Watchmen film discussion (Spoilers!)

[ProjectX2]

I just got back from Watchmen.

I don't really know what to say so I'm just going to ramble for a bit. I wasn't really excited for this movie. It's a brilliant graphic novel but what was the point of adapting a story that was already perfected in comics? But of course, Hollywood is running out of ideas, so they may as well use the best ideas.

I think it was probably worth it.

It's a good movie. It's not great but it's good. It's a worthy adaption. Yes, bits of it are changed but the overall story and themes remain intact. Some of it did just look like flashy action crap - but a lot of it was also magnificent, perfect and beautiful Watchmen.

The cast is good. Not perfect but close enough, I say. Rorschach was great except sometimes his mumbling was indecipherable (a problem Bale also had with Batman). Silk Spectre was a bit... off however she was still lovely. Nite-Owl was both heroic and pathetic. The Comedian was a monster. Ozymandias... well, sometimes he was great and sometimes he was quite poor. His accent broke through a couple of times which made him sound weird. I still have a problem with his appearance - he doesn't look magnificent enough. He's always wearing purple to symbolize his royalty and power - but his face... I don't know. There's always that little bit of evil hiding in his face.

But Billy Crudup as Doc Manhattan... wow. I'm impressed. He was so realistic.

The ending was changed. It still made sense though. One of the reasons why people didn't think Watchmen would work on film was the squid, and I agree with that. I do think that the ending could have been fleshed out better but it was suitable for the film.

So... Watchmen. It was good. I am happy enough with it. There would never be a perfect adaption because it was not made for film but I think Snyder has come close enough.

Also, hairs stood up in some scenes. They reminded me of the magnificent work Alan Moore has created. People will credit Zack Snyder for directing the film but it's Alan Moore where all the credit lies. He is the one that has created this beautiful piece of art and one of the greatest stories I have ever read. I feel sad for him because of what has happened to him and I do understand his views but this is no reason for people to insult him and call him a douche. He is standing up for what he believes in, defending one of the best stories ever crafted in its original form. So all of you people can shut up and just enjoy both versions, okay?

This post has a lot of rambling in it.

If you haven't read the book, don't see this. You need to experience the story in its original form in order to get the full effect. The film is Watchmen For Dummies. This isn't an insult, it's still a good movie, but it's always going to be lacking in something - the fact that it's a movie and not a comic.

At the end of the day, I'm just glad I now have two versions of an excellent story. The film has reminded me of Watchmen's brilliance and I can't wait until I crack it open to read it again.

 

[Hellharlequin]

IMHO 90% agreement:saw it yesterday in germany
(funny side: here the movie is for ages 16 and up,AFAIK in the US it's R)
the missing 10% percent is I quite Liked Ozymandias (maybe its the german dub)

 

[ProjectX2]

Found this and I think it's brilliant - proof that Doc Manhattan is actually Tobias Funke:

Also, I found the hinting that Ozymandias was actually a homosexual very unsubtle in the film compared to the comic. He was surrounded by all the Village People guys and had a folder on his computer called "Boys"?

 

[J. Agamemnon]

carried over from previous thread....


**** yeah POTD! *****es.

 

[Shihad]

Wow when i saw that folder on his computer i had no clue that it was a clue to that he was gay.
Even the village people, i just thought it had to do with the whole 54 club scene.
I did not even get the clues in the book that he was gay, i guess i will have to read it again and see if i get it this time.
I have only read it fully twice, so i would not get every thing.

I thought that the opening with the Bob Dylan song 'The Times They Are A-Changin' was one of the best things about the film with all the characters interacting with the big events in history.
Like the

Spoiler

comedian shooting JFK, and Dr Manhattan on the moon

So i have seen this movie twice in the past two days, my friend wanted to go so i said i would go on thursday, and then i got free tickets for the premiere on wednesday night.

