- Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan) and Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach) give inspired performances.
- Dr. Manhattan's back story set to Philip Glass and (wisely) taken straight from the page (my favorite part of the original Watchmen) is perfection.
- Back story of Minutemen and Crimebusters told in photographic vignettes with Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' in the background totally worked. Even the non-comic historical revisions (Dr. Manhattan meeting Apollo 11 on the moon, Veidt at Studio 54, Silhouette locking lips with a nurse in Times Square on V-Day) were worthy of Alan Moore's work if not a bit over the top.
- I know this is sacrilegious, but I liked the film's Climatic Big Reveal better than the comic!
- Leaving the worst part of the comic on the cutting room floor (pirate comic/ordinary bystander stories).
Con
- Visionary Director Zack Snyder's 300esque action sequences. Do we really need to see Silk Spectre II turning around in slow motion as a fireball nearly engulfs her? Just cause it's in the trailer doesn't mean you need to keep it in the film! The movie was long enough as is. While on the topic, did the Comedian try to defend himself against his assassin? The movie version features a Kill Bill inspired fight sequence. I had the impression he was passive to his murder.
- Visionary Director Zack Snyder's Forrest Gumpesque choice of soundtrack music. I get it; Watchmen is very much about America's post WWII transition. But these are serially the most cliched picks ever. Comedian's funeral to Simon and Garfunkel? Nite Owl II/Silk Spectre II's awkward sex scene to Hallelujah. Speaking of which...
- Nite Owl II/Silk Spectre II's awkward sex scene in Archie. You know how I know it was awkward? Cause the guy behind me said "that's awkward!" He also said that every time we saw Dr. Manhattan's glowing blue CGI phallus. And screamed, "Don't kill Roarsack!" So this dude may have not been the best source for film criticism.
- Did Veidt have a bizarre accent or speech impediment?
- Excessively violent! It was completely distracting and unnecessary. I don't remember Dan Dreiberg giving a Knot Top a compound fracture resulting in muscle and bone being exposed.
- I do appreciate that generally every major storyline was kept in place from the comic. But you cannot squeeze that much story into a <3>
- The whole film was sort of unnecessary. I left the screening feeling indifferent to it. Snyder didn't attempt to LXG the original content, and it was a fine, straight adaptation. But graphic novels are basically non-moving motion pictures. Why do a straight adaptation? Frankly, I would have appreciated a true "visionary director" (I am looking at you Terry Gilliam/Darren Aronofsky! QUITERS!) who would reinterpret the story to tell something different. An AVClub-My-Year-in-Flops-Fiasco version of Watchmen would at least be interesting. However, I know most people will never read Watchmen so at least the film gives a reasonably good telling.
- Finally, I am not happy with the Watchmen backlash this movie has created. Slate and the Wall Street Journal had articles denigrating the original graphic novel. Why do we need to re-evaluate the original graphic novel because of a mildly disappointing movie release? I get it; you don't like that a graphic novel was on Time's 100 Best Novels of the past hundred years. Give it a rest, it still rules and you know it you dorky English majors.
7 comments:
1. Completely with you on the unnecessary-ness of the whole endeavor. I felt the same way.
2. Malin Akerman was not very good. And I swear her lines were dubbed over by Drew Barrymoore.
3. I also enjoyed the opening, Dr. Manhattan stuff, etc.
4. I realized the point I stopped paying attention in the film (Rorschach's arrest) was also about the time I stopped really reading the comic. That's about when the story stops playing with the idea of the superhero and starts tackling the Big Issues of Human Nature and Revenge and Secret Fathers OMG. I'm much more interested in the backgrounds of these characters than their later actions.
5. Reading Watchmen in 1989 is vastly different than reading it in 2009. I'm sure any attempts to "update" Watchmen would be horrible, but I do wish it spoke to our present a little more. Anyway, it's kind of a lose/lose situation and another reason why it's ultimately unnecessary.
6. Needed more Watchmen Babies.
4. Reminds me of Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre II on Mars. Did this god-like being really become convinced that life is worth saving because of its own seeming impossibility? That is something I thought about in high school.
Yeah, the existence of (movie-version) Silk Spectre doesn't really justify humanity for me. "Dr. Manhattan, you're breaking my heart!"
I'm not convinced on this "dorky English majors" thing, Ben. Most of us dorky English majors either deride graphic novels as inferior to "real" literature or are totally ignorant about them.
They have pictures, for Pete's sake!
Haha -- I just actually read the context of that comment and realize I totally proved your point.
I didn't read the post because I'm a dorky English major who thinks graphic novels are boring and not real literature.
WHAT'S MORE, there are some other questionable novels on Time's list. I would bow to Modern Library as a more trustworthy authority.
You fell right into my trap Acree! I knew your elitist English major eyes would scan the article and write a glib response. (evil laughs)
Graphic novels pwn your post-feminism Foucault analysis of Jane Austen or whatever the heck you people do.
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