Watchmen

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Some nice reviews on here, alot of what was on my mind was said in these reviews.

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
All in all I recon it was a good film, brought the novel into the 21st century nicely. However Veidt was dissapointing , he seemed more villainous and pompas than his comic book counterpart. In the novels when he destroyed NY I was convinced he was saving the world, and completly bought into his ethos. In the film I really, really wanted Dr Manhattan to break his foot off and shove it up his ass.

ADMIN EDIT: please use spoiler tags! We don't want to ruin the movie for anyone.



Very good reviews everyone, enjoyed reading them.

I've not read the graphic novel but I was entranced by the film. Although there's all those back stories flickering around on the edges which remain a mystery to the likes of me, if you're quick enough you can pull together enough info to keep you hooked. It looked absolutely superb and that opening montage was so very good - and the music hey? anyone who has Dylan on the soundtrack has my vote . Yeah I guess they were cheesy musical choices but dammit they are great songs after all!

That guy Jackie Earle Haley, what a fantastic cinematic face he has.



Standing in the Sunlight, Laughing
Some nice reviews on here, alot of what was on my mind was said in these reviews.
WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
All in all I recon it was a good film, brought the novel into the 21st century nicely. However Veidt was dissapointing , he seemed more villainous and pompas than his comic book counterpart. In the novels when he destroyed NY I was convinced he was saving the world, and completly bought into his ethos. In the film I really, really wanted Dr Manhattan to break his foot off and shove it up his ass.
Hilarious, and a very valid point. The film tells a compelling story. The novel asks compelling questions.


christine, I'm really glad to see this kind of reaction from someone who hasn't read the book. I was wondering how it would come across, and since I'm taking two friends who haven't read it to see the IMAX screening tomorrow, I'm feeling more confident now. Hurray!
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Very good reviews everyone, enjoyed reading them.

I've not read the graphic novel but I was entranced by the film. Although there's all those back stories flickering around on the edges which remain a mystery to the likes of me, if you're quick enough you can pull together enough info to keep you hooked. It looked absolutely superb and that opening montage was so very good - and the music hey? anyone who has Dylan on the soundtrack has my vote . Yeah I guess they were cheesy musical choices but dammit they are great songs after all!

That guy Jackie Earle Haley, what a fantastic cinematic face he has.
As a fellow non-follower of the GN. I couldn't agree more with you Christine. I can't even find anything to add to that.
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This is great news....can't wait to see this one myself!



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Watchmen Reviewed


It's always hard to review films that are based on previous works, such as books, or in this case a graphic novel. The problem is that people want to always bring the most popular books to life on the big screen and it ultimately disappoints a lot of people because it's from a different vision then their own. This is why movies based on books not a lot of people have read are always good and ones that are based on big popular ones are mostly bad. Of course there are the few exceptions.

I think it goes without saying that the film would never be as good as the book. It's a statement that is so obvious that I'm surprised I'm even stating it here. In reviewing a film based of said literature, one should make the distinction of not really comparing the two. It's simply not fair. Comparisons will rise, no doubt, but the two mediums are vastly different. With books, you can go anywhere, do anything, nothing is limited. Film on the other hand, has so many limitations that it feels like it should be viewed in a category on it's own. You can only do so much with an actual camera, but with your imagination the limitations are endless. This is why I'll be reviewing the film and try not to compare it to the Graphic Novel.

So, where to begin? It's taken decades for this unfilmable epic to make it to the big screen, so a pat on the back to Synder and the crew for finally making it happen. He has done with other directors couldn't. Granted, we now have the technology to bring these things to life, something we did not have way back then. Even so, Snyder has proven himself to be a competent director, his last two films have been both financially and critically successful. Did he do a good job bringing Watchmen to the screen. I guess as good as it could of possibly been.

The film is a pretty accurate depiction of the novel, the changes that were made I had no opposition to. Things were obviously left out, some things I knew would be gone, some things I hoped would make it in. The film clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, so it may seem like it will drag in places and near the end it does. Whenever Dr. Manhattan was on the screen, I was so happy. He was a marvel in the book and here as well. Every time he was on the screen I was glued to it, could not look away. Although, when on Mars when he is discussing he feelings with humanity, I found myself slightly bored. Which is a shame because it is a pivotal moment in the film. Billy Crudup plays a character devoid of any emotion. He pulls it off. I enjoyed his performance. During the trailer I was upset with his voice, but during the film I did not mind it. I loved his eyes and every little turn of his head.

Malin Akerman on the other hand has gotten a lot of flack for her performance and I say it was because the character isn't even likable. I found her annoying and whiny, here she just seems boring. No connection to Manhattan, but more importantly Dan. I just did not really buy their relationship on screen. She does look beautiful in (and out) of that suit though and can kick some ass. Speaking of Dan, Night Owl is two characters. A kickass superhero and an overweight man who needs his glasses to see. Wilson captured both pretty well. His nervousness is there and I thought he brought that character to life. The one casting spot the fans seemed to hate the most, I enjoyed quite a bit. Matthew Goode did a decent job here, much to my surprise, even though

Both Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan play the psychopaths in this flick. Morgan shows his stuff in the characters flashbacks, aging from a young arrogant bastard, to an old crying slob. After his introduction and flashback scenes he has nothing else to do with the film and I wanted to see more of his sorry ass. Haley was the highlight of the film for me. What a badass character he gets to play, with the mask on and off. He pulled it off extremely well.

