I have been a fan of Watchmen for years, and I was terrified that a movie would only cheapen the story by dumbing it down for the less than educated general public. Such rich and comp0lex source material could quickly turn into box office excrement in the hands of many directors, but when I heard you were attached to the project, I had a glimmer of hope. After your take on Dawn and 300, and the things you said in interviews about remaining true to the comics, I was sure you could pull it off, but I remained caustiously optomistic at best. There were still so many things that could have gone wrong.
They didn't.
I am mainly writing to say thank you. Thank you, Zach, for giving Watchmen fans the movie they have always wanted, but always figured they would never get.
Watchmen is an incredible film that somehow managed to film what has long been thought of as an unfilmable comic. There are so many ways the film could have gone wrong, but somehow it managed to avoid pretty much all of them. I won't post any spoilers here in the interest of you unlucky souls who haven't seen it, but I can broadly say that there is no need to be wary of the changed ending. It works perfectly in the context of the film and some may even argue that it makes for a more cohesive story than the ending in the comic.
From the opening shots, it appears that while the brighter color palettes from Gibbons' illustrations have been put aside for a darker style of cinematography, the panels from the comic themselves seemed to serve as Snyder's storyboard for much of the film. I'd love to be able to sit down and do a side by side comparison, because Snyder seemed to have lifted much of the powerful visual imagery right from the pages of Moore and Gibbons masterpiece and created out of it a masterpiece in a whole new medium. The opening credits, set perfectly to Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", are a series a barely moving photographs that tell the story of the rise and fall of the Watchmen, and their predecessors the Minutemen. Their rich and storied history is condensed into the 6 minute title screen, providing a very basic chronology for the uninitiated, and a feast of visual Easter eggs to the longtime fans of the book.
The Watchmen is a story that is both about the flawed and vulnerable characters donning masks, and society as a whole as it comes to grips with what those vigilantes mean about the downward spiral of social morays, the growing desperation of global forces amassing against them, and the dark animalistic side of human nature. The main characters do serve as microcosms for a complex range of emotions and philosophical ponderings.
Rorschach's moral absolutism makes us wonder if wrong and right can ever have shades of grey. The Comedian is savage and cynical, but it is difficult to deny his poignant musing about the very nature of humanity. Night Owl II is middle aged, reminiscing about the good old days, but struggling with fear and feelings of inadequacy. Ozymandias is the world's smartest man, leaving him isolated and unable to resonate with the rest of humanity. Silk Spectre II is forced to live up to her famous mother, while never knowing her father, and finding yet another complicated relationship with the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan, the only Watchmen with any real supernatural powers. Dr. Manhattan is made into a mascot for America, while his godlike status separates him from the very people he protects. He can understand complex equipment and scientific theory, but the human experience eludes him. His existence provides some exciting philosophical questions. In the ever present background is the growing tension of nuclear war with Russia and the general public's fear and uncertainty about their future.
Watchmen is a visual wonder, a sprawling, heartfelt, action-packed blockbuster that balances intellectual musings with complex characters and fast (and slow) paced action sequences. It is the kind of movie Watchmen fans have been waiting two decades for, and those unfamiliar with the source material will still be able to enjoy. My only complaint about the film was that I left was more. I suspect that when the director's cut is available on DVD, with over an hour of additional footage, the pieces of the larger picture will be fully revealed. I can't recall ever having a better experience at the theater, and I can't recommend this film enough.
Who watches the Watchmen? Hopefully everyone.
- Mike
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