I could start off this review by talking about my relationship with the 1986 graphic novel created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, but I don’t feel like boring you. Watchmen is a film I have to review not for what it could have been, not what I think it should have been but for what it is.
Those of you expecting another 300 will be justifiably disappointed because director Zack Snyder has made something more, something better than his flashy, hollow sophomore effort. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen is a film slavishly devoted to bringing the work of Alan Moore to life on the big screen.
This is one of the few times I actually read the source material years before there was even discussion on a current film version of Watchmen being made. Watchmen is my Twilight, the only difference is that it doesn’t suck and isn’t embarrassing.
Set in an alternate history where Nixon is still president, the United States has won the Vietnam War, and costumed heroes exist. The film begins with the death of a masked vigilante. From there we are taken into a world rich with detail, questions of morality, excessive violence, Cold War paranoia and on-the-nose pop songs.
Heading the cast is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian, a man who abuses his power of authority; violence is his way of life. Even though Morgan is portraying a depraved man, his performance allows the audience to somehow see the human side. We hate what he does but we do not hate him as a person. One great performance in a film filled with many others.
Jackie Earle Haley plays Rorschach, and make no mistake, the character of Rorschach is absolutely insane. Still, I shouldn’t be surprised when people find the psychopathic vigilante as their favorite character. Haley definitely brings his A game. His last scene in the film is easily one of the most emotionally effective.
Without a doubt the best performance in the film belongs to Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan, the only character in the film with actual super powers. Dr. Manhattan is one of best CGI characters to ever be put on film, easily up they’re with Gollum and King Kong.
Be assured any time you re-read the graphic novel, it’ll be Crudup’s voice you’ll hear in your head when reading any of Manhattan’s dialogue. In the film’s greatest sequence, Crudup narrates monotonously the origin of Dr. Manhattan set to two pieces of music by Philip Glass. The scene is an exemplary work of editing and masterful visuals.
The two most relatable characters rest in the hands of Patrick Wilson and Malin Ackerman as Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, respectively. Wilson gives believability to the geeky nature of his character channeling Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent in some scenes.
Much complaint has been thrown at Ackerman’s performance but I believe she does fine, the problem is she is stacked against four excellent performances. But where the character of Silk Spectre comes off whiny and unsympathetic in the graphic novel, Ackerman turns in a performance we can identify with.
Amongst fans of the graphic novel, the reception of Matthew Goode as Ozymandias has been mixed. It is with the character of Ozymandias that the film deviates significantly with the graphic novel, and the film is all the better for it. I enjoyed Matthew Goode’s Bowie-esque take on “The Smartest Man in the World”.
The excessive violence in the film has been getting a lot of notice (as it should, it is supposed to be shocking and disturb the viewer on some level). This isn’t the juvenile and inconsequential violence as seen in such films as Crank, Shoot Em’ Up and Sin City. Unlike any of those films the violence in Watchmen has actual impact (why else would there be that lingering shot of human innards stuck to the ceiling during the Manhattan montage?). The violence in the film gives me distinct Paul Verhoeven flashbacks and that’s a good thing.
I must briefly mention the “Hallelujah” scene; anyone who thinks this scene is played straight must have his or her head examined. It is easily one of the funniest scenes in the film, it just happens to be a joke that overstays its’ welcome by about 45 seconds.
There is nothing I appreciate more than a film that works on several levels, a film that can be both an entertaining action film but has at least something to say, no matter how subtle or unsubtle. Does Watchmen achieve that balance? It doesn’t quite get there but it comes close.
There is nothing more boring than complaining about the fights in the movie, saying they were “stupid, over-choreographed, and I hate the slow/fast thing” adds nothing to the discussion of Watchmen. What interested me most about the fights in the film was how little I cared about what was going on.
I commend Zack Snyder for shooting fight scenes in a way where we can actually see what’s going on. But just like Hellboy II the action scenes come off as if the director thought. This is the type of action people want to see, one that doesn’t get a sense of excitement or energy but when I look back at it, I didn’t come to Watchmen for the action.
Not to say the action was bad, but when watching this on DVD, it’ll be the action scenes I’ll be fast-forwarding through (curiously, I had the opposite reaction to 300 where I found myself fast-forwarding through the “fatty” talk scenes and straight into the action).
Watchmen also represents how a 163-minute movie should be paced, we get none of the meandering of Superman Returns. Every piece, every scene is important despite it’s length, there is no “fat” or “bloat” in this movie. (For those interested Quantum of Solace is only 106-minutes but feels much longer because of horrible pacing and editing.)
Some critics and film geeks say it is wrong to place a film’s history just within days of release but I’d like to have my fun. Titles such as Blade Runner and Fight Club have been thrown at the film but the film is nowhere near the level of either of those two movies. Watchmen will fit comfortably among the cult classics such as both Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop and Starship Troopers, films that are forever misunderstood, taken only at surface value. Watchmen will sit amongst the sci-fi (modern-day) classics Dark City and The Matrix (again, films that found the balance between visuals, action, and ideas). By no means has Zack Snyder made a masterpiece but he has made an undeniable work of art.
It is 1997, I am 8 years old, I see Starship Troopers on the big screen for the first time, I am blown away. It is 1999, I am 10 years old, I see The Matrix on the big screen for the first time, I am blown away. It is 2009, I am 20 years old, I see Watchmen on the big screen for the first time, and I am blown away.
Watchmen: I'm Blown Away
Published: Friday, March 13, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, March 24, 2009
6 comments
Where in the world can you see movies for $4 dollars!? Gimme the name of that movie theater!