| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Other |
Alan Moore allegedly put a curse on this movie, hoping it would fail and taking his name off the credits. His main beef was that he didn't like the adaptation, and that he considered his work incompatible with film. And to some extent, he was right. "V for Vendetta" was horrible. "Watchmen" had to undergo some story revision in order to be crammed into a massive three-hour flick.
Pros
Unlike "V for Vendetta", the story changes managed to retain the spirit of the graphic novel. In a way, the movie even improved on the graphic novel. The absurd and overly-complicated plot line regarding the giant squid (even I can barely believe that statement) is gone, replaced by a far more plausible tachyon reactor scenario. Plus, Director Zack Snyder achieved the near impossible. He managed to make Doctor Manhattan a little bit more likable.
The movie is not quite the graphic novel on screen, but the director managed to make it a nice supplement that will only serve to enhance the Watchmen experience. It is as faithful as it can be for a compressed 3 hour flick, while minimizing the rather weak parts of the graphic novel itself. This movie's relationship to the graphic novel will likely be similar to that of an ideal romantic relationship; they will complement each other.
The visuals are also quite a treat to watch, from the clockwork palace on Mars, to Doctor Manhattan laying waste to the Vietcong to the blaring sounds of Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. The cliched "Snyder Cam" slow motion technique the director abused in "300" is toned down here, though he can't seem to help himself sometimes.
The soundtrack was mostly awesome, featuring a nice playlist of 70's and 80's hits that are bound to evoke nostalgia in those old enough to recognize them. I mean, "99 Red Balloons" on the eve of a nuclear doomsday? That was funny in a good way. Even some of the gimmicky parts, like the aforementioned implied reference to "Apocalypse Now" and the Ride of the Valkyries, come off as hat-tip tributes rather than cheap imitations.
Oh, and Rorschach rocks balls to the wall!!
Cons
Story-wise, my biggest disappointment was the non-inclusion of Rorschach's most humanizing moment, wherein he spared the woman who set him up when he caught sight of her kids.
Visually, the "Snyder Cam" was still annoying, and doubly so when Snyder used it in a love scene. (Didn't he learn from that horrible love scene in "300" that he butchered with the same technique?) Plus, there were far too many man ass and male genitalia sightings. One sighting is one too many, and the movie had more than one.
And continuing with Snyder's seeming inability to handle love scenes, the soundtrack falters with the love scenes, especially the one onboard the Archimedes. Come on, "Hallelujah" with every awkward pelvic thrust? How hammy and stupid can it get?
Overall, the movie is a somewhat different creature from the graphic novel it came from. But in a rare instance, the fact that it is does not detriment from the overall merit of the film.
Four stars too, for me. I also think the part of the alien giant squid teleportation was rather lame in the graphic novel. But what was weak for me in the graphic novel - which was not appropriately improved in the film - was the connection between Silk Spectre's past and Dr. Manhattan's decision to save humanity anyway.
ReplyDeleteGood effort in fitting a bio of each character in the 2 and 1/2 hour film. Veidt's background is the least interesting so I was glad they did not spend too much film time on it.