V FOR VENDETTA - PREVIEW

V for Vendetta (2006)

Starring: Natalie Portman
Director: James McTeigue
Rated: Unrated
U.S. Opening Date: 17 March 2006

V for Vendetta is an intensely dark and powerful graphic novel by Alan Moore one of the best comic book writers in the business (I was going to mention that he’s British, but that’s not the point really). It is about a mysterious masked avenger who single-handedly takes on a future fascist dictatorship that arose in Britain after a devastating war. (Wrote during the height of Thatcherism there is obviously some degree of wish fulfilment in action here.)

Whilst reading V for Vendetta many years ago I thought what a great movie it would make — that is, if Hollywood handles the material with more care and respect than they did other Alan Moore material such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Swamp Thing . . .

Now a movie has been made starring Natalie Portman (princess whatsisname from Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) and Hugo Weaving, best known as Agent Smith in the three Matrix movies.

The enigmatic Wachowski brothers of the various Matrix films co-produced the film as well as writing the screenplay. James McTeigue (first assistant director of The Matrix) will be making his directorial debut.

To find if the movie is a successful adaptation of the graphic novel which is really really good, read our review of V for Vendetta.

Plot

Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante known only as “V.” Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V’s mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself – and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.

— Some sources: Amazon.com

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Trivia

Apparently Nicholas Cage wanted to play "V". Then again, Cage (a life-long comics fans) has been rumoured for wanting to play anything from (most famously) Superman and Iron Man to Ghost Rider.
Originally the Wachowski brothers were quite keen to direct V for Vendetta, but then became too wrapped up in the Matrix trilogy. I don't know what their excuse is right now for not directing it, but I suppose they're too busy hiding from irate fans who saw Matrix Revolutions.

Trailers

Quicktime trailer: Full-screen, High-res, Medium Res, Low-Res

Read our review.

Read a review of the V for Vendetta Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition DVD.

Discuss with other fans on the Sci-Fi Movie Page Discussion Board.

Other sites: RottenTomatoes.com