Friday night,
Brianfax and I saw
The Watchmen. As most people who dont live under a rock know, there's been quite a bit of controversy about this movie from Alan Moore, to the fans, to your everyday movie-goer. There's been plenty of gripes about this movie from all directions. Everything from the length, to the music used, to the over-use of slow motion in action sequences, to the difference in endings and storyline between the graphic novel and the film. This will always be the case with fandoms with a large, loyal fan base and the transition between their original medium and their film adaptation. People are always going to find fault with something that they care a lot about, I am always critical of people's adaptation of the things I love. Lord of the Rings fans did, Transformers fans do, and Watchmen fans are no exception.
I'm not gonna lie, a few of the things that a lot of other fans really disliked about the film were things that I liked about it. I really enjoyed that at the scene in the graphic novel when "99 Red Balloons" played, it also played at that point in the movie. It certainly doesn't work quite as well on film as it does in writing in the comic, but I appreciate small details like that. Another big gripe I've heard from a lot of people is over-use of slow motion in the action sequences, and I was worried about it too. What I found though, is that the slow motion in these scenes had the same effect for me as the action-intense frames in the comic -for me it was quite reminiscent of these and I liked the effect.
A little detail I could have done without? Dr. Manhattan's ever-present flaccid penis and that awkward as f*ck sex scene. DO NOT WANT. Definitely could have done without the "love" scene, and the initial shock of CGI p33n was enough - I know it made a frequent appearance in the graphic novel but putting it on the big screen is a little different. Talk about "in-your-face."
Run time has been a big issue. Yes, the movie is a little long for people who haven't read the graphic novel. No, the movie is not long enough for people who love the graphic novel and want every pivotal detail from it squeezed into the movie. There's got to be a compromise though, and I dont envy Zach Snyder for having to find it. Would I have liked to have seen the comic book kid and the newspaper vendor? Yes. Would I have preferred the original ending? Of course. To make all these things and especially the comic's ending come alive on screen - lets face it - they would have had to make the film 4 hours long or would have had to split it up into two films. People would have thrown a fit either way. Lets just hope that the people who haven't read the graphic novel will walk into a book store or comic store and be able to experience the whole thing as it was written and drawn and will be able to appreciate it that much more.
The bottom line is that we really enjoyed this movie and I think that this is most likely the best way it will be adapted. It is what it is, and there's only so much a film adaptation of anything can do. Honestly, it was more than I expected from it, I walked away pleasantly surprised. Do I think it's as good or better than what Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created?
Of course not. But for what it is, I think they did a pretty good job.
Also, Rorschach - as always - rules.
Want another opinion? Other Buzznet Watchmen reviews:
