V for Vendetta

While the marketing of the film relies far too much of trying to convince the would-be viewer of the film being an action-oriented film, it's much more contemplative in its approach in telling a story of using anarchy against the government to right the political wrongs on its own citizens (i.e., don't expect it to be wall-to-wall action, it's more like sprinkles of action sequences here and there, but filled with much more in terms of setup, ideas and wordplay).

Don't go into the film expecting a solid re-telling from its graphic novel source (actually, originally published as a maxi-series of comics, then collected as a graphic novel), it's an adaptation of the source material, so many side subplots are left out, and its conclusionary tone is more uplifting than its source material.

It took a little while to get used to the character of V on-screen because you hear Hugo Weaving distinctive voice, but you are just looking at the mask with bits of body language to support the dialogue from V, but the strangeness go away as the film rolls along. Weaving's alliterative recitation of the "v's" in the early part of the film was entertaining.

Natalie gives a pretty good performance as Evey, though it feels like her character is underwritten in the 3rd act, but has plenty of material in the 1st and 2nd act.

So, if you keep you expectations in check, I think most people interested in this type of material would enjoy the film, though it's not quite a home run, it's a stand-up triple.

I give it 3 stars or a grade of B.