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V for Vendetta
Mar. 16th, 2006 11:50 pmSo I went to the preview at the ICA. Both ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jinty and damiancugley posted about the film already (here and here), and I haven't much to add to what they said.
It had been a loooong while since I last read V -- it's taken me so long to post this review because I wanted to re-read the original story again. Score one for the movie: it made me want to reread the original. Score two: I think the movie is better than the original (not that you're supposed to make judgements like that, but even so). It has cleaner lines, and not nearly so much cod-Scottish dialect to wade through. Asdamiancugley pointed out, the film is set in our future rather than 1983's, so that instead of nuclear winter we're watching the aftermath of a terrorist attack, which makes it all feel much fresher somehow.
It's like watching a fictionalised version of The Power of Nightmares, with strong overtones of 1984 (cue John Hurt ranting on a giant telescreen, which is much scarier than the rather odd dictator in the original book). The look of the film is directly taken from the book, though, and it looks fantastic. I was also surprised by the sheer Britishness of the film, particularly all the references to the Gunpowder Plot. Whatever will the Americans make of it?
What's not so good? Well, Hugo Weaving does his best, but there's only so much you can achieve by voice and gesture alone. I know V is supposed to be Everyman, but I really did want him to take off the mask and cape at least once. Also, the "V is Everyman" attitude leads to a momentarily confusing scene near the end, which I won't spoil for you. Natalie Portman is OK but no better, so it's left to the supporting cast to carry the film -- which they do. Stephen Rea walks off with every scene he's in, and Stephen Fry and Tim Pigott-Smith do a fine job too.
You should probably see this film. It's not wonderful, but it's worth a couple of hours of your time. The overall message: how a society can be pushed into supporting fascism, and that it's your job to prevent this from happening, could hardly be more relevant.
jinty and damiancugley posted about the film already (here and here), and I haven't much to add to what they said.It had been a loooong while since I last read V -- it's taken me so long to post this review because I wanted to re-read the original story again. Score one for the movie: it made me want to reread the original. Score two: I think the movie is better than the original (not that you're supposed to make judgements like that, but even so). It has cleaner lines, and not nearly so much cod-Scottish dialect to wade through. As
damiancugley pointed out, the film is set in our future rather than 1983's, so that instead of nuclear winter we're watching the aftermath of a terrorist attack, which makes it all feel much fresher somehow. It's like watching a fictionalised version of The Power of Nightmares, with strong overtones of 1984 (cue John Hurt ranting on a giant telescreen, which is much scarier than the rather odd dictator in the original book). The look of the film is directly taken from the book, though, and it looks fantastic. I was also surprised by the sheer Britishness of the film, particularly all the references to the Gunpowder Plot. Whatever will the Americans make of it?
What's not so good? Well, Hugo Weaving does his best, but there's only so much you can achieve by voice and gesture alone. I know V is supposed to be Everyman, but I really did want him to take off the mask and cape at least once. Also, the "V is Everyman" attitude leads to a momentarily confusing scene near the end, which I won't spoil for you. Natalie Portman is OK but no better, so it's left to the supporting cast to carry the film -- which they do. Stephen Rea walks off with every scene he's in, and Stephen Fry and Tim Pigott-Smith do a fine job too.
You should probably see this film. It's not wonderful, but it's worth a couple of hours of your time. The overall message: how a society can be pushed into supporting fascism, and that it's your job to prevent this from happening, could hardly be more relevant.
