So I’m actually a hard one to please when it comes to movies made from my favorite stories. “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” was OK in terms of adapting the story for the big screen. “A History of Violence,” although was
So I’m actually a hard one to please when it comes to movies made from my favorite stories. “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” was OK in terms of adapting the story for the big screen. “A History of Violence,” although was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, was a little disappointing to me in the execution of the story. Director David Cronenberg had even urged on the film’s Web site that movie fans not read the graphic novel first.
As a huge fan of Alan Moore, who wrote the original graphic novel with David Lloyd, possibly no one else I know was more excited that “V for Vendetta” was in the works. Shortly after hearing the pleasant news last year, my next thought was “how were they going to do it?”
The answer is with Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and the production team that brought us “The Matrix” trilogy. I was excited and trusted that they would do Moore justice and stick closely to the original story.
Set in Britain in the future, a mysterious man known only by his codename “V,” (Weaving) is using terroristic tactics to take down a totalitarian government by blowing up the Parliament buildings.
V saves the life of young Evey (Portman), takes her into his secret hideaway, and educates her on what the government is doing: Citizens are constantly watched and those who pose a threat to the perfect society will be disposed of. She then becomes his ally and helps him in some of his operations.
It’s sort of a mix of George Orwell’s “1984” and Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” with crazy fight scenes, of course.
What was interesting to me was how close to home the story hit, as far as paranoia and genocide were concerned. It was originally written in the 1980s in response to the conservatism of Margaret Thatcher, and it seems as though it is relevant to the U.S. now, in that there are cameras and wiretapping everywhere.
Evey’s allegiance to V is tested when she is thrust into torturous scenes in attempts to unveil V’s true identity. In working with V, she uncovers the truth about the government and about herself. Be sure to check movie times in The Garden Island.
This is the latest big-budget movie release opening today at the Coconut Marketplace theaters in Waipouli.
The upside to this movie is that people will like the fight scenes between V and government officials. Others will love the intensity Portman’s character shows.
Producer Joel Silver, at the Comic Con International Convention, said that this the perfect time to show a film like this.
“It’s a controversial film and we’re in a contoversial time,” he said. “There’s really some bold and impressive ideas and it’s a perfect place for us to show the film now. I think it’s going to make a lot of people think.”
All in all, I’m glad the producers stuck pretty closely to what the story was trying to achieve. Moore is such a great writer, little needs to be changed.
Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
