(April 5, 2006) — “Remember, remember, the fifth of November,” echoed in the minds of audiences everywhere beginning March 17 at wide-release showings of Warner Bros’ latest, V for Vendetta . Perhaps the most successful comic-book adaptation thus far, (based off the series originally created by Alan Moore) Vendetta is a futuristic thriller about a totalitarian government established in England in 2020 and its oncoming destruction, brought on by a Guy Fawkes mask-wearing, knife-throwing, eloquent and cultured man named V. Produced and written by the Wachowski brothers, best known for their work on the Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta boasts a talented cast—Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry and Hugo Weaving, to name a few—as well as a visual capacity that surpasses any contemporary action film with its tasteful uses of graceful violence. The best examples of this are the first and last scenes of the film, in which various parts of the English Parliament are blown to smithereens while Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” is blasted through the loudspeakers meticulously placed throughout London. Having read the graphic novel compilation of the series prior to having watched the film, it was refreshing to see a film stay so true to its beginnings. Although Alan Moore ended up suing the production company for allegedly straying too far from the original story, I really felt satisfied with what was included and what was excluded. Perhaps what Moore doesn’t take into account is the fact that the film exceeds two hours as is and to include all the extra bits would have made it epically boring. Despite the approximate half hour it took to get used to hearing V’s (Hugo Weaving) voice without any change of facial expression, the beauty of the original character is successfully conveyed—remember, he wears that mask throughout the whole film. Weaving allows the timeless phrase “People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people” with just the right amount of sadness and conviction that one would imagine when reading the comic. And then, of course, there is Natalie Portman, who delivers a convincing performance as Evey Hammond, V’s young recruit who is slowly melted out of the mold she has been stuck in for years as a result of a special haircut and intense mind-games. If the story doesn’t sound like anything, one should still see this film for its sheer brilliance at visualizing Moore’s drawings. Let’s be honest, there’s nothing cooler than watching ridiculous explosions while listening to your grandfather’s classical music.