V for Vendetta (2005): DC Films Revisited

Remember, remember the 5th of November. While V for Vendetta missed Guy Fawkes night by a few months, the 2005 film is widely considered one of the best DC comics adaptations ever. A big-screen version of the graphic novel by Alan Moore & David Lloyd, it took enough liberties with the plot that Moore himself criticized the film, but nevertheless, it struck a chord with both critics and audiences. It was a rare financial hit for the Wachowskis, who struggled in the years following the Matrix trilogy to craft a follow-up that would be widely embraced. For this one, they opted to write and produce the film only, with their protege James McTeigue taking over as director. The high-profile cast included Natalie Portman as the heroine, Evie Hammond, with Hugo Weaving playing V, the masked antihero who’s a terrorist to some and a hero to others.

In this episode of DC Films Revisited, we dig into the film’s origins, including the various other adaptions of V for Vendetta that were planned before the Wachowskis got involved. We also dive into the face that for much of the film, V, under the mask, isn’t Hugo Weaving at all, but rather original star James Purefoy, who departed the film at the eleventh hour, only to be replaced. We try to explain why this happened while we also examine the film’s legacy, with it perhaps even more well-regarded seventeen years later than it was upon its original release. This episode of DC Films Revisited is written, narrated, and edited by Tyler Nichols. Chris Bumbray produces.

Let us know in the comments if you think V for Vendetta holds up as well as we believe it does. Also, let us know what other Alan Moore properties deserve an adaption, perhaps even by the Wachowskis.