V for Vendetta
[4K + Blu-Ray combo]
Strap in because I’m about to go on a civil defense of the movie V for Vendetta, and this is a hill I’m prepared to die on. Especially because V for Vendetta never stood a chance in spite of being a great movie.
Probably the main strike against this movie is the fandom behind it, or what it’s spawned. I compare it a lot to football. American football. It seems like a perfectly great sport to get into, but the fans are just the worst. Same for V for Vendetta. The Guy Fawkes mask alone has become synonymous with retribution and chaos at the hands of vigilantes who seem more bent on destroying than creating. And sure, that’s what Guy Fawkes did, but these creeps come across as arrogant and unfocused conspiracy theorists. If you ever meet a guy who has a Guy Fawkes mask, run!
The other strike is that the film V for Vendetta’s ending is quite different than the comics and as a whole is a shallower version than Alan Moore’s vision. I am a lover of Moore’s work, to the point that I read his entire Jerusalem book (and I think I liked it?), but quite honestly, there are so many of his ideas in this movie that it’s hard to imagine a fan of the source wouldn’t appreciate them. Besides, the main message of the comics is still there if you really think about it.
So, all that bias aside, what is V for Vendetta really like? Quite honestly, it’s a slick movie, with a perfect tone and a gripping story, wonderfully paced, beautifully acted (and the inclusion of a mostly British cast is refreshing to an American audience), with loads of messages and themes about love, sexuality, freedom, and sacrifice. The argument can certainly be made that we’ve become complacent as a society and too distracted to notice the slow-moving coup. Four years of the previous administration should attest to that. V for Vandetta isn’t exactly ahead of its time (it was written in the 80s), it’s simply a timeless story.
This newly reissued 4K captures all that beauty in high definition and adds a bunch of bonus features, including a look back at the movie by the Wachowksis, Natalie Portman’s audition, and a making-of featurette.
V for Vendetta still packs the punch it always has and the fact that it appeals to so many people only asserts how universal its message is. It’s as powerful as it ever was.
