Review of V for Vendetta
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I had seen the film adaptation 4-5 years ago but hardly recalled what it was about. Decided to watch it again after I was done with the graphic novel and compare the two.
The Graphic Novel
First couple of volumes in the 10-volume series didn’t make much sense and were rather slow to read as I was just getting introduced to the characters. Forced symbolism of character ‘V’ could be observed from the very beginning with each chapter title containing a word starting with it. Points of view of both the Leader and V are presented and give the reader some perspective on how they think. Meanwhile V continues destroying buildings, killing people from his past. Only when some of his backstory is revealed, things start to piece together a bit.
The story includes discussion of political extremes of fascism and anarchy, portrayal of implications of nuclear warfare, a government experimenting with biological weapons on human subjects and psychological & dramatic techniques employed by V for his vengeance.
Certainly not an easy read but it keeps getting better as you progress. 4.5 stars and recommended.
The Movie
After going through the graphic novel over a fortnight, watching the movie was a disappointment. It goes too far away from the original plot and fails to convey key ideas Moore must have intended through his story.
There is no mention of fascism or anarchy, the leader (high chancellor in the film) isn’t a recluse but is recognized by everyone in the country. There is no Fate. Evey’s story of transformation is much more elaborate & intense in the graphic novel and government surveillance plays a much larger role in the original plot.
The movie seems to have been made for a wider audience and is almost family friendly, while the graphic novel is a lot darker and is meant for mature readers.