V for Virtuoso

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2014)

I don't usually do this, but I think I'll have to base this review on comparing this film with the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. The concept of 'V for Vendetta' was genius and fresh. The story was complex and pushed many ideas into the world. While the film was an excellent adaptation of the book and use many of the same ideas, it didn't use them all. It missed a few opportunities to say what Alan Moore was trying to say.
'V' was portrayed in the novel as being mysterious and vastly intelligent, hidden by a mask. He never revealed his plans and full intentions to Evie. He was dark and in many ways just as bad as the antagonists. I believe that Alan Moore was trying to say that the protagonist isn't an all-good hero, just a man who has flaws just like everyone else. In the film, V (Hugo Weaving) was portrayed as a more romantic figure. He wasn't as mysterious and was much more open to Evie (Natalie Portman). He was still dark, but he did appear to be an all-good, higher than man figure. Someone who had no flaws. A hero.
Another idea that was pushed by Alan Moore was that the man behind the mask of V was just flesh and blood, but he followed an idea. Men can die, but ideas cannot. This is pushed at the end of the novel when Evie puts on the mask and becomes 'V' herself, replacing the previous man in the mask. In the film, this does not happen. Sure, the idea doesn't die, but it again portrays V as an above-man figure. Once he dies, nobody replaces him. He is not just a man. But that was not the original genius idea behind the character 'V'. V is just a man, not a superhero or a god. This is why his amazing fighting upsets me to a degree. He shouldn't be skilled in almost any field, he really is just a man.
While there are these flaws and a few others (such as Mr. Finch's (Stephen Rea) ending and being naive throughout the whole movie instead of becoming stronger), the film still does adapt the novel nearly perfectly. It pushes many of the same ideas, such as "Government should be afraid of its people" and "Ideas are bulletproof". In fact, the film does many things better, in my opinion. Such as the ending. While the novel had a great ending, I think the film, where everyone gathered wearing masks identical to V's and the Houses of Parliament blowing up as a finale, has a much better one.
Possibly the best thing about the film is James McTeigue's directing. The dark atmosphere is almost exactly like David Lloyd's. David Lloyd did an excellent job at creates realistic, dark images. He made a perfect, cinematic look for the book. Something that fitted 'V for Vendetta' perfectly. James McTeigue brings that to life. He takes David Lloyd's dark, cinematic look and puts it into film. The scenes are all very similar, with their gritty look. The directing is something you simply cannot be disappointed about. It fits both the graphic novel and the film perfectly.
Overall, I believe that Andy and Lana Wachowski did an absolutely amazing job at bringing 'V for Vendetta' to film. They're writing does indeed closely follow Alan Moore's. It does have many things missing, but the film should have a faster pace than the book and they cannot fit everything into two hours. James McTeigue did a perfect job at recreating David Lloyd's illustrations. The acting is brilliant from most actors, which is to be expected, given that most are well known. The only disappointments were that a few key ideas were missing from the novel and that the film seemed slightly to fast, taking away some impact that was needed. I love this adaptation, something that rarely happens in my case.
I'm undecided on whether this film deserves an 8/10 or a 9/10.
(If you were wondering, 'virtuoso' is a person who is extremely skilled in basically any field. I used this word because, as stated above, I believe film V is above-man and too skilled, unlike the novel)