Review of V for Vendetta (2006) by Noah H — 25 Feb 2016

I love the plotline of V for Vendetta. A dystopian future, where one man creates a movement against an evil government which oppresses and kills people, is a superb framework for a story of the fight for freedom and justice.

I love that the protagonist is never unmasked and lives in anonymity, because it puts the focus more on his actions than on his identity. There are so many great moments in this movie that it would seem ridiculous for me to list them all, but I was invested in every little scene.

Hugo Weaving has the perfect voice for V, and I was certainly glad that he didnâ??t talk primarily in words that start with v through the whole movie because that would have become annoying. The supporting cast was all wonderful as well, filled with many amazing British actors (most notably the maniacal performance from John Hurt.

) I want to go on and on praising this movie, and telling you how it is one of my new favorite films, and Iâ??m going to put it right into my Top 20 films of all time, but I canâ??t do that. Thereâ??s one thing that just kept gnawing at me through the entire runtime of this movie, and itâ??s not going to be a popular opinion I bet.

My problem is that Natalie Portman is so flat and virtually expressionless as Evey. Occasionally she shifts from her standard slack-jawed look of befuddlement, but when she does it always feels like someone trying to act.

I never think â??look at the suffering that Evey is going through,â?? instead I think â??does Natalie Portman have to make that face every time she tries to squeeze out a tear?â?? Itâ??s so bad that I genuinely had to ask myself at the end of the film, would I watch that again? So a movie that I loved is brought down significantly by one performance, but if you donâ??t have the same issues with Natalie, then this is a movie I would absolutely recommend.