Much better than I expected it to be

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2006)

I have to admit that I never really liked the look of this movie.The trailers I had seen didn't make me want to rush out and see it and I had heard a couple of bad report's about it.Anyhow,I got hold of the DVD and settled down to watch it.
At first I thought that my doubts were correct.I wasn't sure at all where the story was going and wasn't convinced by Natalie Portmans' character Evie.I decided to stick with it and gradually the film sucked me in.
I have always thought that Hugo Weaving was a bit hammy but to be fair he is excellent here as V.He gives a performance of power and elegance and although his face is never seen it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role.I think that it is his best ever performance.
There is always a time when you are watching a movie when you can sense whether you are going to be impressed or not.The time in this film for me was when Evie is thrown in a cell and finds a letter.It is from a previous inmate,a lady who was arrested solely for being a lesbian.She gives vent to her feelings in this letter and it is very well dealt with and the story really starts to unfold.I must add at this point that my initial doubts about Natalie Portman were unfounded as she gets better as the film progresses and is very convincing towards the end.
The film reminded me of Phantom of the Opera,Beauty and the Beast and 1984.But it is a film that other films will be compared with in the future and that is a fitting tribute to an impressive movie.