The Wachowski brothers , creators of the Matrix films are back in the saddle again with a dark totalitarian vision of Britain's future called V for Vendetta. Drawn for DC comic's stable of "graphic novels" the plot pits the dagger wielding V, a cloaked and faceless figure in a Guy Fawkes against the ruthless single party dictatorship in near future Britain.
The Wachowski brothers seem to have not gotten over their aversion to explaining what the hell is going on. You would have thought after the reviews on the two Matrix sequels, they would have felt a little more inclined to share the story with the audience, but apparently not. Plot points are obscured and omitted or if included, seemingly irrelevant. It's like there is a lot more going on than can be seen through the lens of the film but somehow this broader universe never quite ties back to the central plot.
Now I am all for deviating from the Hollywood model where everything is tied up with a nice shiny bow, except of course for the sequel teasers, but V simply to contain too many loose threads for my liking. And the time taken to include these extra pieces feels like it would be better spent filling in some of the achingly two dimensional back story.
There are some really interesting themes explored by the film, the power of government and media, how fear can be used to subdue and how silence equals consent. The problem I found how ever was that I needed to do some reading to really understand all of that.
The lead character V is played, or at least voiced, by Hugo Weaving but given we never see his face it could have been phoned in, literally. There are a few gestures that look like Hugo to me, but really it could have been anyone.
V has a penchant for soliloquizing and a large part of the story is driven forward by his exposition, or the enormous television head of the evil Chancellor Adam Sutler [John Hurt ], or narrated flashbacks from random B or C characters. Given film is at least in part a visual experience, I just had the feeling I was watching a radio play.
Natalie Portman is a fine looking heroine but Eveys journey just seems contrived. I guess I have a hard time seeing the quality of the performance past the gaps in the script.
Looking for the posative, there is some nice Art Direction from Marco Bittner Rosser who seems to be up and coming, but not dark enough, not strange enough, not far enough to make it truely engaging.
There are some interesting credit notes on the film that might help to explain things. The Wachowski brothers are in fact only the screen writers, the director is first timer (and Australian) James McTeigue who was the first AD on Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions and Star Wars Attack of the Clones. All visually amazing but lacking in strong plots.
Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
So goes the old nursary rhyme intended to fix in the British psyche the drama and import of the Gun Powder plot and Guy Fawkes. Nothing however seems terribly memorable about this film sad to say. All up V is just another comic book film which is a bit of a pity given it could have some timely messages.
My film pal for the evening enjoyed it, but all up I would have to say don't bother, wait for the DVD.
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OK, I am SO geeking out.
The eclectic ramblings from the semi-charmed life of a slightly cranky 40-something peripatetic Australian fag with delusions of normalcy.