Successful adaption, no matter what Alan Moore thinks

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2006)

V for Vendetta is one of those must-read comics that I never got around to reading. In spite of Moore's well-known hatred of all things Hollywood, this movie does it justice.
On a visceral level, this film could just have been about the title: revenge. But it's more than that. V is an English-major's protagonist, spouting alliterations and quoting Shakespeare. Dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask and voiced with honeyed tones by Weaving, he's instantly likable and frightening, a madcap spirit who heralds the clarion call of change.
Yes, there are obvious jabs at current events. If anything, they're too obvious. The film doesn't need to have watchwords like "avian flu" and "terrorist" interspersed throughout. The message comes across regardless of the setting: the price of freedom is fear. Give it up at your own risk.