Impressions of V (Some vague spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2006)

Impressions of V:
Those who have never read the book, nor know of its quality, will come away with the impression of a somewhat controversial film - touching on the political, thought provoking...with a few moments of true poignancy. Also, they'll remember a few good action sequences. For that, I'm glad. V the film has its good qualities, and will get some of the message of the book into the public eye, and discourse.
But any true review of this film is for those who know, and love, the graphic novel.
Honestly, I expected the Wachowski Brothers to make a bigger hash of the film than they did. They actually managed to retain some of the philosophy, and some of V's original integrity. And Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving both did right by the film...thanks to V for Vendetta, Portman shows that she can still act, despite the Star Wars movies. But Moore was right to insist that his name be removed from the film.
Liberties were taken with the story - sadly, none of them were necessary. Evey's age and her career are altered. The Voice of Fate ends differently, and whole characters are removed - damaging the depth of the story. Almond and Rose no longer exist, Evie's relationship with Gordon is changed completely...even the character of the leader is dramatically altered, making him more of a cartoon right wing villain. A subtle romantic thread is implied between V and Evey - removing completely Evie's hope that V might be her father. Sadly, each omission/change appears gratiutious - done for no particular reason, adding nothing to the story (and taking away levels of depth.)
Is it still a valuable film? I'm happy to say that the unchanged scenes are worth the viewing, especially Valeries story, which was told word for word. But while V for Vendetta is not the Hollywood nightmare that some fans might have feared, it could have been even better. The integrity could - and should - have been kept intact. > Fortunately, ideas are bulletproof. So if you see the film, and respond to the philosophy behind it, then do yourself a favor, and read the original. If this film brings people to read Moore's classic work, then it will have been worthwhile.