Why oh why did the make-up department fail so badly though? Looking at Silk Spectre in her old age was horrible. She looks like she had play dough rubbed on her face, Nixon too. Even The Comedian to an extent, whose fight sequence went on a tad too long. Punching through walls, really?

The soundtrack was spot on, maybe too spot on for some, but I dug it. The film's highlight, other than Dr. Manhattan's origins telling, is the fantastic montage opening credits to the tune of Bob Dylan. I loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. It immediately sets you in this alternate universe and you know the history. Pick up the soundtrack, I know I will.

The film looks beautiful, no question . Sin City had it's own atmosphere, as did 300 and now Watchmen. I just didn't sit there and see this world they were living in, I felt a part of it. I loved the blue of Manhattan glowing everywhere, I loved the neon signs and the gritty streets.

Some parts did have the Zack Snyder stamp all over them, most notably the prison scene in which Night Owl and Spectre II fight off some prisoners down the corridor. Just seemed like 300 all over again to me. I did enjoy Rorschach kicking ass though. His pacing was a bit off as well, in the Graphic Novel I felt that they left out Adiran a lot, which is exactly what the film does as well, much to my dismay. His choice to have the characters seem more super than human was also a bit weird. This was most noticeable in the climax when characters are bouncing off solid objects and nothing really seems to happen to them.

A lot of the core themes and elements were sort of lost to me in the translation. Viewers will get lost in the gorgeousness of it and might miss the smaller parts that really make Watchmen what it is. These characters are not super at all, they all have problems. I feel that many people will miss this, the film kind of did. For instance, my friend who knew nothing about the graphic novel (he gave the film a 6/10) asked me why the black kid and the old fat guy were hugging at the end before the explosion. Seeing them was nothing more then a wink and a nod to the people who read the novel, no one else knew who the hell they were. Give me more little things with the main characters. Rorschach is suppose to be the psychopath, yet he seems to be the only one with a level head on his shoulders most of the time.

In the end, the film is a good adaptation of the book. I enjoyed it on it's own merits and on the comparison
to the source material. So I guess they did something right with that one. I guess my small complaints are ones that fans seem to have, more needed with the core characters. I really wanted more on Kovacs back story. I wanted to see him make the mask dammit. At times it tries to be brilliant, like the novel, but it doesn't come off like that. I wanted the entire film to be brilliant, but ended up with an entertaining movie that I would love to watch over again and again.

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Suspect's Reviews



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
I forgot to mention, my experience here was just as bad as Slumdog. There were two RABID fans beside, spewing out the dialogue before the characters would say it, laugh at blue penis, and their laughs were loud and annoying, like Pee Wee Herman amped up to the max.

I wanted to smash their face in with a meat cleaver.



A system of cells interlinked
That's the third person I have heard (read) mention Comedian punching through a wall. I am stunned as to why people are surprised by this. Stunned, I tell you. When i was in Jr. High, I was wrestling around with a friend and I went to go after him and he dodged out of the way. My hand went right through the wall. I was about 92 pounds at the time. Comedian punched through a regular old wall; it wasn't cement or anything.

Actually, None of the characters exhibited heightened abilities beyond what acrobats/martial artists do, except Veidt. Obviously Manhattan did, but I am talking the other characters here. Rorschach did some parkour style stuff, but I have seen people do that in the real, so that isn't super power stuff. Owl and Spectre do kick some ass, but it was on a level with Batman or something like that.

Also, I am re-reading the comic, and they mention (in issue 3 I believe) that Manhattan and Comedian are the only ones with any real powers. Was Comedian enhanced or something, like Captain America? They don't go into specifics, and I can't recall exactly what had been done to him. They do mention he had some heightened abilities in the comic, though. Veidt was clearly changed for the film.
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Welcome to the human race...
The wall Comedian punched through at the start looked like was covered in marble, though. The only explanation I can think of is that it was fake marble added for decoration.
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The visuals were amazing. But with Synder directing and having artist Dave Gibbons on board, the film was always going to favour the visual side of things. But on the whole I liked it, just wish there was more story from the comics. Though I suppose in movie terms it would have dragged had they added much more. That's why a TV mini-series would have made a lot more sense, and been the perfect way to adapt Alan Moore's Watchmen. A platform that would have been able to include all the subplots with Bernard and Bernie, Hollis Mason, Max Shea and even the giant squid. But whadda'ya gonna do?

For the film, I thought the new ending worked well. And though the added sex and violence was unnecessary I didn't have any problems with a lot of the minor changes. But like other MoFo's, I really didn't like the super-human abilities the regular heroes had. It works for Ozymandias, since he's shaped himself to be the perfect human, but the rest of them really didn't need to be throwing enemies around like tennis balls.

