V for Very Stupid.

Rating: 4/10 (15 March 2016)

V For Vendetta (2005): Dir: James McTeigue / Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry: Should be titled S For Stupid or I For Idiotic. Or maybe it should be called L for Leave the Theatre Before the Credits Roll for all the good it is. Lame comic remake about finality. Hugo Weaving dons a smiley mask and enacts vengeance upon a government. He receives assistance from Natalie Portman whom he rescues from being mugged. Premise is rushed but structure is detailed due to Portman's surfacing back story. Ending is the typical violence. Director James McTeigue rushes his shots as if trying to get the film shot in record time. Weaving is compelling enough as V to render a decent performance as he fights against government to the point of sacrifice. Natalie Portman is given the best section of the film. After her initial rescue she is put through numerous acts of torture where her background is revealed through flashbacks. She will ultimately become the film's true stronghold. Stephen Rea plays a detective in what becomes rather standard writing of typical investigation jargon. John Hurt plays a villain who shouts into a screen as if desperately yearning a placement on another film set. In the end this is a well made comic book adaptation that only partially works. The only vendetta left is viewers trying to get their money back. Score: 4 / 10