I think it has been done justice, it is 20 times better than league of extraordinary gentlemen.
Though i think the Squid could of worked if they had put in some newspaper articles with missing scientists and writers, like they did with the current climate on the war with Russia.
They just needed to add in the scene with the Boat blowing up and the picture flying off with the monster on it.
And in Ozys speech all he had to was add that they used the brain of a physic to unleash the energy instead of

Spoiler

Dr Manhattan's energy blowing up the city

 

[ProjectX2]

Rorschach muses that Ozymandias might possibly be gay and he'll investigate further. That's the only hint in the story, if I recall correctly.

I'm really wondering what I would think of this movie if I didn't already know the story... I'm sure it's still very entertaining but there's a lot of stuff that isn't explained at all - the lynx, the moving inkblots on his mask etc. I presume the director's cut DVD will expand on these subplots but how lost do you think people were?

 

[moonmaster]

I'm seeing it on Sunday.

Meanwhile, I picked up the Dr. Manhattan figure today which means now you have to see this:


"Here I am on Mars, contemplating the meaning of my existence and stuff. I must commune with the natural world for it is superior to the human world and junk."

"Hello horse, you are a pure creation of nature, free of human flaws, and now I must make out with you."

"Now carry me away my steed, and stimulate my loins with your galloping!"

"Oh yes, oh yes!"

"OOOHHHHAAAHHHHHUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHH"
*Dr. Manhattan's o-face*

"Did you just feel a wave of energy surge through the very fabric of quantum reality, Dan?"
"Shh, don't talk, your voice scares my penis."

"As far as we can
discern, the sole
purpose of human
existence is to
kindle a light of
meaning in the
darkness of
mere being."

-C.J. Jung,
MEMORIES,
DREAMS,
REFLECTIONS

Also, I found the hinting that Ozymandias was actually a homosexual very unsubtle in the film compared to the comic. He was surrounded by all the Village People guys and had a folder on his computer called "Boys"?

I have one of those on my computer. Every gay guy does.

 

[ProjectX2]

I don't think you should have been allowed to use a webcam.

 

[moonmaster]

They probably shouldn't even have allowed me a computer.

 

[Gemini]

I think the main this is that you shouldn't be allowed to have action figures

 

[McCheese]

Saw the midnight showing.

It sucked. More tomorrow.

 

[Shihad]

Rorschach muses that Ozymandias might possibly be gay and he'll investigate further. That's the only hint in the story, if I recall correctly.

I'm really wondering what I would think of this movie if I didn't already know the story... I'm sure it's still very entertaining but there's a lot of stuff that isn't explained at all - the lynx, the moving inkblots on his mask etc. I presume the director's cut DVD will expand on these subplots but how lost do you think people were?

Yeah as i said in the other thread, people were like what the, where did the Lynx come from, the only point of it was to make that visual representation from the book of the Dr and the Lynx die.
One of the guys i saw it with, like it and had never read the book, but reads comics like x-men.

But i think the movie as a whole can be watched by itself, and still be entertaining and can be wrapped up without to much confusion.
But i think a lot of people would go into this thinking that it would be your typical super hero movie cause of the posters and trailers etc. but you would come out with something that was totally different, like the heroes ultimately losing and some of the heroes are actually dicks or bastards.
Guys wearing batman shirts when walking out i overheard them saying that it was dumb and sucked.... so i not sure.
Wait til some american people see it and there comments on it?

And that's right, i remembered that they did not explain the mask and the movement of the ink blots after the riot.
Maybe that will be in the directors cut as you said?

 

[Joe Kalicki]

It was ****ty.

 

[mike3717]

It was ****ty.

Hmmm....it does seem to be getting mixed reviews. I have been planning on waiting a week or so to go see it to let the crowds die down a bit, but in one of the reviews I read today it was mentined that in June a directors cut that is 25 minutes longer will be released to theaters. (the black freighter?) Now I kind of want to wait til then.

I am really not liking the sound of the new ending. If you change the ending then you remove all the island stuff and comedian ranting to Moloch about seeing an "island" etc. I don't know. Maybe I am just being picky.

Has anyone else heard that the DVD release will have the original giant squid ending in the extras?

 

[DARKKNIGHT]

I too saw this at midnight. While it definitely wasn't as good as the graphic novel, I felt that the movie was good in its own right. I thought that all of the actors were good in their roles, the only exception being the guy who played Veidt. He seemed too young for the role, and just didn't look right.

