V for Vendetta

Remember, remember the fifth of November. The thoughts and emotions these words will evoke in those who have seen V for Vendetta will be many and varied, for this is a film that challenges and provokes, and above all it is a film that gets one to think. However, it isn’t all deep insights and philosophy either; it has some fun action and interesting characters that make it quite simply a fun movie to watch. Whether or not you agree with the messages this film presents, well, that will be left entirely to personal preference; but at least you won’t be bored.

It’s nice to see a comic book film by someone other than Marvel, and nicer still that it’s a comic book film that feels like anything but. Perhaps it’s because the themes of this film strike so close to home—terrorism, religious conservatism, war, deadly viruses—that through most of this film you won’t even think about the fact that it’s based on comic book, or set in the near future. The credits say that it’s a film based on a graphic novel by David Lloyd, but the truth is that Alan Moore was also one of the creators of V. Moore, however, isn’t too pleased with some of Hollywood’s past efforts to adapt his materials (such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), so he had his name removed from the credits—not that it’s mattered since just about every review I’ve read has credited him anyway. Why he felt he needed to distance himself from this film, I’m not sure, for it’s far from the train wreck that The League turned out to be. Although I haven't read the comic myself (but I will now that I've seen the film), V for Vendetta feels like a faithful adaptation, and regardless of whether or not it left anything out, it's a good movie, and one should be pretty pleased about that. Still, with Moore’s lingering animosity towards Hollywood, one has to wonder whether the film version of The Watchman will ever get made; but that’s a topic for another time.

Besides having excellent source material, it’s obvious that the Wachowskis brought their very best talents to adapting V for the big screen. The script is tightly written and despite being fairly light on action (which is sure to disappoint some fans; in fact, you’ve seen most of it in the trailers), it moves along briskly. Best of all, the verbosity of the scenes doesn’t have the same feel of pontificating merely for the sake of pontificating that weighed down the Matrix sequels. Although the dialogue does deal with some heady subjects, it is written so well, so lyrically, that the talky scenes often provide some of the best moments in the film. Of course, an excellent script isn’t any good without strong performances, but fortunately V for Vendetta shines with talent. It’s now hard to imagine anyone other the Hugo Weaving beneath the mask of V. Although the film started shooting with a different actor in the title role, for whatever reason the Wachowskis felt the need to replace that actor and went with Weaving instead. An excellent choice, to be sure. His distinct voice, subtle gestures and revealing body language convey all the emotion needed without any facial expressions. The film wisely never reveals V’s true face, but chooses to keep it concealed; an excellent decision as revealing the face behind the mask would only have weakened the character. Natalie Portman does indeed shave her head, but she also turns in a powerful performance as a character that struggles with fear and identity: one who feels the need to do something and yet fears to act. Her encounter with V is a tumultuous journey, and one that forever changes the character of Evey. The supporting cast also turns in solid performances, especially Stephen Rea who plays Chief Inspector Finch. He slowly pieces together the story of V throughout the film, and as he does so he discovers a truth that he isn’t entirely sure he wants to know. His inner conflict and struggle is conveyed not so much by what he says, but what he doesn’t say. His silence and the look in his eyes often says more than any soliloquy could ever express. Add in solid direction (whether or not it was truly James McTeigue or the Wachowskis acting through McTeigue is moot), the proper music and some excellent effects and you have the makings of an excellent film, regardless of its source material.

One thing is for certain about V for Vendetta: it will get those who have seen it talking. They may talk about what makes one a heroic rebel or a loathsome terrorist. They may talk about whether or not conservatism is the answer to society’s woes. They may talk about how best to fight injustice and right the wrongs of a government that tramples on the rights of its people. They may talk about just how far a government should be allowed to go when it comes to doing what it believes is best for its people. But they will talk. V for Vendetta is full of themes and messages and allusions and all sorts of things one could take and turn into a serious spiritual or political discussion, and many reviewers have already done just that. Although finding the spiritual relevance in film is usually one of my favorite pastimes, when a film like V comes along, it becomes hardly necessary for me to do so because it is so full of them that one would be hard pressed to miss them. Instead of elaborating on any one of the many ideas V for Vendetta evokes and challenges, let me just say that while films like this may ruffle some feathers, we should never be quick to dismiss the critiques such films make of today’s society and culture. In fact, we should examine those critiques, decide whether or not we agree with them, and then examine why it is we believe what it is we believe.

