Let’s get one thing straight off the bat. Rabid fanboys (I consider myself one, but I’m not as rabid as some) who expect that every line and every scene be exactly as it was in the book, will of course be disappointed. And they will complain about many things, because in their script the Wachowski brothers have taken many liberties in changing the story. It is very different from what is in the book. But what is important is that for the most part, the film is able to capture the essence, the spirit, with which Alan Moore wrote the comic strip.

That is a spirit of rebellion, a spirit of dissent. It is a spirit that rages against conformity, against a society that uses fear to control its people. The first main change (don’t worry, this review isn’t going to be a comparison) is that instead of being a post-nuclear war setting V the film is set in the aftermath of a killer virus. The change here makes it more relevant to viewers today. The book was written during the Cold War, which made the nuclear war appropriate. By dealing with viruses and terrorism, it makes the movie closer to our own experiences today.

We saw the graphic novel play upon themes that are timeless. And it’s these same themes that are well played in the film. It’s the idea of personal freedoms, of the kinds of freedoms that we will surrender to our government so that our society will function. These are things that are subject to timeless debate, and the way it is played in V is masterful.

The script is superb as it works in V’s penchant for the theatrical. He goes on delightful monologues, recites Shakespeare as he battles bad guys, and delves into ideological explanations. This intellectual acumen and thinking nature behind the man of action is a great counterpoint to John Hurt’s Supreme Chancellor Sutler, who is all screams and fire and brimstone. Hugo Weaving, though we never see his face in the film, gives a great performance as V, letting his voice do the work.

Similarly, Natalie Portman, as Evey Hammond, gives a stunning performance. She provides the character which connects with V, and she gives us a human face that we can follow and empathize with. Unlike V who is already far gone and has been through so much that has made him as he is, Evey is the character who can change, who must make decisions as the film progresses.

It progresses as a vendetta. Something evil was done to V, and those responsible must pay. But he doesn’t see merely the people, but also the government that perpetrates it, and the society that allows it to happen. First-time director James McTeigue does a spectacular job. It’s a large film, with great action scenes as well as compelling arguments and emotion-filled scenes.

Much like the way Batman Begins showed the psychological nature of the dark knight, V shows that the character V, hidden behind the creepy smiling Guy Fawkes mask, has transcended being a man and has made himself an idea. It explores the power of ideas, the power of speech and meaning and how these things can not be taken from us unless we allow them to be.

There’s a lot of information here, and the Wachowski brothers do a good job of spreading it out through the film. Creating a futuristic dystopia, giving explanations for it all, developing characters, and all the different side stories would be difficult, especially considering the length of the original work that they were adapting. There’s so much material because of the richness of the subject matter. But the Wachowskis avoid any info dumps and help keep the pace quick. There are memorable lines, and memorable scenes that will be indelible from a viewer’s mind when he comes out of the film.

Where the Wachowskis fail in their adaptation, though, is when they insert a love story. While watching, the film was near perfect, great pace, great timing, great acting, then it hit that and it was like a gigantic speed bump. It was written much like the Neo/Trinity "Please don’t die, I love you" parts from the Matrix movies.

That is just a speed bump on a very good road. V for Vendetta manages something that few films, and even fewer comic book adaptations, achieve. It is extremely entertaining. It’s a kicking action movie/political thriller. At the same time it is a deep, intelligent treatise of the nature of freedom and oppression, inviting many philosophical questions. Also, it takes a timeless literary work and makes a great film adaptation of it.

It’s fun. It’s smart. And like all great art, it is meant to disturb, it is meant to jolt us out of our complacency. While it may speak as much of the Bush administration or terrorism, it could well speak for us Filipinos and our own situation.