First of all, I really love the graphic novel this film is based on. When I first read it, I was totally amazed at its depth and scope, the masterful way in which it recreates a whole world. There is no way that this long and dense story could be fully translated into one 2 hr 40 min movie. However, I believe that such an adaptation couldn’t get much better than this. However, for those who haven’t read the book, it could quite possibly be the maddest film they’ve ever seen.
To condense the story into a few pithy sentences would be an insult to Alan Moore, but I’m going to try it anyway. The film takes place in an alternative version of the Cold War in which superheroes existed and changed the course of history. It is 1985, and caped-crusader-dom has been banned, but it seems that someone is trying to kill off the ex-super people. The story shifts back and forth through time to build a picture of what led to this point.
As one would expect from the director of 300, the visuals are stunning. Dave Gibbons’ panels from the comic come to life in the noir-ish, grimy streets of pre-Giuliani New York, enlivened by touches of 80s neon. Whole swathes of dialogue are lifted straight from the comic as well – fans can be assured that the source material was revered. And then some.
My first minor bug-bear with the film concerns the soundtrack. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really love 60s music (my iTunes would testify to that effect, if an Apple application could take the stand), but sometimes it felt as if any old track from a ‘best of the 60s’ compilation was used. Nena’s 99 Luftballons, a suitably apocalyptic track, made a welcome appearance, however, and I loved the use of KC and the Sunshine Band in the 70s. I really don’t know what to make of the scene with Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I can only assume it was a joke.
My second minor bug-bear concerns the casting. Using quasi-unknowns was a smart move, as it keeps costs down and helps the audience concentrate on the characters (imagine how awful it would have been to have Scarlett Johansson as the Silk Spectre). Jackie Earle Haley is perfect as Rorschach; his gravelly voice and unhinged demeanour accurately recreate this most popular of characters from the comic. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian also really impresses with his supercool thug shtick, but he is the only actor who realistically ages; Patrick Wilson (who I recognised from Hard Candy) is very good as Nite Owl, but is a little young and trim to play an out-of-shape geek in his forties, and the Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) never looks a day over thirty. The real problem, however, is Ozymandias, who seems to be played by David Spade. Ozymandias (actually Matthew Goode) should be a square-jawed Ken of a man.
These points aside, Watchmen is an amazing cinematic experience, full of ultraviolence and style. While it is not as profound as the book, it is clearly drawn from the mind of someone full of crazy and brilliant ideas. I’m not sure if a person who has never read the comic would understand what was going on, but the cinema trip will be an interesting experience none the less. If you are a fan, languish in seeing what’s in your head come to life on screen, relaxed in the knowledge that there is a director’s cut coming with all the Tales of the Black Freighter bits filled in.
2 comments:
I think this movie will be noted as among the finest artistic achievements in cinema from over the last 40 years, and perhaps from earlier times of the medium. I think the controversy of the movie, and the story, stems from the social politics, often very harsh, very fatal, very violent, not being reflective of America, when they are indeed reflecting the alternate universe history depicted. As well, the liberal left may not like this story for these and other abrasively obvious reasons and outcomes. I think it is also controversial for its somewhat utopian marketing of the popularity of the comic itself. And, finally, it's other controversial points being the changed ending, which I'll leave for others to discuss, as I think the original was pivotal but the new one may have its benefits for some thinkers, and the uncredited Alan Moore for notoriously not being very cooperative about the whole thing. If you're going to watch The Watchmen then you may as well just sit back and watch the thing and get it over with, and since you paid for it you may as well stay till the end. You may like it, and more.
Thanks for the comment, Choctaw! I agree, the politics of the story are very interesting as the alternative course of history presented has been so well thought out by Alan Moore. It is pretty far out for what is marketed as a mainstream action film!
I didn't mention the changed ending in my review, but I think it was probably a necessary change for the film version. The original ending would have taken a lot of explanation earlier on, and would have just been a step too weird for those new to the story.
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