Before viewing the epic comic book adaptation of Watchmen viewing must be aware of a few things before they can truly enjoy this film. First, is that director Zack Snyder has tried his best to present as faithful an adaptation to the material as he so well did with his last film 300, second - that this film was made for the fans of the graphic novel, three – that there are a lot of parallel stories and themes in the film (thus the almost 3 hour running time), and four – that this film is definitely not for children. If you understand these few things then you’re in for one of the best films of 2009.
Everyone who watches this film will compare it to last year’s mega-blockbuster The Dark Knight, but you must remember that The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise has over 35 years of stories to pull from not to mention all the television series, theatrical serials, and theatrical films, so, there is not a whole lot of originality when it comes to the Batman franchise. Instead, those films rely on the way they are presented and the assurance that all audiences no matter how great and wide know of the character in one form or another, whereas with Watchmen, it’s more of a cult and underground thing that’s been raped and pillaged over the years by other storytellers (just look at The Incredibles which is a watered-down version of this story made for children and families). Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe (i.e. V For Vendetta) that looks as if it is on the brink of World War III (which in the story it is). Needless to say, Watchmen is a film that many audiences just won’t be able to enjoy.
This is perfectly fine as it isn’t made for all audiences. I’m sure Snyder wants as many people to see his movie as possible but lets be honest, most audiences just aren’t going to want to think to enjoy the movie, which this film makes you do. The original 12 issue series by writer Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons was a complex history of an entire alternate world in which the murder of a former super hero sparks what can only be described as the events leading up to a possible World War III. There are multiple characters with multiple stories and flashbacks after flashbacks after flashbacks that left many readers needing to read the series several times just to be able to digest everything that the story had to offer. The film, with its running time of almost 3 hours, had a lot of ground to cover and Snyder does an excellent job of adapting the series to film and like his previous film 300 many of the images are lifted completely from the comic book itself.
I could go into details about the story but suffice it to say that no amount of words here will be able to give the film true justice. The film works on so many levels because of the dedication of not only Snyder but his cast and staff as well who try so hard to be faithful not only to the comic but to the vision of Moore and Gibbons’ creation. More then this alone is one reason why this film is such a vastly different animal then The Dark Knight.
The film has garnered lukewarm reviews but I see this film on par with that of the equally misunderstood sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That film was a box office disaster that could only be truly appreciated upon multiple viewings and I believe that with Watchmen the same thing can be said. Truth be known, I never finished reading the graphic novel and have thus gone back to it after having seen the film and I enjoy both equally well.
Everyone who watches this film will compare it to last year’s mega-blockbuster The Dark Knight, but you must remember that The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise has over 35 years of stories to pull from not to mention all the television series, theatrical serials, and theatrical films, so, there is not a whole lot of originality when it comes to the Batman franchise. Instead, those films rely on the way they are presented and the assurance that all audiences no matter how great and wide know of the character in one form or another, whereas with Watchmen, it’s more of a cult and underground thing that’s been raped and pillaged over the years by other storytellers (just look at The Incredibles which is a watered-down version of this story made for children and families). Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe (i.e. V For Vendetta) that looks as if it is on the brink of World War III (which in the story it is). Needless to say, Watchmen is a film that many audiences just won’t be able to enjoy.
This is perfectly fine as it isn’t made for all audiences. I’m sure Snyder wants as many people to see his movie as possible but lets be honest, most audiences just aren’t going to want to think to enjoy the movie, which this film makes you do. The original 12 issue series by writer Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons was a complex history of an entire alternate world in which the murder of a former super hero sparks what can only be described as the events leading up to a possible World War III. There are multiple characters with multiple stories and flashbacks after flashbacks after flashbacks that left many readers needing to read the series several times just to be able to digest everything that the story had to offer. The film, with its running time of almost 3 hours, had a lot of ground to cover and Snyder does an excellent job of adapting the series to film and like his previous film 300 many of the images are lifted completely from the comic book itself.
I could go into details about the story but suffice it to say that no amount of words here will be able to give the film true justice. The film works on so many levels because of the dedication of not only Snyder but his cast and staff as well who try so hard to be faithful not only to the comic but to the vision of Moore and Gibbons’ creation. More then this alone is one reason why this film is such a vastly different animal then The Dark Knight.
The film has garnered lukewarm reviews but I see this film on par with that of the equally misunderstood sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That film was a box office disaster that could only be truly appreciated upon multiple viewings and I believe that with Watchmen the same thing can be said. Truth be known, I never finished reading the graphic novel and have thus gone back to it after having seen the film and I enjoy both equally well.
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