In a fairer world, Watchmen would be heralded as the one of (if not the) finest superhero movies ever made. Yet we (or at least I) simply must appreciate the miracle that it ever got made in the first place. Based on Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel, the adaptation was never going to please everyone. Fans would complain about changes; the dim-witted, narrative complexity; the restless, length and pacing; the uptight, Manhattan’s big blue wang making them feel all squidgy inside.
But for the rest (an admitted minority), Watchmen is a treat, the Godfather of superhero flicks in length, density and atmosphere. Set in a world where America won Vietnam and Richard Nixon is still president, a group of outlawed heroes lives under an ongoing cold war that threatens global nuclear annihilation at any moment. Traipsing through timelines and POVs, director Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) chronicles the fall of the fascist Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the loneliness of sad-sack Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), the madness of Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), the objectification of Silk Spectres I and II (Carla Gugino and Malin Akerman, respectively) and the messianic aloofness of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a naked, 7-foot-tall CGI blue god who counts as the only true superhero (and who beat the blue CGI characters from Avatar to the punch by a good four months).
Running through all storylines is Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the maniacal heart of both iterations. A merciless dispenser of justice, Rorschach is both Batman and Joker, a psychotic vigilante unbound by moral compromise. In a movie of terrific performances, Haley is the standout (seriously, where’s his Oscar?), driving everything relentlessly forward as he investigates the death of the Comedian in the shadow of Armageddon.
Yes, there are quibbles. Gugino’s old-age makeup is atrocious. Neither Spectre is really given anything to do other than exist for the gratification of others (a problem shared with the novel). The music is too on-the-nose. The owlship sex scene does raise titters (even if it copies Moore’s work beat for beat). And yes, I miss the squid-alien monstrosity of the original finale.
Yet what remains is extraordinary (particularly in the four-hour cut, which expands much of the backstory and incorporates Moore’s comic-within-a-comic, Tales of the Black Freighter, in animated form). It’s refreshingly adult. The action is clean and vigorous. It’s morally ambiguous in a way The Dark Knight only wished it could be. There are images of absolute beauty. It’s broad and epic, yet intimate when it needs to be.
Finally, unlike many films, Watchmen gets better with each viewing. There’s a lot to catch. As much as I love The Dark Knight, the benchmark of modern superhero films, Watchmen is better. —Corey Redekop
Yes, absolutely. This is a great movie, and a great adaptation of a classic comic book/graphic novel.
I never understood the backlash against this film. It took over two decades to get made, to the point that many believed it to be unfilmable. There was even a brief time when some filmmaker was going to do it (can’t remember the name of the person), but was going to take the superhero aspect out of it – which is a ridiculous notion because the superhero stuff was what made it so damn distinctive.
So Snyder manages to do it, pulls off the seemingly impossible, and even stays 99% faithful to the source material (and what other comic book movie has done that?) so much so, that the first time I saw it, I astounded my movie companions by speaking some of the dialogue along with the characters. I knew the dialogue and I knew the scenes inside and out because I’ve read the original series probably a dozen times over the years.
Yes, Snyder made some changes. Some I agreed with ‒ like the change to the ending that, in my opinion, works better. I always thought the ending of Moore’s story was a weak point (the squid alien thing). Making Dr. Manhattan the target/pariah of the story made more sense, and gives the character a better reason for his actions at the end of the story. As for the other changes…
The original series portrayed the characters as normal, average looking people (besides Manhattan) who wear realistic cloth costumes. Nite Owl was kind of a dumpy-looking guy with a gut (even in costume). And the fight scenes were short, brutal, and realistic in the comic. But Snyder made them all look “super,” not just in their costumes, but also in action (see: the Comedian’s fight in the beginning of the movie, which is markedly different from his fight in the comic).
I get why Snyder made those changes: It’s a comic book movie with superheroes. That’s what people expect to see. I get it…but I don’t agree with it. I think the movie could have worked without it. But I think it’s a minor point and doesn’t detract from the film.
I’ve seen it three times and I agree: it gets better every time. If I had to make a list of favorite comic book/superhero movies, “Watchmen” would make it into the top 5.
I agree with both Corey and Slade. Nobody could have done better with the material.
Many of the problems with the film come from the original material. I never like the ending of the original graphic novel. The Movie ending is better. Not perfect but better.
Having never read, or indeed even heard of the graphic novel source material I was able to enjoy Watchmen for what it was. An entertaining film that had me hooked with it’s opening montage and the “Good luck, Mr Gorsky.” line, and yes where is Jackie Earle Hayley’s oscar? This film is destined to become a cult classic and we lucky few will bask in it’s glory for many years to come.