's cryptic past, she also discovers the truth about herself--and becomes his unlikely ally, as his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society, reaches its tense climax.

While nearly everyone in the press seems fixated on whether or not the film makes a direct statement against the West's policies on "The War On Terror", the first thing I worried about was whether or not the book would be translated well enough to make a good movie. Let's face it, if I have to plunk down some $7.50 to see a film, I wanna be entertained first and foremost. I'll ponder the Polly-Sci stuff later. Folks have to remember that the original story was written over 20 years ago, and at best, is still a cautionary tale about what could happen. Given the state of our world today, it's easy to draw modern comparisons, but we are not their yet (thank goodness). And while the filmmakers may have something against George W. Bush, Tony Blair, and the way they govern... I was too focused on watching the film to concern myself about that and the "message".

First time director James McTeigue, along with writers Andy Wachowski &Larry Wachowski did the book justice. Some elements of the book were altered. But I think that had more to do with time constraints than any thing else.

For his part, Moore has disassociated himself from the movie, complaining the script was "imbecilic" and contained some pretty big plot holes. He also told Giant Magazine, he is bothered by the fact that the script defeats the primary theme of the original story, which was to place two political extremes (fascism and anarchism) against one another, while allowing readers to decide for themselves whether V was right in his actions or simply insane. He argues that this "little moral drama" has been reduced to debating "current American neo-conservatism vs. current American liberalism". As per his wishes, Moore's name does not appear in the film's closing credits.

I am sorry that Moore isn't happy with the film, but as a fan of the book, I am quite pleased with the end result. While by no means a perfect film, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. For me, Weaving steals the show as the antagonist/hero V. He certainly brought the Guy Fawkes masked character to life in ways that I thought impossible. Even though we never see his real face, he was still able to covey his emotions using his distinct vocal talents. Wow! As Evey, our heroine, Portman redeemed her bad British accent throughout the film by taking it to the next level for the second half of the film. Strong support from Hurt, who also does the most with a very limited role, and the great Stephen Rea as Finch, adds to the film's dynamic mix.

I could have done without some of The Matrix Trilogy style bullet-like effect for V's swordplay though...that gets old...but hey, since McTeigue and the Wachowski boys had worked together on the Matrix films, they probably figured "why not"? It seemd like a pretty cheesy way to go...other than that the action is pretty cool.

V For Vendetta is a very entertaining movie. Plain and simple. Message or not, the film version works, even as one of the creative forces behind the original vision chooses to step away from it