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V For Vendetta
R3 - Korea - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Jarrod Baker (5th September 2006). |
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The Film
 "V for Vendetta" probably deserves more controversy than it received on its cinematic release, after all, the hero of the piece is explicitly a terrorist, using fear, violence and murder to achieve his revolutionary ends. It's possible that only the film's London setting saved it from closer scrutiny in this regard; as it is, it's possible to overlook or play down any comparison made between V for Vendetta's totalitarian British government and the current Bush administration. Had the filmmakers chosen to diverge from the source material (Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel of the same name) and set the movie in the US, it might have received a different sort of attention. This would have been a shame, however, because "V for Vendetta" contains some interesting and important messages. The film's demonstration of the blurry lines between "resistance" and "treason", and between "freedom fighters" and "terrorists", could be considered particularly valuable given the current nature of local and international politics. Most people aren't going to go and see this movie because of its politics, however. Fortunately, "V for Vendetta" is an action flick first and foremost, written and produced by "The Matrix" (1999) creators The Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry), and there're plenty of explosions, martial arts and gun play, allowing it to be appreciated on multiple levels. Even better is that in its own way this film outshines "The Matrix", if only because it's not hampered by Keanu's wooden acting (or, for that matter, Carrie-Anne Moss' labored and unnecessary declaration of love prior to Neo's resurrection - possibly one of my least favorite screen moments of all time). In fact, Hugo Weaving manages to make V, the hero mentioned above, seem more animated than Neo despite wearing a plastic Guy Fawkes mask for the entire film. V's character provides a nice contrast to the film's villains, as while many (but not all) of V's enemies are unreconstructed movie bad-guy types, V himself is far from your classic movie hero. Instead, he's often shown to be jarringly amoral and brutal, and one who very much believes that the ends justify the means. The question of whether V is in fact the "good guy" of the film or just a different sort of baddie is explored several times, although ultimately it comes down on the side of the revolution. One of the film's few disappointments is Natalie Portman, who doesn't really do much in the film except look a bit skeletal (despite V's attempts to feed her eggs fried in bread). To be fair she isn't given that much to do, but it would have been interesting to see someone in her role that could show a slightly wider range. Overall though, "V for Vendetta" is an immensely enjoyable film which seldom hits a wrong note. Some of its characters are painted with a broad brush - but then again it is based on a graphic novel. And to top it off, it's got some interesting themes and messages which take it beyond the level of your average dumb actioner.
Video
Presented in a widescreen ratio of 2.40:1, this anamorphic transfer is stunning. The image is sharp and colors are accurate rendered beautifully. Blacks are bold and vibrant, shadow detail is consistent especially in the low light scenes and interiors. I could not detect any major problems such as edge-enhancement, compression artefacts, or any other flaws. This is a fantastic image that can only be made better with a High-Definition release.
Audio
This release includes two audio tracks an English Dolby Digital 5.1 and a Thai Dolby Digital 5.1, for the purposes of this review I chose to watch the film with it's original English 5.1 track. As far as Dolby Digital tracks go this is a stunning example of how to create an immersive and impressive sound feild for home video. The dialogue is clear and distortion free, but the true value of this track lies in it's impressive range, depth and excellent use of surround channels for directional and environmental effects. The action scenes are aggressive and the music is robust. As far as I'm concerned this is one of the best Dolby Digital 5.1 track I have heard this year. This disc includes optional subtitles in English, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean and Thai.
Extras
First up is the "Designing The Near Future" featurette which runs for 17 minutes 15 seconds. In this clip the production designer and various other crew talk about the intense production design underwent in a short pre-production period. Covering aspects such as location scouting and shooting in both Berlin and London and the erection of multiple sets at the Berlin studio that evoked a near-futuristic look for London, but one that was also recognizable to the viewers. Other elements include color palette and an interior look that was big brother-esque, the costume design for V and a look at the miniatures of key buildings that were blown up for the production. Although it's short the clip does cover a lot of bases and is quite informative. Next up is the "Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes And The Gunpowder Plot" featurette which runs for 10 minutes 16 seconds. This is a historical look at the plot that centers around the film, mainly revealing the origins of the gun powder plot, which was a result of the Catholic persecution in England at the time. For those unfamiliar with Guy Fawkes this extras makes a welcomed addition to this DVD. "England Prevails: V For Vendetta And The New Wave In Comics" is a featurette that runs for 14 minutes 40 seconds. This excellent piece looks at the popularity of the graphic novel comic format and its origins as well as the importance, relevance and influence of V For Vendetta. Industry insider discuss the birth of darker adult themed comics that were a departure from children's fodder released at the time. The 1980s was a key decade in which graphic novels emerged and changed the face of comics as we know it. The clip also looks at the major differences between American and British comics. For comic fans this is a must see clip on the DVD. "Freedom! Forever!: Making V For Vendetta" is a featurette that runs for 15 minutes 56 seconds. This takes us through the development process in getting the film made and also looks briefly at the production from the writing of the script to the director's involvement, the cast and crew tell us why this is such a great film. Some differences between the original source material and this film are highlighted especially the emphasis on V and Eve's relationship in the film. Although this is essentially an EPK feature it does hold some value and goes beyond you're average promotional fluff piece. Next up is the "Cat Power Montage" music clip which runs for 2 minutes 1 second, this is basically a montage of footage that condenses the film into just over 2 minutes set to the song I Found A Reason as performed by Cat Power. This song is also included on the film's soundtrack CD release. Also on the disc is a single page of information on the film's soundtrack album. Rounding out the extras is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 2 minutes 24 seconds. While the extras make a worthwhile addition to this release I was a little disappointed that there were no audio commentaries from the filmmakers or even the writer and artists of the original graphic novel. I appreciate the difficultly in getting Alan Moore involved, but it still would have helped to create a definitive release. I would have also liked to have seen some deleted scene as well. Otherwise these extras will do for now.
Packaging
This 2-disc Limited Edition set is packaged in an embossed steel book case.
Overall
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