V For Vendetta

I've been looking forward to this flick for well over a year now, and I have to say that it's worth the wait!

The futuristic tale unfolds in a Great Britain that's a totalitarian state. A freedom fighter known as “V” (Hugo Weaving) uses terrorist tactics to fight the government that has not only oppressed the masses, but affected his life in more ways than one. He rescues a young woman (Natalie Portman) from the secret police, and she becomes his unlikely ally.

Not only is it a great character study flick, but it also touches upon a lot of topics that have relevance today, as well as in the past. It's a thinking man's action flick, and even though there's not a whole lot of action I didn't mind since the entire movie is so enthralling in it's visuals and storytelling that I never really noticed that it didn't rely on action to keep the viewer interested. That's a very good thing!

The acting was great from everyone. Hugo Weaving did the impossible by playing this character 'without a face' by using vocal inflections and subtle body language to emote and it made his character of “V” one of the most interesting in recent memory.

Natalie Portman totally makes up for her lackluster performances in the Star Wars prequels here as well. No matter what kind of scene she was featured in, she was on 100% of the time and I totally bought into her character. I'd even go as far as to say that there were times where I didn't feel like I was watching Natalie Portman, but Evie! I have to give her props because she proving to be one awesome actress!

On the technical side the flick is tops as well! Cinematography, lighting, set design, costumes, FX and such were all on the money and gave the flick great atmosphere and visual richness. Even though this is based on a comic book (which wasn't all that detailed in the art department) I have to say that the people responsible for these aspects of the film are masters of their craft.

First time director James McTiegue definitely shows that he learned a lot from working with the Wachowski Brothers, and I hope that he continues to make movies that are as smart as they are exciting.

My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more backstory on “V”. Other than that I have no major qualms.

Exciting, rousing, dramatic and horrific in its vision of a totalitarian government, V for Vendetta gets an A for Awesome!

4.5 out of 5

*written 3/17/06