It’s no Sin City, but the big screen adaptation of Alan Moore’s groundbreaking and disturbingly timely V for Vendetta still marks the official end of 2006’s woeful When Are the Good Movies Going to Be Released? season.  Moore’s devotees shouldn’t be too surprised his name appears nowhere in Vendetta’s credits – the curmudgeon has a bit of a history with distancing himself from Hollywood’s versions of his comics.  And anyone who saw The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen probably wouldn’t blame him.

That said, Moore’s input might have made for a much richer film-going experience, and that’s exactly why Sin City remains the benchmark for non-superhero comic book adaptations.  Robert Rodriguez insisted City creator Frank Miller be deeply involved in the filmmaking process, almost to the detriment of his own career (Rodriguez was ultimately booted from the Director’s Guild of America for giving Miller a co-director credit).  Without Moore on board here, the net result is akin to the first, second and fourth Harry Potter movies: A faithful book-on-tape-like adaptation with little emotional oomph behind it.

A little British history will help you enjoy Vendetta even more.  In London, on November 5, 1605, a nutter named Guy Fawkes nearly blew up the House of Lords during the opening joint session of Parliament and the House of Commons.  Fawkes was lashing out against King James I’s regime and the Protestant aristocracy ruling England at that time.  Though he became something of a hero as time passed, Fawkes was hung, drawn and quartered when his Gunpowder Plot was discovered.  You may have even heard the rhyme, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November…” especially if you’re a John Lennon fan.

Vendetta, set about 15 years in the future, begins on November 5 with a cloaked guy in a Guy Fawkes mask blowing stuff up in London, and hacking into the television signal to promise more of the same unless the country bucks the Big Brother-ish fear-and-propaganda totalitarian government (sound familiar?).  He also saves a young woman from being raped/murdered/worse by government agents.  “V” (Hugo Weaving) takes Evey (Natalie Portman) under his wing and teaches her – The Professional-style – about the ins and outs of terrorism and how its power can be wielded for good.  I won’t get into the meat of the story, but will say this: Vendetta features some of the craziest fake arterial blood spray since Takeshi Kitano’s Zatoichi

So, yeah – Vendetta is a bit of a tough sell, story-wise.  Add in the fact that its lead never takes off the mask, and it gets even tougher.  The content is going to bother a lot of people, but an equal number probably won’t be able to make the connection between Moore’s anti-Thatcher tirade (from the ‘80s, I might add) and the obvious parallels to the George W. Bush Crusade and Money-Grab Power Hour.  You know, because otherwise, how could this chimp have been elected again?

Since we never see Weaving’s face, it’s tough to comment on his performance.  It’s understated, when a lesser actor might have gone overboard with stage-y theatrics.  I had trouble hearing some of his lines, which could have been due to a combination of the mask and my screening taking place in a theatre with legendarily bad sound.  Portman’s accent is a mess, often sounding like she’s from the American South.  But once Evey’s locks are shorn, Portman kicks it up a couple of notches, making her turn resonate much more than I thought it ever would have.  Solid supporting turns from John Hurt, and Stephens Rea and Fry.

A lot of folks will plunk down their money because they think Vendetta is the new Wachowski brothers flick.  But the Wachowskis – the folks behind The Matrix trilogy – only adapted the comic and shelled out the money.  Directorial duty fell to James McTeigue, a Wachowski protégé and first assistant director on Attack of the Clones, in addition to the entire Matrix canon.  If you’re curious about what a Yuen Woo-ping-less Wachowski charge can do with some really awesome material, then Vendetta is the movie for you.

2:12 – for strong violence and some language