More Watchmen Nitpicking

One think I missed on my previous Watchmen kvelching post (is that right?). I understand why Snyder excluded this but it was also one of the key moments in the graphic novel. Near the conclusion, Laurie tells her mother that she knows the Comedian is her father and tells her she understands why she never told her. This happens in both the film and the book. But after Laurie and Dan leave, the comic cuts to a frame of Sally crying and clutching an old photo of the Comedian, revealing her secret admiration of the Comedian. I thought this was a particularly moving moment in a story that otherwise lacks much humanity. But adding this to the film would understandably confuse those unacquainted with Watchmen by adding yet another character with a back story. There were enough of those moments for those unfortunate viewers (WTH is that CGI cat!?!)

After some reconsideration (and listening to a podcast by Master of Everything Nerdy Kevin Smith), I decided this film is still a significant accomplishment. Snyder is not the most talented or experienced director around but he managed to bring the Unfilmable Graphic Novel to screen and did it fairly well to boot without selling out anything important. His intention (at least it seems) was to make a faithful adaptation of Watchmen first and a good movie second. Consider this against Nolan making The Dark Knight which is an all around great film but he had the advantage of having the flexibility to do what he wanted. So, yeah, the graphic novel is better and the movie feels like the reverse of a book-based-on-a-movie. But it is still a Watchmen movie. What's not to like?