V for Vendetta is part Count of Monte Cristo, part Matrix, part Sherlock Holmes and part All the President’s Men. Warner Brothers seems to be cornering the market when it comes to comic book films that feel so real that one may not remember it’s a comic book film. Oh sure, there are some moments that feel totally over the top and could never happen in reality, but the reality of films like V and last year’s Batman Begins are so convincing we’re able to suspend our disbelief during those comic book moments and think that maybe, just maybe, such a thing could happen. I thoroughly enjoyed V for Vendetta, but it’s a hard film to recommend. Not because it’s bad, but because it will be entirely up to one’s individual tastes. Some may think it too political, others too anti-Christians, others too-talky… it just depends. So while I cannot say that you’ll like this movie (because you may well not like it), I can say that it’s worth trying. You may be surprised at the thoughts you carry with you as you remember, remember the fifth of November.

Black—The Game

Black Impressions

I just got my copy of Black last night and only played a couple levels, but I have to say this some of the most fun I’ve had playing a video game in recent memory. I don’t what it is, but there’s just something extremely satisfying about random destruction. Its part of what made the Burnout series such a blast, and it holds true here. Criterion has done an excellent job crafting a shooter that may be admittedly shallow, but it’s full of explosive fun.

If you played the demo, you should be fairly familiar with the first level. A few things have changed, however. Some of the enemies are in different spots, and the sound and graphics have been cleaned up a bit from the demo version. Unlike the demo, you get to go a bit further in this level. The demo ended with a group of enemies pouring out of the museum at the end of the street, in the full version you get to go into the museum and continue the mayhem. After disposing of a couple enemies inside, more terrorists blew a hole in the wall to my left and assaulted our position from the outside. I moved upstairs to get a better angle on them. Climbing out onto the ledge of the second floor I was surprised by some Rocket Propelled Grenades that were being launched at us from a tower down the street. I turned my assault rifle towards the tower and emptied and entire clip. I knew I had taken down the RPG sniper when the top of the tower exploded and collapsed, followed by sequential explosions down the base of the tower. Cool. All of this took place in a short amount of time under a constant barrage of enemy fire that kicked up debris and chipped away at concrete walls, covering the battle field with a thick fog. Sometimes the only way I knew where someone was located was by looking for their muzzle flashes. The action continued in the next level, a forest level where you try to cross a border, which of course enemy units don’t intend to make easy for you. Black is all about heart-pumping action, and it delivers that experience in spades. It’s not strictly a run-and-gun shooter as you do need to find cover from the massive amounts of incoming fire, but you also need to keep moving from cover to cover because if you linger in any one place too long, your cover could be blown; quite literally at that. Good times.

Graphics
The graphics for Black almost make you wonder what the big deal is about the next-gen of consoles. It’s easily one of the best looking games on the Xbox, but what’s really impressive is how much is happening on screen at all at once. Bullets whiz, debris flies, cartridge casings pile up, explosions billow to the sky in fiery balls, sparks ricochet, RPGs leave smoke trails—all of this with a silky smooth framerate. The lighting effects may not be on a Splinter Cell level, but they do a great job with added touches such as light bloom effects and more. Criterion repeatedly said that the guns were the stars of this game, and it certainly shows. Every weapon shows loving detail from the way its muzzle flashes to its recoil, to the movement of the firing pins and how the bullet casings are ejected. All the environments are extremely destructible, and just about everything seems to react just as it should when you shoot it. You may be surprised at times at just how volatile the environments are. I often set off explosions by accident, but it was always thrilling.


Sound
Definitely one of the best sounding games to come along. Grenades and explosions have a hearty, bass sound to them and every weapon has its own unique sound, with the bigger weapons sounding appropriately more impressive. The sound of bullets whizzing by or ricocheting of metal, dirt, or wood all sound so authentic that with a decent surround sound system, you may catch yourself ducking at times. Overall, the sound in Black does an excellent job of enhancing and enriching the experience of non-stop action.

Now as I said, these are only my initial impressions. I’ve only played about two hours of the game, although from what I’ve read, that means I’m about a third of the way through it. It may not be a long game, and it may not be a game that varies much, but thus far it is definitely a fun game, and when it comes right down to it, that’s what video games are supposed to be. Black is a fun, pick-up-and-play shooter that offers intense action that makes you feel like you’re the star of your very own Die Hard or Rambo movie. However, it is rated M, and that’s a rating that should be adhered to. Black is full of action, which means the violent gunplay—while over the top in an action-movie style—is pretty intense and rarely lets up. Also, the language can get pretty rough in spots.

Of course, the other question is “Should people even play games like this?� Well, I tend to think that’s really an issue people need to resolve for themselves. I certainly respect those who wouldn’t play games like Black because of the violent content. As to whether or not such games encourage violent behavior or desensitize us to violence, I have not the time, nor is this article, to address that. Suffice it to say that if you don’t have a problem playing first-person shooters, Black is one you’re not going to want to miss. If you dislike such games, then you aren’t missing a thing by not playing it.