Few comic book writers have managed to achieve the same level of respect that Alan Moore has developed over the years. It's a respect not given lightly, as Moore has most certainly earned it. He's created a very diverse body of work since he got his start in the industry, having breathed new life into Swamp Thing, written classic stories for Batman and Superman, and created original tales that are still cherished by comic book fans decades after their first publications.
Watchmen may arguably be Moore's most famous and popular original tale, but it is closely rivaled by V for Vendetta. Initially printed in black and white, V for Vendetta was published episodically beginning in 1982 in the Quality Comics anthology book Warrior. However, the story was left unfinished as a result of Warrior's cancellation in 1985. DC Comics eventually picked it up, allowing Moore and artist David Lloyd to craft the previously published chapters and new material into a colorized 10-issue limited series in 1988. The whole story was compiled into a trade paperback under DC's then-fledgling imprint Vertigo not long thereafter, and has remained in print ever since.
Moore and Lloyd's tale of the battle between fascism and anarchy in a dystopian future was met with high praise and acclaim, and nearly twenty-five years after the story began in the pages of Warrior #1, it was adapted into a movie. It even had the Wachowskis, the creators of The Matrix, on board as the writers and producers too. But unlike the comic, it received mixed reviews upon its release, the main criticisms being for the changes the characters and overall themes underwent in its transition from printed page to silver screen. But really, the V for Vendetta movie isn't that bad at all.
By the year 2020, the world will have become a much different place. The United States government has collapsed, while the United Kingdom has fallen under the totalitarian rule of Adam Sutler (John Hurt) and his fascistic Norsefire party. Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), a production assistant at the state-run British Television Network, ventures out after curfew one night only to be accosted by members of Norsefire's secret police. But before they can force themselves upon her, Evey is rescued by a mysterious, mask-wearing vigilante dressed as the failed 17th-century British revolutionary Guy Fawkes.
Identifying himself as simply "V" (Hugo Weaving), the masked man leads Evey to a rooftop so she can bear witness as he detonates a series of bombs he'd planted within the Old Bailey courthouse. While Norsefire tries spinning the explosion as a controlled demolition, V hijacks BTN's signal and takes responsibility. He urges the people of Britain to rise up against their oppressive government by joining him in one year, on the fifth of November, at the Houses of Parliament, which he promises to destroy as he did Old Bailey.
V spends that year systematically killing various high-ranking members of Norsefire. He also lures Evey deeper into his world, something she initially resists. And that's understandable; her continued association with V comes with a heaping helping of suspicion from Scotland Yard. But while she becomes a greater target, Evey begins to see things from V's perspective and joins him in his crusade against Sutler and Norsefire.
I'll come right out and admit right now that I'm on the side of DC Comics in the great "DC vs. Marvel" war between comic book nerds. But I'm disappointed in knowing that when I go to a theater and see a movie based on a DC property, the movie's probably going to suck. I can only think of less than ten good DC Comics movies off the top of my head, and V for Vendetta is one of them. While it does indeed stray in some areas from its source material, it's still a thoroughly rousing action movie that stumbles in some areas yet never truly falters.
At the helm is James McTeigue, this being his directorial debut after working as an assistant director on the Matrix trilogy and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. McTeigue clearly has a passion for the material, a passion that is evident in every passing second of the movie. Each frame of the movie that flickers on screen is filled with a desire to do right by the material to the best of his ability. A lot of comic book adaptations will toe the line between full-on seriousness and a sort of corny flair, but McTeigue plays it completely straight and the movie is better for it. His work is stylish yet slightly understated, keeping things moving and the energy high without ever letting things go over the top.
He also has a strong script written by the Wachowskis. V for Vendetta was the first movie written by the Wachowskis since the Matrix sequels, and those two movies had scripts so dreadful that I'm surprised Hollywood let them even think about letting them do anything other than direct. But believe it or not, their script for this particular movie is pretty good. It's an exciting, compelling story with characters that you actually want to watch and dialogue that tries to be profound yet doesn't approach pretentiousness. And if there's anything the Matrix sequels proved, it's that the Wachowskis can do pretentious dialogue.
The script was met with a little controversy when the movie was first released, with fans of the comic book up in arms over the shift in V's ideology. The comic's tale of total anarchy battling total anarchy was replaced with V becoming a freedom fighter overthrowing a dictatorial government. A lot of critics and bloggers wrote in great detail about how the changes were made to turn V for Vendetta into a left-wing fantasy, with Norsefire representing George W. Bush and the so-called "culture of fear" that was supposedly created and cultivated in the United States in the years following the September 11th attacks. I'll grant you that there may be some kind of veiled satire there, but sometimes a story is just a story. Nothing more, nothing less.
Regardless of any sort of political agenda or satire attempt, the fact remains that the Wachowskis still wrote a damn fine movie. And it's something to think about even beyond the vigilante in the Guy Fawkes mask killing British politicians. We only barely get to see the world beyond London, but one gets the feeling that there's a huge world to explore beyond our one setting. It's inspired just as much by George Orwell's 1984 as it is by that comic book; you don't know if what the Wachowskis have told you about the outside world is truth or propaganda. The characters are also handled extremely well. We care about all of them, even the villains and random citizens we see only brief glimpses of. It's a testament to just how well the Wachowskis can write if they really hunker down and do it for something more than just a paycheck. (I'm looking at you, Matrix sequels.)
But not only is the script strong, but so is the majority of the cast. Among the supporting cast, I enjoyed Stephen Fry in spite of his limited screen time, and Stephen Rea puts forth a solid performance as a detective investigating V's activities. John Hurt also does a great job as the movie's answer to Big Brother. He comes just short of chewing the scenery, and the role couldn't have been played better.
All that's left are the two leads, Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. Portman is good, but it sounded like she needed to spend more time with her dialect coach working on her English accent. Her performance isn't bad, but her inconsistent accent really becomes distracting after a while. It makes her the one weak link in an otherwise strong chain.
Weaving, meanwhile, acts circles around everyone in the cast. He spends many scenes depicting V as something of a playful rogue, as if he were a swashbuckler straight out of an Errol Flynn movie. But in his serious moments, he brings forth more of an edge, along with a deep compassion as well. And he does the majority of it all with just his voice, making the whole thing that much more impressive. Weaving actually replaced James Purefoy during production, but I can't imagine anyone other than Weaving playing V. He's that good.
While I've sadly never read the comic book, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the cinematic adaptation of V for Vendetta. It's a daring tale to tell, and I'm of the opinion that McTeigue and the Wachowskis pulled it off successfully. Would I have preferred it had the movie stuck to the comic's "fascism vs. anarchy" theme? Maybe. It would have made for a really cool movie. But the movie we've got is still pretty cool, and if anything, at least the movie gave the "Anonymous" group a face. That's worth something, right?
Final Rating: ***½
No comments:
Post a Comment