I did have a few problems with the movie:

1.) Sometimes it seemed to be violent for the sake of being violent. I'm talking about the fight scenes, such as when Nite Owl breaks that guys arm in a fight and the bone breaks through the skin. I think it lessened the impact of some of the violent moments from the graphic novel such as the guy that killed the little girl.
2.)Additionally, while none of these characters have super powers (besides Manhattan) they all do things that are impossible. This is especially evident in the fight scenes.
3.)The song choices seemed kind of arbitrary and odd at times. I'm talking about the sex scene on the Owl Ship...it was pretty weird.
4.)The old people make up. It just looked bad. Nixon especially looked silly, and it was kind of distracting. The same problem was their with the older Comedian and Silk Spectre 1.
5.)I think Snyder used the slo-mo a bit too much. But it wasn't that bad.

I'm sure there are other things that I didn't like, but I just can't remember them right now. Overall it was a good movie, just not great. The details in the movie showed that Snyder and Co. cared about the source material and wanted to do it justice. While this movie was enjoyable, I can't wait for the extended DVD. I'm really interested to see what my friends who know nothing about the graphic novel think about the movie.

 

[McCheese]

This movie wasn't bad compared to the graphic novel. It was just bad.

The best way I can explain my feelings about the movie is that when I bought Watchmen I read it cover to cover without stopping, then returned to the beginning and did it again. I couldn't wait to turn the page. When I watched the Watchmen movie I was bored. I kept wishing it would just end. I got my wish when the film was destroyed midway through the last scene of the movie and a small fire started in the projection room. I can't imagine a better way to reward those of us who sat through this movie.

Lord knows I hate to admit that Alan Moore is right, but they really shouldn't have made a movie out of this story. It just doesn't translate to the big screen.

 

[DARKKNIGHT]

This movie wasn't bad compared to the graphic novel. It was just bad.

The best way I can explain my feelings about the movie is that when I bought Watchmen I read it cover to cover without stopping, then returned to the beginning and did it again. I couldn't wait to turn the page. When I watched the Watchmen movie I was bored. I kept wishing it would just end. I got my wish when the film was destroyed midway through the last scene of the movie and a small fire started in the projection room. I can't imagine a better way to reward those of us who sat through this movie.

Lord knows I hate to admit that Alan Moore is right, but they really shouldn't have made a movie out of this story. It just doesn't translate to the big screen.

What didn't you like about it? Saying that is was horrible is well and good, but what exactly didn't you like?

 

[Doublehex]

I do not think it was bad. I do not think it is the masterpiece that we all wanted it to be. I think it was a very good movie. It was brought down by it's total and absolute devotion to the TPB. It wasn't an adaption of Watchmen. It was a total conversion, and movies just don't work like that.

It's just as Bass said. Comics and film each have their own advantages. Snyder should of have had used those advantages.

Still, it was quite good. 4/5.

 

[McCheese]

What didn't you like about it? Saying that is was horrible is well and good, but what exactly didn't you like?

1. The fight scenes were overdone superstylized crap. It was Snyder so I expected the slo-mo, but the ridiculous over the top violence and wire fighting didn't work for me at all.
2. Ozymandias was just terrible. Every scene he was in, including the big climactic confrontation, was awful. He isn't even mildly intimidating and his grand monologues are muddled by bad acting.
3. The music was jarring and distracting. It took me out of the movie at least six times that I can remember.
4. They tried to stuff too much of the GN into the movie. They tried to do everything and I felt that they didn't effectively do anything. The main plot is pushed so far into the background during the middle of the movie that by the time they come around to it again in the end you've lost interest.

It's not that they did a bad job of putting the story on film, it's that the story doesn't work as a film. It is a brilliant comic series, but it's too long and too meandering to work as a movie. I went with two friends who've never read a comic in their lives and they could not have disliked the movie more. I can't imagine how bad this movie must have been for them without having read the original, but mostly they just complained about too much glowing blue dong.

 

[TheManWithoutFear]

I'm ready to defend this movie with my life. Better than TDK.