Though Moore himself doesn't pay much mind to film adaptations of his work since the disastrous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I do. Moore, in my opinion, ranks as one of the best writers of the graphic novel of all time. So I'm always interested to see how other artists translate his work to the big screen. And in this case I have to disagree with the writer, I think they did a really good job. Notice I said really good, not great. The Wachowskis did however do the original work great justice, adapting the plot to fit modern (although set in the too near future) times. The work put into the screenplay alone and how they updated it earns this film a spot on my dvd shelf. But it's not something I necessarily find myself eager to watch too often, because the film does have more than it's fair share of flaws. It's not the acting, which is superb. The (usually) great Natalie Portman puts it all on the table in her role, even her hair. Showing immense dedication to her role, as she (usually) does. (Though great, her performance in this is still no Black Swan) Hugo Weaving and John Hurt also more than stand out in their supporting roles. Though The Wachowskis have had some flops in their directing days (See Speed Racer), I feel if they had been the ones behind the camera this would have the potential to stand amongst the greatest film adaptations of all time. Sadly, this is not the case. Instead they handed the reigns to the man who served as second unit director on most of their films, I'm only to guess to give the guy a break. In this reviewers opinion, all of the flaws in this film stem from the directing. I'm not intentially trying to put down Mr. McTeigue, but he has yet to show that he has the talent to be a lone director. (His films after V have been pretty awful, including Ninja Assassin and The Raven) When this film came out it was seemingly the only thing people I knew could talk about, so I was very anxious to see it. Once I finally got the chance I was amazed at the social commentary found in the plot, finding myself surprisingly agreeing with V's planned terrorism. But I was confused as to why I didn't love it like everyone else, most of the major components in the film are compelling and thought-provoking, and I did really enjoy it. Upon multiple views I finally ascertained just why I didn't love it, as I above stated, the direction. Not being a director and having no real sense of urgency to become one, it's hard to state what I find wrong with the direction. The only thing that comes to mind is that maybe McTeigue just doesn't have the chops for it, to me, his style seems very amateurish. That being said a film is much more than just the direction. Acting, Writing, and many other factors also come in to play, and luckily, these other factors are what make this a film worth watching. And watching again. Maybe just not after that.
4/5
