"Watchmen" - A graphic novel once labeled "unfilmable" finally arrives on the
big screen. The result is breathtakingly good. It's not quite another "Dark
Knight", but it's easily one of the best films ever produced in the superhero
genre.
In 1986-87, DC Comics published a twelve-issue comic book series called
"Watchmen", written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. Later collected as
a graphic novel, this series was a revolutionary and sophisticated take on
superheroes with a heavy dose of social commentary. It also became the only
graphic novel to be included on TIME Magazine's 2005 list of "the 100 best
English-language novels from 1923 to the present." After several attempts to
adapt it into a film by directors including Terry Gilliam ("Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas"), Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream"), and Paul Greengrass
("Bloody Sunday") all collapsed, it looked like it would never get produced. It
was worth the wait.
After a retired superhero known as the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is
murdered, the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) believes that there's a
conspiracy to eliminate costumed heroes, and soon the other retired
Watchmen--Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), Doctor
Manhattan (Billy Crudup), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode)--become involved as
events begin to spiral out of control, threatening the entire planet.
Director Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead", "300") proves his critics wrong,
myself included, by successfully translating difficult source material into such
a strong film. He's always been a talented visual stylist, so it's no surprise
that by using Dave Gibbons' art as a blueprint, Snyder has quite literally and
vividly brought the world of "Watchmen" to life, allowing fans of the graphic
novel to feel like they've stepped inside them. He transforms each action scene
into a slow motion ballet of carnage, and the opening credits montage that
reveals the backstory is brilliantly executed. What's surprising, at least to
me, is that after "300"'s cardboard story and woeful acting, Snyder manages to
tell a compelling story with good performances. Perhaps it's simply a case of
rising to the level of the material he's working with.
The screenplay by David Hayter ("X-Men", "X2: X-Men United") and Alex Tse
("Sucker Free City"), with uncredited revisions by the team of Roberto Orci &
Alex Kurtzman ("Transformers", "Star Trek"), is largely faithful to the source
material except for certain events at the end, but it's really only the method
by which those events occur that has been changed rather than the events and
their repercussions. The story that unfolds on the screen isn't as deep as in
the graphic novel, but the social commentary in Alan Moore's works have always
fared better on the printed page (see the film adaptation of "V for Vendetta" as
another example). Still, the screenwriters deserve much credit for distilling
such a complex tale into a two hour and forty-two minute film without losing the
essence of the story or its characters, allowing it to be enjoyed by both fans
of the graphic novel and a mainstream film audience. A three hour and ten
minute director's cut will eventually be released on DVD.
The contributions of cinematographer Larry Fong ("Lost", "300"), production
designer Alex McDowell ("The Crow", "Fight Club"), and costumer designer Michael
Wilkinson ("Babel", "300") are very important to realizing the story's world on
the screen. Fong's bold use of color and lighting achieves the dramatic effect
required, McDowell's sets convey a sense of the real world with a twist in some
scenes and a sense of the fantastic in others, and Wilkinson's costumes,
designed with an assist by comic book artists Adam Hughes and John Cassaday,
look quite convincing on the screen. The sweeping score by Tyler Bates ("The
Devil's Rejects", "300") captures the changing moods of the story, punctuated by
several perfect songs (some of which were actually referenced in the graphic
novel). The visual effects are outstanding, but rarely drown out the human
aspects of the story.
Former child actor Haley ("The Bad News Bears") dominates the film with his
visceral and frightening performance as Rorschach. Crudup is chillingly aloof
as Doctor Manhattan, a man transformed into a cosmic being and who seems to have
lost his humanity, conveying so much through body language and subtle facial
expressions. Wilson is a very believable Nite Owl, while former model Akerman
is respectably solid as Silk Spectre. The Comedian is a nasty piece of work
who, like many such people, is also superficially charming, and Morgan captures
that perfectly. Although Goode isn't a match for how Ozymandias was portrayed
in the comics, he's well-suited to the role of an arrogant genius for whom the
ends justify the means.
The rest of the cast is solid, including Carla Gugino as the original Silk
Spectre, Matt Frewer as retired villain Moloch, Stephen McHattie as the retired
original Nite Owl, Robert Wisden as President Nixon, Frank Novak as Henry
Kissinger, Danny Woodburn as Big Figure, and Eli Snyder (the director's son) as
a young Rorschach.
"Watchmen" the film lacks some of the complexity of "Watchmen" the graphic
novel, but I suspect the former comes as close as possible to realizing the
latter on screen as one could hope for. As a film, it's excellent, offering a
compelling story, quality acting, incredible visuals, and a visceral experience.
Highly recommended. I watched it on an IMAX screen. If you have an opportunity
to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.
Note to parents: yes, I know it's based on a comic book and has costumed heroes,
but "Watchmen" has an R rating for a very good reason. The film has graphic
violence, profanity, nudity, extended sex scenes, and a violent attempted rape.
Be aware of this before deciding to take your children to see it.
