Watchmen Movie

Just came back from a second viewing and I must say I enjoyed it even more the second time. Anyone who thinks the movie lacks depth or emotional resonance is not paying close enough attention. I can't help it: tears spring unbidden to my eyes when John talks about "oxygen turning to gold" on Mars, and again when Rorschach begs for death in the snow. And, for the first time, I actually felt pity for Veidt: his slaying of millions, and destruction of the world's main centers of power and art and commerce, will weigh heavily on his mind and heart, even though his deeds saved humanity.

The novel may have packed a greater emotional wallop, but that's true of any extended reading experience that gets distilled down into a two-and-a-half hour movie. Literary source material is always going to be more affecting because it is an immersive and collaborative (with the reader's imagination) art form.

Looking at the film as a film, comparing it to other works of its genre (including the broader sci-fi genre and the more narrow superhero sub-genre), this thing is a genius-level tour-de-force of epic proportions that will be talked about for decades to come.

 

Saw it today, finally. The music was a bit off from time to time. The use of Dylan's songs, however, was spot on. Primarily because they are referenced in the graphic novel.

Stupendous. Seriously. Best thing since The Dark Knight.

 

Saw it yesterday and found it to be really good even though I viewed it with a critical eye. Probably will go and see it again.

Some things I liked: the opening montage, the soundtrack, the performances of Rorschach, Nite Owl and Comedian were spot on, the feel, the ending (it makes movie-sense), Kissingers and Nixons reaction to the destruction of New York.

Some things I didn't like: super-powered fighting (was hoping for something grittier and less choreographed), not enough Ozymandias (where was his big speech and victory cry?), gore for the sake of gore (done more sparingly and effectively in the graphic novel), Nite Owls out of character reaction at the end of the movie, the lame excuse of the Comedian's discovery (he just happened to stumble into Antarctica? Worked much better in the graphic novel)

Some things I hated: My Chemical Romance's cov...err...butchering of Dylan's "Desolation Row" not only ruined the songs dreamy and eerie quality by burying it under heavy drums, bass and inaudible shouting but it also went against the practice of only using songs/performances from before 1985.

Worst. Cover. Ever.

 

my GF is seeing this movie, after she gets back i will tell you about it.

 

By all means, please give us a second-hand account of the opinion of the girl you happen to be dating at the moment. I for one am breathless with anticipation, as there are only about 60,000 on-line reviews of the film so far, and one more written with no capitalization and incorrect punctuation will undoubtedly be a stunning contribution to the database.

 

So Tale of the Black Freighter is pretty disturbing. It's good, but I doubt I'd ever watch it again because it's so twisted. I don't think I fully appreciated just how disturbing it was in the comic.

However, I really enjoyed the Under the Hood feature though. It was very well done and the comercials were fun (even if the announcer was terrible). The scenes of the heroes fighting crime in the 1930s and 1940s were very well done. It seemed like that era. The occasional line in the film was also a nice touch.

 

Oddly, I actually liked the My Chemical Romance cover of Desolation Row... I was actually trying to figure out which late 70s early 80s punk band it was until I saw the credit for it. Then I was like "damn it, I actually liked something that band has done. I hate them and their whole genre."

 

Anyone have any theories as to why this film has not met box-office expectations? I thought the film would easily gross between $150 - $200 million in the US market, however, it is stuggling, just about to get over $100 million now.

I for one DON'T blame the global financial crisis, as going to a movie is a cheaper form of entertainment in hard times.

Is it just too confusing, complex to non-fans, or people who have not read the comic?

 

Cheaper? Cost me $14 in a matinee for two people. Thats two good dinners for a single guy. What do people do for entertainment?

anyways, finally saw it, and as a big fan of the book I thought it was amazing. They crammed a lot more in there than I was expecting

 

Saw Watchmen a couple of days ago. It was overall pretty good. My only real complaints were the offbeat music, the alteration of the last exchange between Rorschach and Dreiberg, the omission of Dr. Manhattan handling the D.C. riots ("You will return to your homes..." how could they not include that?), and Lee Iacocca complaining about Veidt's renewable energy.

Really? The dude in charge of Chrysler would be against this why? Whether they run on electricity or gasoline, cars are cars, and as long as people drive them, Detroit makes money.

This. The opening credits montage was a great little recap for those familiar with the backstory, but anyone else would just see a bunch of people in weird costumes, a leather-clad superheroine making out with a nurse, and some guy in a costume being manhandled into an ambulance. If they missed Mothman's presnce in the earlier Minutemen photo, they might even assume he was supposed to be a villain. Bubastis comes out of nowhere with no explanation, the backstories are all truncated, etc., etc.

