Which Classic to Watch Tonight: V for Vendetta (Movie Review)Directer: James McTeigue
Producer: Joel Silver, Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Grant Hill
Screenplay: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Music Original: Dario Marianelli, Music Non-original: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven
Running time: 132 minutes
Genre: Fantasy Thriller
V for Vendetta is a 2005 fantasy-thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is an adaptation of the graphic novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Set in London, United Kingdom in a near-future dystopian society, the film follows the mysterious V, a freedom fighter seeking to effect sociopolitical change while simultaneously pursuing his own violent personal vendetta. The film stars Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond, Hugo Weaving as V, Stephen Rea as Inspector Finch and John Hurt as Chancellor Sutler.
Terrorism, homosexuality, religious freedom, the right to free speech…there’s a virtual cornucopia of hot button topics addressed in V for Vendetta. It all works because of the sheer artistry of the film and the performances of its ensemble cast, led by Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. Weaving turns in a simply magnificent, mesmerizing performance. Although his face remains hidden behind V’s signature Guy Fawkes mask, Weaving’s voice and physical presence remain the focal point of the movie and prove it’s possible to do with simple intonations what some actors can’t achieve through the full use of facial expressions. It’s amazing how much the motionless mask comes alive due to Weaving’s brilliant performance. Physically, Weaving’s movements are gracefully minimalistic and there’s not one iota of street mime in the way he brings V to life.
It’s deliciously, twistedly ironic that John Hurt, the hero of Michael Radford’s big screen adaptation of Orwell’s 1984, fills the role of the V for Vendetta version of Big Brother. As the high chancellor, Hurt not only chews up the scenery but also spits it out and stomps it to pieces.
Don’t expect Matrix-like action sequences. No, V for Vendetta is above that nonsense. This film may have been written by those Matrix guys – Larry and Andy Wachowski – but, fortunately, it doesn’t surrender itself (other than in one short sequence) to the style of that well-known trilogy. The fight scenes in V for Vendetta are beautifully choreographed yet remain viciously, realistically brutal. V doesn’t fly through the air or exhibit superhero powers other than his unparalled ability to dispatch his enemy with knives. And while the fight scenes are critical to the plot, they’re never turned to to move the film along when dialogue could do the job more effectively.
From the first moment Weaving hits the screen as V and delivers his introductory monologue, to the (literally) explosive finale, V for Vendetta is a visual feast for the eyes and an intelligent treat for the brain. V for Vendetta is refreshingly original and stunningly effective. See it and then prepare to talk about the film for days on end.
Movie Gooroo Rating: * * * * 1/2 (4 and 1/2 Stars)
re a doctor creates what appears to be a cancer vaccine. I genetically engineered virus that when injected into 10,000 cancer patients, cured every single one of them. The problem is, when you play God, you may find out you’re not as good at as you might think. The virus mutates into a plauge that pretty much wipes out the entire human race, killing the vast majority of the population almost instantly, while leaving some survivors…. but most of those survivors are turned into Vampire/Zombie/Rage Virus type beings who lose their humanity and kill every survivor left uneffected. Will Smith is the last human being in New York, and maybe the world, who is also a military geneticist (what great luck) who works tirelessly to not only survive in this new nightmare world, but also struggles to find a cure for the rest of those who are infected.
