Nearly 21 Years Later, a Legendary Sci-Fi Comic Adaptation Begs To Be Remembered

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Published Mar 10, 2026, 7:51 PM EDT

Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

One of the most important films of the 21st century celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2025, and is about to celebrate its 21st anniversary exactly 1 week from today. The movie hasn't merely been hugely influential over the last 20 years; it has also proven to be prophetic. But that was the point; the dystopian thriller used a fictional framework to underline how history is doomed to repeat itself. The film was co-written by the Wachowski siblings soon after they became the most in-demand creators in Hollywood following The Matrix trilogy. However, they handed over directorial responsibilities to their co-collaborator on the Matrix films, James McTeigue. The film was a critical and commercial success, and the cult following it has garnered over the past two decades is unprecedented.

The movie was set in an alternate reality where England is ruled by a totalitarian government. A masked vigilante, played to perfection by Hugo Weaving, dons a Guy Fawkes mask and attempts to overthrow the government. The story was presented from the perspective of a young woman, played by Natalie Portman. The movie grossed more than $130 million worldwide against a reported budget of approximately $55 million. It earned positive reviews and is now sitting at a "Certified Fresh" 73% critics' score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The website's consensus hailed the film as "visually stunning and thought-provoking."

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The movie we're talking about, of course, is V for Vendetta. It was based on the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, although only the latter was credited. This was because Moore had made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with the film adaptations of his works. He has remained uncredited on the Watchmen adaptations and the Constantine movie. In an interview with MTV, Moore asked that all monetary proceeds from the adaptations of his books be distributed to the artists who worked on them. He also accused V for Vendetta producer Joel Silver of falsely claiming that he had endorsed the film adaptation. Moore was also critical of the movie, remarking in the interview, "It's been turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country." Despite his disagreements with the film, V for Vendetta remains as popular as ever. With its 21st anniversary only a week away, V for Vendetta was among the most-watched movies on HBO Max's domestic charts this week, now climbing to the #6 spot in the U.S.