 

It's also R-rated, which means the kiddies can't line up in droves to see it.

 

I've never read Watchmen and knew almost nothing about it before I went to see the movie, but all those things made sense just fine. The intro showed perfectly a world where superheroes are real and have real issues, sexuality, public view on their mental health, etc.

Even Bubastis, with absolutely no explanation, didn't have a negative effect for me. Even with no knowledge of Adrien's genetic experiments, I just figured if anybody would own a purple tiger with antlers, it would probably be the richest man in the world.

 

Something I just realized:

ROTTEN TOMATOES


Watchmen (2009) (64 % Tomatometer/Average Rating: 6.2/10)

Consensus:

Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material.


Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) (64 % Tomatometer/Average Rating: 6/10)

Consensus:

Lucas needs to improve on the plot and character development, but there's plenty of eye candy to behold.


Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) (67 % Tomatometer/Average Rating: 6.6/10)

Consensus:

Containing more of what made the Star Wars series fun, Attack of the Clones is an improvement over The Phantom Menace.




MOVIE REVIEW QUERY ENGINE


Watchmen (2009) (MRQE Metric: 68/A=23.1%, B=38.8%, C=32.2%, D=5.5%, F=.2%)


Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) (MRQE Metric: 68/A=19.9%, B=48.1%, C=22.6%, D=8.6%, F=.6%)


Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) (MRQE Metric: 68/A=21.8%, B=45%, C=24.7%, D=7.3%, F=.9%)


Does that mean this film is as good/bad as episode one and two? As someone who's never read, or even physically touched a copy of the graphic novel, I'm completely ignorant to the mythos. That said, how will I like this film?

 

If you're as intelligent and as discerning as your above post makes you seem, you'll love it. I think a high intelligence is a prerequisite for understanding, let alone enjoying, WATCHMEN, novel or film.

 

No.

I didn't know anything about the comic when i went to see the film. the only thing I knew about the film was that there was not going to be a giant squid at the end.
Loved it all the way.
The opening explained pretty much the differences between our time and what Watchmen was set in. I don't know if i got everything, but the important stuff got across.
And the film was not badly confusing or anything.
When i read the comic after seeing the film, I didn't get the feeling I missed much in the movie. (Actually all that text in the comic got so on my nerves, and time after time I got the feeling somebody was trying too hard to prove something with the comic instead of just telling me a good story.)

The biggest gripe I had with the film was the violence. gah, not my cup of tea at all, but seems I'm a wimp that way and it was okay. I still hated it. Good thing I had some popcorn to distract myself when the bone-cracking began.

 

How long is Nixons role in the movie?

 

Not nearly so long as his nose.

What, you expect me to ignore that set-up? That was perfect.

Okay, srsly, if you excised all the Nixon scenes from the surrounding film, you'd have maybe five minutes of footage. His presence outstrips his actual screentime.

 

It's a principle that's been used a couple of times previously, like during J.J. Abrams's Lost pilot commentary, but never to this extent, and in the directions that the Blu-Ray format allows. It's also been announced that the Watchmen BD will synch with your Facebook account (using Warners' BD Live technology) to better facilitate community screenings, etc.

Reportedly, the bulk of the planned special features are going to go onto the "Director's Cut" BD, as opposed to the "Ultimate Edition," due to the fact that the movie will run approximately four hours with the "Tales From The Black Freighter" footage edited in, and that they can't fit everything onto the disk.

This is the best reason yet to get a Blu-ray player, but perhaps the absolute best reason is yet to come. When James Cameron's Avatar is eventually released on BD, you just know it's gonna be every bit as revolutionary to the format as when it hits theaters.

 

I saw that Blu-ray preview today. I can't wait to buy that. I believe a similar treatment for the 300 comes out on the same day.

 

Clip from the director's cut. Didn't make it into the theatrical release.

Hollis Mason meets his end

....

 

The will be the same watered-down version of the comic. I really hoped there was a second one . . . without NightOwl´s theatralical speech . . .

 

Wow, intense scene. The punks' acting is a little dodgy in the opening moments, and probably should have been edited differently, but that's nitpicking. I look forward to seeing more deleted footage.

 

I am curious how you edit a single take differently other than using a different take.

 

Yes, there were undoubtedly other takes of the scene, one would hope at different proximities from the actors. Group conversation scenes such as this one need to be massaged, especially when the cast is inexperienced like these guys. A single, extended medium shot with no camera movement, and strained line readings, does not keep the pacing brisk; it bogs it down with eye-rolling flacidity. The choice to cut this scene, at least, was a good one, and if I were making a master cut and had no other shots or dialogue looping, I would chop this exchange up to a minimum and get to the good stuff.