Back in 2005, a film hit theaters, starring Natalie Portman, that showed the power of being “Anonymous.” Since that time, “Anonymous” has come to represent a hacker collective who uses their tech skills to expose hypocrisy across the globe and to do their best to “right” “wrongs.”
That real-life group embodies the sentiment and mission that was exhibited by a certain collective in the film V for Vendetta, which has gotten the most glorious of 4K Blu-Ray upgrades—courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Video.
The film comes from uber-producer Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and more) and the sibling duo that is the Wachowskis (who gave us The Matrix trilogy)—who serve as producers—while James McTeigue made his directorial debut before going on to helming Breaking In and The Raven.
The landscape: V for Vendetta takes place in an alternative future where England is under the tightly controlled fist of a totalitarian government.
The players: Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued from the direst of situations by a vigilante who dons the most iconic of face-covering masks (Hugo Weaving, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Cloud Atlas) and simply goes by a single letter, “V.”
V turns out to be the spark that sets a tinder box (the citizenry of Britain) ablaze. The hero to the masses could not be more adept at information deception—capturing the minds of the proletariat—while his combat and guerilla fighting techniques inspire the hearts of the citizenry.
A revolution is provoked when V blows two iconic London landmarks to bits and in the process basically tells the people of Great Britain to take up arms and finally push back against the oppressive landscape that keeps the people down.
Evey becomes drawn into the entire situation when it is her that “unmasks” V and in the process, learns something about herself. It is a reveal that not only will permanently alter Evey, but also the public at large. V and Evey team up and for the first time in a long time, a word is uttered that hasn’t been heard in years… hope.
The film was a hit and has since become beloved. On a $54 million budget, it banked $132.5 million when all was said and done with its theatrical run. V for Vendetta is one of those flicks that has reaped the benefit of time, word of mouth, and home video consumption. It has become a phenomenon in the last half-decade, particularly as the headlines in American newspapers start to appear to be coming from the fictional British world of V for Vendetta.
Portman commands in every single frame and she is joined in the powerful turn department by Weaving, who does so much with so little. By little, we mean the fact that he must convey so much emotion, exposition, and character intent from behind an expressionless mask. Right up there near the top of the actor’s toolbox is the nuanced expressions that can convey so much via the face. The resonance of the film and the “V” character, in particular, speaks to the aptitude of Weaving and the stellar work he achieved with his return to the world of Wachowski.
The film is a thrill ride and has become a favorite here at The Movie Mensch since its arrival 15 years ago. It is also the latest fantastic flick from WBHE to receive a breathtaking 4K upgrade. V for Vendetta joins the simply sensational Full Metal Jacket, Beetlejuice, both Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films and Zack Snyder’s visual spectacle 300.
When it comes to the visual improvement, V for Vendetta joins those other 4K upgrades in their ability to bring out the best of what was originally shot. The team worked from the film’s original camera negative and as such, it has produced a polished incarnation of a beloved flick that just got a whole lot better—in terms its sights and sounds.
One would be spot-on by using the word “slick” to describe how the 4K transfer “feels.” Given the stellar 2008 Blu-Ray release, the film had a fantastic starting point to up the visual ante. The color saturation goes deeper, the blacks are richer—which is important, given the dark and shady landscape of V for Vendetta. It is absolutely astonishing what the WBHE team has accomplished but should hardly be a surprise given their recent slate of stunners.
Sonically, its audio awesomeness starts with the Dolby Atmos presentation upgraded to Dolby TrueHD 7.1. It’s a distinctive transformation that sounds so bloody brilliant with the great speakers most of us possess in our home theaters. Just one thing to note when it comes to the audio realm of the 4K, the background sounds of the city, here London, feel so layered and rich, one could get lost in that aspect of the upgrade alone and just close our eyes and let our ears do the experiencing. The broadcasts of The Voice of London rivet, naturally due to their feel and sentiment, but with the Atmos’ alteration, they pop and resonate more than ever before.
There are a few new bonus features… that are all must-sees. Witnessing Natalie Portman’s Audition put some things in perspective. Experiencing the actress’ raw emotive power during three scenes, Shadow Gallery, V’s Kitchen, and Dietrich’s Town Home preview the intensity that the (then future) Oscar winner brings to the role. What is especially terrific is how filmmakers have paired each of these audition scenes with their final cut from the film itself.
V for Vendetta Unmasked is a terrific twenty-three-minute look at the making of the instant classic. Surprisingly, this featurette was never released domestically and only appeared on foreign markets’ home video extras. It is so rare that audiences get something that is “new” when it comes to these 4K upgrades. Lucky for us, WB sought to only include this featurette on its international releases. The political themes that permeate the film are highlighted in this extra, including how main and supporting characters reinforce these political thoughts. Director McTeigue and producer extraordinaire Silver add their two cents on that aspect—and so much more, along with Portman, Weaving, John Hurt, Stephen Fry, art director Kevin Phipps, the original comic’s illustrator David Lloyd, and many others.
A terrific chat between McTeigue and Lana Wachowski is captured in James McTeigue & Lana Wachowski in Conversation. The just over thirteen-minute featurette explores the source material, choosing the cast and their thoughts on the reception from audiences.
The rest of the featurettes are rich, layered, enlightening, and entertaining and all from previous Blu-Ray releases. They include:
- In Movie Experience Director’s Notebook – Additional featurettes that play during the film. Designing the Near Future
- Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
- Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta
- England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics
- Natalie Portman Rap – SNL skit
- Cat Power: Montage – Music video
- Theatrical Trailer
- Soundtrack Album Info
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: A-