A Tragic Waste

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2008)

Based on the 1980s graphic novel by Alan Moore, "V for Vendetta" had tremendous potential: A fabulous source book, top-notch actors, and brilliant directors. And then they blew it. The graphic novel, which was more libertarian than liberal, was very even minded, not truly siding with either point of view. It contrasted two extremes: anarchism and fascism, and let the reader decide which was preferable. Most importantly, it was most definitely about England, not America. This was their first mistake. They changed the plot to appeal to modern audience, but what they ended up doing was injecting US politics into a British story. Not nearly as even minded either, the film completely sides with the title character, who has gone from a libertarian anarchist to a liberal revolutionary. Worse still the plot line's back story is now a thinly veiled analogy of the 9/11 attacks though the eyes of conspiracy theorists. A tragic waste, considering the film's good points. The acting was phenomenal, especially Hugo Weavings, had to do the entire film masked, depriving him of the benefit of facial expression. The special effects were impressive too, reminiscent of the Wachowski Brothers work in "The Matrix". Unfortunately all this is lost in the poor storyline, which reduces this potentially operatic masterpiece to a sloppy political satire.