Not in the same league as the comic

Rating: 3/10 (25 March 2006)

If you have not read the graphic novel of V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd then, chances are, you may enjoy this movie. But Being a huge fan of the comic, I found it impossible to come to this film without any expectations. And, although I understand the impossibility of keeping everything in adaptions of books or graphic novels, I also feel that it is possible to retain the essence of the original work. Unfortunately, with the adaption of V For Vendetta, the essence has been almost entirely lost.
The storyline is changed around considerably. Which, in itself, should not be a major problem but why the filmmakers felt the need to add in so much of their own material is beyond me. Surely, the running time should have been used to cram as much from the original work as possible, rather than filling it with poor original material, such as the TV show sequence? Not only that, but some of the things they do show from the original are incredibly badly done, i.e. where V emerges from the fire at Larkhill Resettlement Camp, when reading this segment in the comic it gives me goose-bumps, in the film, however, it is highly cheesy; appallingly badly done. The characterisation is another area where the film is a poor comparison to the comic. Where Alan Moore created unsensational but truly believable characters, the film contains a host of cardboard goodies and baddies (compare John Hurt's Adam Sutler with the original Adam Susan); it is surely unusual for a comic to have the more human characters? The atmosphere of the original is downbeat and edgy. The film could have capitalised on this by adding music that helps create a feeling of mystery and dread. Unfortunately, however, the music by Dario Marianelli is extremely dull and adds nothing to the overall atmosphere.
For someone not familiar with the original work, the film could be quite enjoyable. But, because I have such a huge respect for the comic, I feel that the film is a serious missed opportunity. It is 25 years since the original series appeared in Warrior magazine. It seems like a long time to wait for a movie adaption that so blatantly misses the mark.