Who's In It: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Sinéad Cusack, Stephen Fry, Selina Giles, Rupert Graves, Tim P. Smith, Roger Allam, Gerard Gilroy, Ben Miles, John Standing, Natasha Wightman, Jack Schouten,Nicolas de Pruyssenaere, Keith How, Gordon Gram
Who Directed It: James McTeigue

When Can I Buy It: NOW (Region 1)

V For Vendetta (2006) - Reviewed by: Paul Heath

• DISC 1:
  · Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta
  
  

• DISC 2:
  · Designing the Near Future
  · Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
  · England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics
  · Cat Power Montage
  · Theatrical Trailer
  

V FOR VENDETTA is set in London in the very near future and revolves around Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued on one dark night by the mysterious 'V', played by Hugo Weaving. What follows is the story of V's stand against the the present government with the masked warrior setting about blowing up important government buildings and taking to the television airwaves to urge the people to join him and his revolution.

I saw V FOR VENDETTA a couple of months back in the local multiplex having not read the comic book, or indeed any of Alan Moore's comic books (shoot me down). I was pleasantly surprised by the flick and how much I enjoyed it, not being the biggest comic book fan myself (shoot me down again). I like the idea of V being the anti-hero, and the films obvious dark subject matter, all honed to point the finger at today's affairs i.e. the Bush administration's war with Iraq.

What I loved about this movie is that it is so different and indeed daring than any other superhero/comic book movie out there, or that has been out there for a while. V is a terrorist, but this time we are seeing everything from his point of view, and he is fighting for his people, our people. The war is against the facist government of the day and the one sided rule of Chancellor Andy Sutler (John Hurt). If you look deep enough into the film then there's a lot there to read into, and I'm told that the movie is quite true to the original comic book (although it's been trimmed right down for the movie version). At the same time this is a superhero movie, and there is a lot here for everyone that just wants a great time at the movies. The flick is loaded with action, and fans of THE MATRIX will dig some of the action set pieces (note that this is written by the Wachowski brothers, the creators of THE MATRIX). Joel Silver, producer of so many of the great action films of the last three decades, including the aforementioned series of films, is also behind the movie, so you know what to expect from him too. We have slow-mo dagger throwing, the Houses of Parliament blowing up, kick arse kung fu fights and more, so fans of the action genre will be happy too.

Another asset for the movie is the superb cast that director James McTeigue has assembled. In addition to Portman and Weaving's V, we have John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Stephen Rea and Sinead Cusack, all of whom gives solid, rounded performances.

It's a film that sparks a lot of discussion points, while at the same time delivers on the action front. There's something her for all and it's a film I'd recommend to all.

I was a little disappointed with the extra features on the release. We are denied a feature commentary from director McTeigue I think it would have been nice to have a chat track with the director and producers/ screenwriters, Larry and Andy Wachowski, but Warner Brothers denies us it. There are a few featurettes, "Freedom! Forever! Making V For Vendetta", a 15 minute look behind the scenes of the flick that features interviews with most of the cast and McTeigue There's another, "Designing the Near Future", which looks at the hefty production design for the movie. Here we are taken to Berlin and to London's Trafalgar Square to see how the designers put together the sets for the film. It's a pretty impressive feature, and for me, easily the most interesting piece on the DVD.

For those who don;t know of the famous gunpowder plot (believe me, every British school kid has it drummed into them every November), there's an insight into the history in the feature "Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot."

For those interested in the original comic book, and how it changed the way comics were put out, we have "England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave In Comics", which features interviews with Joel Silver and CO-creator David Lloyd. Interesting if you, like me, didn't know a thing about the source material.

In addition there's the original theatrical trailer at the end of disc two, and a music video/ promo for “I Found a Reason”.

As I said before, I'd recommend V FOR VENDETTA to all, though I must admit that I was a little let down by the DVD extra material. It seems to me that DVD's in general are being churned out so soon after the movie's theatrical run that quality suffers. I think all would agree that we'd wait a little longer to own the movie on DVD, so long as we get the good stuff. Who knows, perhaps we can expect an 'Ultimate Edition' in the future. A film like this deserves it.

GRADE: B-

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