"V For Vendetta" DVD Talkback (Edit: Review Inside, Spoilers)

[Spider-Man]

Warner Home Video has released artwork for single and double-disc editions of V for Vendetta (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=162521)) which stars Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and John Hurt. Each will be available to own from the 1st August. So far there is no information on the extras for the double-disc set. I'm looking forward to this release. The information can be found here:

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/v-for-vendetta.html

http://davisdvd.com/images/covers_big/vforvendetta2.jpg

[Speedy Boris]

I'll buy it. It was a highly enjoyable action film, one of the better ones in recent memory.

[Lord Dalek]

Best cover art I've seen this year.

[rggkjg1]

this will be the first time where i consider buying a single disk version when a 2 disc is availible. as always, i'll get the double disk depending on how many featurettes there are about the comic. if the double disk set is loaded with featurettes that compare this film to the world today and does nothing but put down the president then forget it. i hear "bush sucks" enough everyday, im not gonna pay to have someone tell me "bush sucks".

[Goodfellow]

OMG this movie was just oozing with sweetness. Is it coming out on HD-DVD as well?

[Spider-Man]

OMG this movie was just oozing with sweetness. Is it coming out on HD-DVD as well?
The Digital Bits (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#051206) posted this in their Rumor Mill about the release:
Our industry sources have checked in to report that Warner is currently planning to release V for Vendetta on DVD on 8/1 in two versions - single-disc (SRP $28.98) and a 2-disc special edition (SRP $34.99). The single disc version will include the movie, along with the Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta featurette. The 2-disc set will include that, plus the Designing the Near Future, Remember Remember: Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot and England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics featurettes, along with a Cat Power montage. We expect that there will be an HD-DVD version as well, likely released day and date.

[king zrz]

The Digital Bits (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#051206) posted this in their Rumor Mill about the release:will the 2 disc editon be in widescreen?

[The Penguin]

will the 2 disc editon be in widescreen?Releasing a two-disc edition in only full screen just doesn't happen any more so yeah.

[king zrz]

Releasing a two-disc edition in only full screen just doesn't happen any more so yeah.thanks .will you be getting it?

[Yojimbo]

I agree, that is some of the best cover art I've seen in awhile. I am looking forward to August 1st.

[Hades]

About bloody time!! Sweeeeeeeeeet zombie jesus!! I love this mvoie.

[FerrariCake]

Ooh, lovely boxart for a lovely movie. =D

I hope there's a subtitle option so I can learn V's very vivid vigorous vafrous vorpal monolouge verbatim. ;P

[James Harvey]

Possibly the best theatrical adaptation of an Alan Moore story to date, V for Vendetta mixes competent directing and fine acting to weave an interesting tale of the future. The DVD release for the movie compliments the feature.

As the official synopsis for the movie goes, the movie is set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, as V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself -- and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore (The Watchmen, From Hell) and illustrator David Lloyd.

Far from flawless, V for Vendetta is a fun movie with a great meaning behind it. Is the meaning behind this movie anything new? Not really, no. It’s basically the same thing we’ve heard before, just rewrapped and slightly altered to look new. Does that make it any less entertaining? Good lord, no! It’s a fun movie that is engaging until the very end, with some solid acting and competent directing. And for those looking for a little action, there’s plenty to feast on.

I won’t go in-depth about the movie as everything about the movie has already been said. It’s a good, if flawed movie, that’s enjoyable on multiple levels. The acting is sharp and the script, streamlined and updated from the graphic novel, hits all the right notes. It’s a movie with a great scale, watch able on the small screen though more enjoyable on the big screen.

I say more enjoyable on the big screen because this is a movie meant to be played loud and seen on a large screen. The directing may be more mediocre, but they did know how to stage the action to get the full effect from the image, for the most part. And when I say loud, I mean that while action scenes and explosions will rock the speakers, the fast and quick British dialogue and ambient sounds are lost. Bits of conversations go missed unless the volume is turned up to the max, which will cause obvious problems for the higher-placed action sequences. One needs to have a quick finger on the volume button at all times it seems to be able to enjoy the audio.

Video are mostly clear, on par with the standard DVD release. Visuals and actions come across as clear, with changes made to adapt to scene changes and switches in tone. It’s comforting to watch the movie go from a dark blue tone to sunny yellow without worrying about discoloration or distortion.

The extras are by the book and enjoyable, a fine companion to the movie, but slightly disappointing. The behind-the-scenes featurette on the first disc is well done and actually carries a fair amount of information, and is thankfully light on the marketing. The second disc contains a look at the effort made to make the dark world of an oppressive Victorian society, including the designs of the movie and the costumes. We also get an interesting look at Guy Fawkes and how comics have grown up. Also included is the theatrical trailer (but not all of them) and a montage set to the excellent Cat Power song “I Found A Reason.”

Again, the extras are nice but for a two-disc set I was expecting more. The extras are on par with those featured on the Batman Begins: Two-Disc Deluxe Edition (thankfully without the ridiculous menu. They serve their purpose but I feel they could’ve gone a bit deeper. They server more as an after-thought to the movie and not a true exploration as a DVD set like this should. And given the content of the movie, a lot of opportunities were missed, I find.

