Based on Alan Moore’s influential graphic novel, “V for Vendetta” is a movie that’s managed to carry much of his influence in to film form. Despite his usual protests and dismissal of the big screen adaptation, “V for Vendetta” is a richly developed action thriller with immense substance and still relevant commentary about fascism. It’s stunning with James McTeigue and the Wachowskis manage to accomplish with such an engaging adaptation.
Following world war, London is a police state occupied by a fascist government, and a vigilante known only as V (Hugo Weaving) uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressors of the world in which he now lives. When V saves a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) from the secret police, he discovers an ally in his fight against England’s oppressors.
Fourteen years later, “V for Vendetta” hasn’t lost any of its luster, doubling as a great blockbuster, but one with immense substance. Even in today’s climate, “V for Vendetta” still connects with a lot of audiences and its world surrounding fascism and a faceless hero making the tough decisions and burning it all down. McTeigue manages to bring Alan Moore’s stark vision to the big screen with its bang up cast delivering excellent performances. Everyone from Natalie Portman to Hugo Weaving (as masked avenger V) is absolutely stellar, and McTeigue stays true to Moore’s vision and his intent on the dire grasp of fascism and homophobia. “V for Vendetta” is still a fantastic action picture and one deserving of a bigger audience.
The new two-disc release arrives with three new-to-disc extras which can be found on the 4K disc only. Meanwhile the recycled 2008 Blu-ray includes the remaining bonus material. The 4K Disc Only extras includes James McTeigue & Lana Wachowski in Conversation, a thirteen minutes discussion with the director and co-writer, both of whom share a brief but enjoyable chat that touches upon the film’s inception, source material, casting, along with a few ideas and themes that held personal importance to them. Natalie Portman’s Audition is a fourteen minutes trio of scenes from the actor’s 2005 audition tape including “Shadow Gallery”, “V’s Kitchen”, and “Deitrich’s Town Home”; presented in 1.33:1 VHS-grade quality, and the first two are also paired with their corresponding final scenes from the film.
V for Vendetta Unmasked is a rare twenty three minutes 2006 TV short that covers the source material’s adaptation, main and supporting characters, impact, political themes and much more with lots of first-hand participants including director James McTeigue , producer Joel Silver, actors Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, John Hurt, Sinéad Cusack, and Stephen Fry, art director Kevin Phipps, original comic illustrator David Lloyd, and many more. The Blu-ray disc only extras includes In Movie Experience Director’s Notebook, Designing the Near Future, Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta, England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics, The SNL Natalie Portman Rap comedy skit, the Cat Power: Montage music video, the original theatrical trailer and the soundtrack album info.