Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings V for Vendetta to 4K UHD Blu-ray, a movie that may be too timely.
The Production: 4/5
Home Theater Forum has a strict rule forbidding the discussion of politics (and religion) on the forum, and seeing how such discussions have divided friends and family members on social media in the last few years, I can definitely respect that. Receiving Warner’s new 4K upgrade of V for Vendetta for review just before election day has proven to be a challenge, possibly one of the most difficult movies I’ve had to write a review for.
Based on the 1988 graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd published by DC Comics, V for Vendetta takes place in 2027 London, with the United States suffering from a second civil war, a pandemic spreading across Europe, and London under the rule of fascist High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt). A terrorist dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask, known only a “V” (Hugo Weaving), saves a young woman who works at the state-run British Television Network, Evey (Natalie Portman) from a brutal attack by the secret police, only to take her to a rooftop to witness his destruction of the Old Bailey set to William Tell’s 1812 Overture. But V has an even bigger event in store, with hopes of rallying the public to his side, as he plans to blow up Parliament the following year. Why? To strike vengeance against those who authorized and conducted experiments on him, including the High Chancellor.
When released in 2005, V for Vendetta may have been ahead of its time. Seeing it again fifteen years later in today’s environment, it often hits too close to home. The screenplay was written by The Wachowskis (brothers at the time of initial release and still credited as such in the film, but credited as sisters on the cover art), who had just come off of The Matrix Trilogy, and also produced the film with Joel Silver, bringing in Matrix assistant director James McTeigue to helm the director’s chair. The movie definitely has the visual flair one expects from the Wachowskis, so their influence is most definitely on display. Performances are excellent across the board, from John Hurt as the fascist dictator, Stephen Rea as the inspector assigned to track down V, Stephen Fry as the talk show host, but it is the performances of Natalie Portman and especially Hugo Weaving who must perform completely cloaked behind a mask for nearly the entire running time.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
V for Vendetta is something of a hybrid in UHD. Photographed on 35mm film in the Super 35 format, the film was originally completed as a 2K digital intermediate back in 2005. From what I’ve been able to piece together, Warner has rescanned as much of the original camera negative as possible in 4K, then upscaled any visual effects shots to 2160p to create a new 4K digital intermediate, which is the basis of the 2160p transfer used for this UHD release, adding in HDR10 high dynamic range. This is the best the film has ever looked, with very deep blacks that allow for greater shadow detail, while the colors are much more vivid, especially the color red. Detail is vastly improved, revealing more dramatic facial features and wardrobe textures.
Audio: 5/5
The real shining point of this release is the new Dolby Atmos mix. This new track has a very strong LFE presence, notably in the explosions featured in the film. Heights are used to better place public address announcements and other more atmospheric sounds, as well as add more distinct acoustics to the many different environments. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 4/5
Warner’s UHD release of V for Vendetta includes three new-to-disc featurettes on the UHD disc, with the remaining legacy features to be found on the included 2008 Blu-ray edition.
UHD Disc
James McTiegue & Lana Wachowski in Conversation (1080p; 13:18): The two reflect back on the movie in this recent interview.
Natalie Portman’s Audition (1080p; 14:06): Portman’s audition tape that also compares two of the scenes to their finished versions.
“V for Vendetta” Unmasked (upscaled 1080p; 23:28): A behind-the-scenes TV special from the time of the film’s theatrical release that is finally arriving on home video.
Blu-ray Disc
In-Movie Experience: aka Director’s Notebook: Re-imagining a Cult Classic for the 21st Century.
Designing the Near Future (480i; 17:16)
Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot (480i; 10:18)
Freedom! Forever!: Making “V for Vendetta” (480i; 15:57)
England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics (480i; 14:40)
Natalie Portman SNL Rap (480i; 2:34)
Cat Power Montage (480i; 2:02)
Theatrical Trailer (480i; 2:24)
Soundtrack Album Info (1080p; 0:15)
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy (in UHD where available) on Movies Anywhere.
Overall: 4/5
V for Vendetta is not an easy film to watch, most definitely a more cautionary tale than ever before. Presentation is excellent.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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