*spoilers below the fold*
"God help us all."
After viewing the film last week, and experiencing a rush of conflicting visions and portents, I came to the conclusion that I needed to Drink from The Well once again… to re-experience the Moment of Faith under a more analytical eye, before I could… with conviction… proselytize.
Thus, dear readers… my conclusion: The Watchmen is a damn good, if not brilliant, adaptation of the second finest Graphic Novel ever writ and sketched (the first being, IMHO…Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Deal with it.) and it is a very good movie on it’s own strengths. It is not, however… the best “Superhero genre” movie ever made… and I don’t even consider it in the top 5. (In case you are wondering: The Dark Knight, Spiderman 2, X-men 2, Spiderman 1 and Batman Begins)
Alan Moore is one of those crack-pot artists who fills everything he does with his own post-modern vision. I say that with love, as I enjoy consuming his work, down to the last succulent morrow, and think he is a genius of the craft. The Watchmen GN is magnificent on many levels and should be required reading in any modern literature or philosophy class. Adapting that to a film was a task called impossible. The fan base would publicly announce they never wanted it tried, but in their private gimp boxes coveted the idea of watching the scenes that have so become a part of them. They hold the secret yearning to see on screen what they see in the minds eye.
And so…
And so. This is how I came to watch The Watchmen… and after two showings, I believe I can give the two perspectives necessary for an honest review: That of the fan and that of the viewer fresh to the story.
First, the movie works as an adaptation of a Great Work. You want the Watchmen…well here it is. The scenes, meticulously crafted from the source material meet or exceed hopes and expectations for how good the work could be in translation. All the characters were spot on… or at least close enough so that you can except that some reader could have viewed them in the light presented so that a difference you may perceive may be one of subjective impression.
The cast was quite good, with the one weak spot being Malin Akerman as The Silk Spectre (II). I found her to be unconvincing and a bit to “chippy” to play the bitter woman in Moore’s tale. However, the rest of the cast was very good, with special attention on Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach. The work of the computer gfx team with actor Billy Crudup brought a deeper and more believable Dr. Manhattan that I thought possible, which fleshed out the ending in ways that were absent in the comic.
The one great change in the adaptation was this ending, and is a point of geek battle on many a message board. In the comic book, the great event was constructed from random clues throughout the 12 issues and climaxed as a giant psychic squid that fries a city full of brains in it’s death screams(supposedly), leaving a sense of utter horror and dread to any survivors. This is the catalyst for the Great World Coming Together. Now, I know this will piss off those that worship without question, but that was then, and is now, not only completely ridiculous… but also entirely out of step with the tone and manner of the rest of the series. Thus, when Snyder and company did away with it, I fell in complete agreement. Moreover… the replacement of Giant Psychic Squid to Dr. Manhattan was entirely consistent… as Alan Moore used him to represent the moral hazard of Nuclear Deterrence. In Moore’s analysis, a nation with Dr. Manhattan on their side becomes a villain in their own rite as they are “un-punishable” and therefor free to dominate in corruption. By presenting Jon as a world wide threat, he now becomes the ultimate in deterrence to a world in conflict, so that the World as whole becomes “Us” in the fearsome and unfathomable shadow of Jon’s “Them”. In my not-so-humble opinion, Snyder and Co. improved on the story immensely and nothing you raging freaks can say will change my mind. (See… you start with “Giant Psychic Squid”. FAIL!)
Now… let’s say you’ve never read The Watchmen, and are not into comic book characters on page at all. Will you like the movie? There is no easy answer. This movie is heavy and requires more attention that any other film in the genre. It’s also paced unevenly, so that some things go by too fast…never letting them sink in(Rorschach’s background). Other scenes are ponderous(pretty much any scene with Dan and Laurie out of costume). One of the problems a non-reader will face is a desire to get more out of the character’s than the GN gives to a faithful adaptation. The enigma of The Comedian comes to mind. What we do see of him disturbs and fascinates us.. and he is far too short a presence considering the impact he makes in the story and the characters. The non-viewer may also think it is a film more ugly than beautiful. No doubt about it, Zack Snyder is a visionary… but not all of his visions are as tasty as those in the ultra cool “300″.
In many respects I think of this film the same way I do “Fight Club”, but depending on where you are coming from the experience options will be different. If you are part of the fan base, you are either going to love it or hate it. There will be no middle road. If you are a non-reader of the GN…you will “get it” or “not want it”.
I “get it” and “Love It”.