Overall, a great (if flawed) movie coupled with a fine two-disc release. Picking up the two-disc version is a no-brainer for fans of the movie, as it does provide a much deeper look into the movie as the nearly bare-bones one disc edition. This release comes recommended.

[Hades]

Best movie fo 2006. Any word on an HD-DVD though?

[blueFace]

Definitely picking this up - cant wait! Best movie I've seen in a while. If you havent seen this one, youre definitely missing out on something amazing.

[Hades]

Definitely picking this up - cant wait! Best movie I've seen in a while. If you havent seen this one, youre definitely missing out on something amazing.

Tell that to Alan Moore and all of his fanboys who refuse to see the movie just because Moore hates it.

[Noukon]

Tell that to Alan Moore and all of his fanboys who refuse to see the movie just because Moore hates it.

I'm not all that familiar with the sentiment you're criticizing. I love Alan Moore's work, but I saw and enjoyed the movie -- the same goes for others I know who are fans of Moore.

[Hades]

I'm not all that familiar with the sentiment you're criticizing. I love Alan Moore's work, but I saw and enjoyed the movie -- the same goes for others I know who are fans of Moore.

I'm not talking about you, I'm talking more about a guy I know who said, "Alan Moore has every right to be pissed off at that movie, and has disowned it for a reason. There is no way in hell I'd ever be willing to see garbage like that when it is a complete and utter bastardization of what Moore wrote."

[Noukon]

I'm not talking about you, I'm talking more about a guy I know who said, "Alan Moore has every right to be pissed off at that movie, and has disowned it for a reason. There is no way in hell I'd ever be willing to see garbage like that when it is a complete and utter bastardization of what Moore wrote."

Fair enough. I just don't think that's a prevalant thought amongst Moore fans.

[Bird Boy]

With V for Vendetta comes a film that carried the weight of the Wachowski Brothers first film since the Matrix Trilogy and another adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novels. Considering what many thought of the final two Matrix films and how much of a hit-or-miss track record Moore’s comics had in their film counterparts (I’d say the majority are all a complete “miss”, Constantine aside), V for Vendetta could’ve crashed and burned. However, by remaining true to its original graphic novel self and the Wachowski’s providing an excellent script, the film prevailed past the negativities both creators’ works have been hit with in the past. And while I’m sure Moore will still ignore the existence of the film, if Frank Miller can have such a turn around in Hollywood, maybe Moore will still see the positives some day.

V for Vendetta follows the terrorist V (Hugo Weaving), on his crusade to bring down the tyrannical rule of a future England. Evey (Natalie Portman) meets up with V early on in the film and they form a friendship (and eventually a kind of love interest) which quickly begins helping a chain of events take place. V’s quest to murder the people that made him what he is spirals throughout the period of a year between two fifths of November, on which V and Evey watch key landmarks in England explode in a roaring blaze of music and fireworks.

The cinematography in this film is excellent, offering a ton of great scenes for your eyes to feast on and take in. The cold cell that Evey resides in and V’s home are all brilliant spectacles, but the biggest eye-popper was near the end of the film. When what looks like nearly all of England is wearing the capes and masks that V wears and marches throughout the city, it’s almost more daunting than seeing the armies of Clones in the second Star Wars prequel. You can attribute the power of the thousands of V’s as being more emotionally powerful due to the politically charged nature of the film…but nevertheless, it is quite the sight to behold.

My only regret with this film is not seeing it in the theater; while my sound system does a fine job of replicating the explosions and fights with the proper boom, seeing the movie on a larger screen would have only made it more enjoyable. Without a doubt, pick up or rent this title, as it is very much worth the price.

The DVD
Now, while the movie is worth the price of admission, do you want to pay the extra price to pick up the two-disc version of this film? It really depends on just how much you love the film and how much you enjoy watching special features.

The flick comes in three DVD releases, ala Constantine and Batman Begins: single disc widescreen, single disc fullscreen and two-disc widescreen. You may think the obvious choice is the two-disc, but, again, it whittles down to your enjoyment of the film. If you absolutely and positively want to see how it was made and a few behind-the-scenes interviews, then you’ll want the two-disc. If you merely loved the film, then I would honestly recommend the single. The special features are weak at best and while they’re interesting while watching, there really isn’t much substance to them, simply because there aren’t enough of them.

But, I’m jumping ahead of myself. First we must tackle the packaging for the set; the two-disc comes with a cardboard slip cover, replicating the amaray case insert underneath, but providing raised lettering and images and slick photos on the back. Like all cardboard slips, however, it is pretty much pointless. Nice to see on the store shelf, but once you’re home, you can easily toss the slip cover away.

The disc art features Evey on disc one and V on disc two (kind of a reversal in roles) and a few inserts with ads are given. No chapter list is included (as with most WHV theatrical releases), but I’m finding that less and less a big deal.