Was anyone else pleasantly surprised by Dr. Manhattan's soft-spoken voice? It wasn't anything like what I heard in my head, but it worked even better than I ever imagined. Loved Rorschach, of course. But Jeffery Dean Morgan as The Comedian really stood out as the best performance for me, by far. Even though he had limited screen time, he owned every scene he was in.

The music was good. Though some choices were a bit odd. I didn't like hearing "Ride of the Valkyries" while Manhattan and Comedian were in 'Nam, for example. Felt it came too close to parody. But I'm sure most would agree, the opening credits were incredible, stunningly so. I sat there watching them in awe the first time on Friday, and did the same again when I saw it last night.

I really enjoyed Watchmen, but that might be because of my love for Moore's comics, which at times it was very faithful to. Seeing the characters and the artwork of the comics brought to life was the real treat for me, which is why I'll probably watch it at least one more time while it's still in theatres.



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A system of cells interlinked
After reading Yoda's comments about the added super powers, I went into the film looking for it. It just isn't there to the extent some others seem to have thought it was. Who throws people around like tennis balls?



I'll have to see it again to offer up more specifics. I'll wrap all this in spoiler tags, just in case...

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
You already touched on Veidt, though, who basically jump-flies across the room at one point, which I thought was pretty goofy. Off the top of my head, I admit that the bulk of the over-the-top stuff comes from him. I think he punches Rorschach and sends him flying across the room in the same scene.

Most of it wasn't super-human, or anything resembling super-powers, but still way too strong for an actual human, especially one who's een retired from this stuff for years. The strength of the punches was pretty out there, if I recall correctly (I may not). No, it's not supernatural, but it's not really realistic, either. You'd probably have to take a world-class boxer and ramp their strength up a good 50% to have the kind of force some of those blows seemed to have.

It's, of course, possible that some of this is exaggerated in my mind for whatever reason; possibly because the sound of each hit was amped up to a ridiculous degree most of the time. But I'll definitely be seeing this again, probably in IMAX, so I'll make a point to note specifics.



A system of cells interlinked
No, you are spot on about him, and he was changed for the film. Not sure why they decided to give him abilities like that. No one else seemed over the top to me, though.

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
He also caught a bullet, which is clearly meta-human stuff.



You may be right; the sound may have tricked me into thinking the blows were more forceful than they were, but I'll definitely be on the lookout next time through. Regarding the other bit...

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
He did this in the graphic novel, too, and it was actually even less believable then, as he didn't have any kind of glove on. I don't think it was ever explained, either. I'd actually chalk the film version, with the glove (which might be special somehow, I suppose) as an improvement, though I would have preferred it be removed altogether.

Been going through the film in my mind and leafing back through the novel over the last couple of days, and the film is actually more faithful to the source material than I'd originally realized. There are a few changes -- some of which I think make it worse...but there are several undeniable improvements. I've got a crazy week in front of me, but I'll try to sit down and catalogue a few of the more interesting changes at some point.



In the Beginning...
I didn't like hearing "Ride of the Valkyries" while Manhattan and Comedian were in 'Nam, for example. Felt it came too close to parody.
Actually, "Ride of the Valkyries" does have a connection to the book. In Hollis Mason's biography "Under the Hood," he describes a scene in which his boss at the auto-repair shop, wearing a set of fake breasts and listening to "Ride of the Valkyries" at full volume, finds out that his wife has been cheating on him with the chief mechanic. And despite his anguish, the scene is so bizarre to everyone present, that they can't help but start laughing. I'm sure Snyder included the song to pay homage to that.

Originally Posted by Yoda
You may be right; the sound may have tricked me into thinking the blows were more forceful than they were
No, I'm with you on this one, Chris. A lot of the blows were clearly exaggerated:

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
I recall Comedian punching out a chunk of a concrete pillar, Veidt puts the Comedian through a marble kitchen counter top, Nite Owl breaks an attacker's arm so hard that he almost tears it off at the elbow, and that's just a few. The characters also seemed to be extremely durable. I happened to comment many times that I would just give up after someone threw me across the room into a statue.


Also, in general terms of each character's heightened ability:

WARNING: "Watchmen" spoilers below
Besides Veidt pulling some Spring-heeled Jack stuff later in the film, I have to mention that I wasn't thrilled about the kind of nimble stuff Rorschach did, either. That guy sprang from a standing position and scaled a bar ladder like it was nothing.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
WARNING: "WATCHMEN" spoilers below
The scenes that stuck out for me is when The Comedian punched the edge of the wall and it broke apart.

But more obvious to me was the end fight in which Rorschach kept flying into hard cement pieces, that broke off and he just got up and kept fighting. It just didn't look natural to me.



In the Beginning...
Did you see it, Sleezy? Thoughts?
Yup.

Liked most of it, didn't like some of it. The film does, ultimately, feel like Watchmen though, and that goes a long way. It could have very well been changed beyond recognition by someone less concerned than Snyder about giving fans something they can appreciate. Paul Greengrass, for example, was planning on making major changes, and setting the film in 2006. So thank God that got canned.

If you want to read my full review, CLICK.