[4.5 stars out of 5]
big screen. The result is breathtakingly good. It's not quite another "Dark
Knight", but it's easily one of the best films ever produced in the superhero
genre.
In 1986-87, DC Comics published a twelve-issue comic book series called
"Watchmen", written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. Later collected as
a graphic novel, this series was a revolutionary and sophisticated take on
superheroes with a heavy dose of social commentary. It also became the only
graphic novel to be included on TIME Magazine's 2005 list of "the 100 best
English-language novels from 1923 to the present." After several attempts to
adapt it into a film by directors including Terry Gilliam ("Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas"), Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream"), and Paul Greengrass
("Bloody Sunday") all collapsed, it looked like it would never get produced. It
was worth the wait.
After a retired superhero known as the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is
murdered, the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) believes that there's a
conspiracy to eliminate costumed heroes, and soon the other retired
Watchmen--Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), Doctor
Manhattan (Billy Crudup), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode)--become involved as
events begin to spiral out of control, threatening the entire planet.
Director Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead", "300") proves his critics wrong,
myself included, by successfully translating difficult source material into such
a strong film. He's always been a talented visual stylist, so it's no surprise
that by using Dave Gibbons' art as a blueprint, Snyder has quite literally and
vividly brought the world of "Watchmen" to life, allowing fans of the graphic
novel to feel like they've stepped inside them. He transforms each action scene
into a slow motion ballet of carnage, and the opening credits montage that
reveals the backstory is brilliantly executed. What's surprising, at least to
me, is that after "300"'s cardboard story and woeful acting, Snyder manages to
tell a compelling story with good performances. Perhaps it's simply a case of
rising to the level of the material he's working with.
The screenplay by David Hayter ("X-Men", "X2: X-Men United") and Alex Tse
("Sucker Free City"), with uncredited revisions by the team of Roberto Orci &
Alex Kurtzman ("Transformers", "Star Trek"), is largely faithful to the source
material except for certain events at the end, but it's really only the method
by which those events occur that has been changed rather than the events and
their repercussions. The story that unfolds on the screen isn't as deep as in
the graphic novel, but the social commentary in Alan Moore's works have always
fared better on the printed page (see the film adaptation of "V for Vendetta" as
another example). Still, the screenwriters deserve much credit for distilling
such a complex tale into a two hour and forty-two minute film without losing the
essence of the story or its characters, allowing it to be enjoyed by both fans
of the graphic novel and a mainstream film audience. A three hour and ten
minute director's cut will eventually be released on DVD.
The contributions of cinematographer Larry Fong ("Lost", "300"), production
designer Alex McDowell ("The Crow", "Fight Club"), and costumer designer Michael
Wilkinson ("Babel", "300") are very important to realizing the story's world on
the screen. Fong's bold use of color and lighting achieves the dramatic effect
required, McDowell's sets convey a sense of the real world with a twist in some
scenes and a sense of the fantastic in others, and Wilkinson's costumes,
designed with an assist by comic book artists Adam Hughes and John Cassaday,
look quite convincing on the screen. The sweeping score by Tyler Bates ("The
Devil's Rejects", "300") captures the changing moods of the story, punctuated by
several perfect songs (some of which were actually referenced in the graphic
novel). The visual effects are outstanding, but rarely drown out the human
aspects of the story.
Former child actor Haley ("The Bad News Bears") dominates the film with his
visceral and frightening performance as Rorschach. Crudup is chillingly aloof
as Doctor Manhattan, a man transformed into a cosmic being and who seems to have
lost his humanity, conveying so much through body language and subtle facial
expressions. Wilson is a very believable Nite Owl, while former model Akerman
is respectably solid as Silk Spectre. The Comedian is a nasty piece of work
who, like many such people, is also superficially charming, and Morgan captures
that perfectly. Although Goode isn't a match for how Ozymandias was portrayed
in the comics, he's well-suited to the role of an arrogant genius for whom the
ends justify the means.
The rest of the cast is solid, including Carla Gugino as the original Silk
Spectre, Matt Frewer as retired villain Moloch, Stephen McHattie as the retired
original Nite Owl, Robert Wisden as President Nixon, Frank Novak as Henry
Kissinger, Danny Woodburn as Big Figure, and Eli Snyder (the director's son) as
a young Rorschach.
"Watchmen" the film lacks some of the complexity of "Watchmen" the graphic
novel, but I suspect the former comes as close as possible to realizing the
latter on screen as one could hope for. As a film, it's excellent, offering a
compelling story, quality acting, incredible visuals, and a visceral experience.
Highly recommended. I watched it on an IMAX screen. If you have an opportunity
to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.
Note to parents: yes, I know it's based on a comic book and has costumed heroes,
but "Watchmen" has an R rating for a very good reason. The film has graphic
violence, profanity, nudity, extended sex scenes, and a violent attempted rape.
Be aware of this before deciding to take your children to see it.
[4.5 stars out of 5]