Video transfer on this film is impeccable; I can only imagine what it looks like in HD-DVD. I didn’t notice a bit of compression or artifacting on the transfer and overall it was a very pleasant viewing. Audio was strong and really sent out quite a few big booms when the bombs went off in the movie; the only moments I noticed the surround was during V’s fight scenes, as most of the movie is dialogue which is almost always placed in the center channel.

Now, we can travel back to the special features! Nearly replicating what Batman Begins had in terms of length and featurette detail, the four features (one on disc one, three on disc two) cover the making of the film, set designs, the history of Guy Fawkes and history of V for Vendetta and New Wave Comics. All of the featurettes are interesting to watch, but it just seems like there’s too little of each aspect of the film covered. The inclusion of more cast interviews (the vast majority of the cast appeared at one time or another) in the features were very much welcome, but, again, the feeling that it wasn’t all there was to see was still sitting with me after I finished the disc.

Not surprisingly, the Wachowski Brothers are mentioned only in name; I never once saw their faces in the special features. I know they’re a bit reclusive when it comes to this type of coverage, but it would still be nice to hear it straight from them what they thought of the V for Vendetta graphic novel, rather than hearing it from the director.

The two disc set is fun while it lasts, but the lack of film commentary was a major bummer, especially after watching the movie.

Overall the film is worth the price of rental or purchase, one way or the other. Be sure to check it out when the DVD drops on August 1st.

-Zach

[DBZALLSTAR]

I'm definitely picking up V For Vendetta on Tuesday. For those of you who want to save a little money, Best Buy is selling the single disc edition for $14.99 and the two-disc edition for $22.99. Those editions seem fine, but I'm getting the Best Buy exclusive ($34.99) which includes the two-disc edition, four movie posters, and a V mask! The geek in me just can't resist. It's a good thing I'm opening Tuesday, so I can grab mine as I'm putting out the rest of the new releases.:) I just hope the mask is of good quality.

[Hades]

I'm lucky, I only have to work til noon on Tues, so I'm going to run over to BB as soon as I get out, get teh BBE, and then go home and watch this movie 3 times.

[ghosty]

I really cant wait for this DVD its goona be sweet. i just reread the comic just to prepare myself!

[Noukon]

I'm definitely picking up V For Vendetta on Tuesday. For those of you who want to save a little money, Best Buy is selling the single disc edition for $14.99 and the two-disc edition for $22.99. Those editions seem fine, but I'm getting the Best Buy exclusive ($34.99) which includes the two-disc edition, four movie posters, and a V mask! The geek in me just can't resist. It's a good thing I'm opening Tuesday, so I can grab mine as I'm putting out the rest of the new releases.:) I just hope the mask is of good quality.
If it's anything like the molded plastic Fawkes masks they passed out at WonderCon, it'll be fantastic.

[Dirtbag]

Before I spend my hard earned cash on the two disc edition, are there plans for the 23 disc super deluxe mega fun pack edition six months from now? I'm sick of getting burned by this kind of thing and I'm finally going to do a little bit of research.

[Lord Dalek]

Before I spend my hard earned cash on the two disc edition, are there plans for the 23 disc super deluxe mega fun pack edition six months from now? I'm sick of getting burned by this kind of thing and I'm finally going to do a little bit of research.No. Warner generally isn't like that except when replacing 5 year old product (see Ben-Hur).

[Conekiller]

So how big is that Guy Fawkes mask?

[Hades]

So how big is that Guy Fawkes mask?

Length wise, it is about as big as a DVD disc.

Anyway, I just watched the omvie twice. However, I'm disappointed there are no deleted scenes, or did I perhaps miss them? Oh, and where is the original theatrical trailer? The one that had the music from Equilibrium?

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

I'm not all that familiar with the sentiment you're criticizing. I love Alan Moore's work, but I saw and enjoyed the movie -- the same goes for others I know who are fans of Moore.
FANS of Alan Moore and V for Vendetta ought to know enough watch the movie on their own to make up their own minds.

FANBOYS of Alan Moore will take a few comments from Moore, largely out of context, and act huffy and superior and say, "He said no so I won't go," and let someone else make their decisions for them.

;)

BTW, for those who still don't know why Moore has disassociated himself with the film, I linked to a bunch of stuff (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=162469&page=3) at or around the time the movie came out; the two-part interview with Moore that Heidi MacDonald did (part 1 (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/2006/03/a_for_alan_pt_1_the_alan_moore.html) and part 2 (http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/2006/03/a_for_alan_pt_2_the_further_ad.html)) is as close as you'll get to sitting down with the man himself and understanding his point of view.

Did this whole controversy crop up at all in any of the special features? I'd be shocked if they touched on the friction in even the most oblique terms, but you never know.

-- Ed

[Noukon]

FANBOYS of Alan Moore will take a few comments from Moore, largely out of context, and act huffy and superior and say, "He said no so I won't go," and let someone else make their decisions for them.

Yeah, what I meant was that I've hardly seen anyone take up this stance. But it's kind of a pointless argument anyway.