My Biggest Fear About Watchmen Coming True?

John Campea 42 Comments

Like millions of other people out there, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Watchmen movie to come out, and tomorrow night I finally get the chance to see it. It’s an understatement to say I’m pumped about it.

But at the same time I’m a bit nervous. About a year ago I wrote the following expressing my fear:

I’m very apprehensive about this movie. The comic is AWESOME… but I have my doubts that the story in the comic will translate well onto the big screen. It’s a very different type of superhero comic story than your traditional fare, and I’m not convinced audiences will get it… or be attracted to it (unless they pull a Disney and completely mislead people with the marketing and make it look like some high caliber action adventure movie).

So basically my fear has been in two parts:

1) The Fear The Comic Won’t Translate Well Onto Film
I’m very big on the idea that stories from different mediums NEED to have some adaptation in order for them to work as effectively on the big screen. Different mediums require some slightly different approaches, and just because something works extremely well in one medium doesn’t mean it will work in another. Adaptation, slight adaptation, is required. I’ve fear they’d try to stay TOO faithful to the comic.

2) The Fear They’d Adapt Too Much And Break From The Comic Too Radically
Watchmen is not a standard comic book. There isn’t high intensity action all over the place and I’ve been worried that WB may turn Watchmen into just another Spider-Man type film (not that I mind Spider-Man

Thankfully it appears that WB didn’t go down the path of fear #2. But from what I’m hearing… it may have fallen a bit into my fear #1. Listen to some of these quotes from a few critics:

“Yes, I’ve read Watchmen… It moved me, too. And still — or, rather, because of that — I found director Snyder’s adaptation hugely disappointing, faithful as it is to the 1986 graphic novel.”
~ Associated Press

“Snyder has appropriated Moore’s doomsday themes without any sense of how to animate them. That’s the trouble with loyalty. Too little, and you alienate your core fans. Too much, and you lose everyone — and everything — else.”
~ Newsweek

“They’ve made the most reverent adaptation of a graphic novel ever. But this kind of reverence kills what it seeks to preserve. The movie is embalmed.”
~ New York Magazine

“The movie is ultimately undone by its own reverence; there’s simply no room for these characters and stories to breathe of their own accord, and even the most fastidiously replicated scenes can feel glib and truncated.”
~ Variety Magazine

Ok, now go back and read what my fear was and the quote from a year ago, and then read those critic quotes again. Those are the EXACT kind of quotes I’ve been afraid to see.

Now keep in mind, there are lots of positive reviews at this point too. As of this moment, Watchmen has dropped from it’s 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but is still holding a solid 76%.

Guess I’ll just have to see for myself tomorrow night.

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42 thoughts on “My Biggest Fear About Watchmen Coming True?”

  2. Craig, i hear ya man, I am bringing two people who haven’t read the novel, but I have, so it will be interesting. I’m SHAKING with excitement as I want today and tommorow to come and go so I can hurry up and see it already! Then on one hand, very nervous

  3. I agree, I am scared too, but enjoyed the novel and know I will appreciate the movie more than others. I already have a connection to the story and characters. I tell friends that I hope they enjoy the movie but may not get it, it’s completely diff.

  5. please review this john

    dont QoS this…i would really like to see a review

    im watching it on friday with my family and saturday on IMAX with my friends

    i bought the tickets last week

  6. I’m still convinced it’ll open big and fall off th enext weekend. People are going into this expecting action, since that is all the commercials have shown, but this thing isn’t an action movie at all.

  7. I just got back from a pre-screening of the movie, and I liked it. The thing Variety mentioned about it being so reverent that the characters don’t have room to breath is a little true, but overall, I thought it was well done.

  8. This movie never should have been made. I love movies, but people need to start understanding that film isn’t the end-all, be-all art form. Just because a story works in one medium doesn’t automatically mean it should be made into a movie, and Watchmen is pretty much the poster child for that.

  9. This time around I’ll allow myself to be a little selfish. I mean, since nobody is expecting a sequel (like the Batman or Spider-Man franchises), since there is no concern in making more Watchmen movies, I’ll be completely satisfied if the film pleases me.

  10. My biggest fear is that there is gonna be excessive SLOW-MOTION and chessie NARRATION. Does this guy have to have every little action in slow-mo? With some idiot narrating over the entire film?

  11. Be your own judge on things. I always take what critics say with a grain or two of salt. Don’t focus on the negative (c’mon John, you’re a director and they’re critics, whose opinion are we gonna trust more?). I’m going to see it on Friday, probably early just to beat the crowds of kids at later showings.

  12. LOL

    It begins.

    Now John will trash every movie until transformers 2 just like he did in 2007!!

    Btw Terminator 4 looks hella better than TF2.

    Just kidding.

  13. Doesn’t matter one bit. I’ve learned a LONG time ago that other people’s reviews are absolutely worthless. My opinions of films and those of others are quite often on the other ends of the spectrum, especially as far as the majority is concerned.

  15. I am praying that I will love it! I don’t care what the critics say, as long as I’ll like it it’s all good!
    We’ll see on Friday! I’m trying to get all my friends who haven’t read the novel to get pumped up about seeing it!

  16. John, Do you have any money put in this film,if not relax!, the movie will make what it make’s,but that said i hope you and doug do a podcast on it right after you see it. (thanks Cat-Fan-1)p.s i don,t read the other comment’s!.

  18. I think the rating for this movie will probably drop even more as the week goes on, but will remain at or above 70%. Honestly, I didn’t expect a lot of critics to like it and more than I expected have given it positive reviews. My anticipation is high, but I do have some reservations.

    My brother and I are going to see it tomorrow night and he’s not read the comic, but I have. We’re both excited for the film, but I’m curious to see what he and I take away from the movie.

    2. i kinda agree…i read the graphic novel after I saw the trailer in dark knight….it was an interesting read, but way overrated imo…the movie looks cool, tho, but all the clips ive seen thus far made me apprehensive

    3. I don’t think the movie will fail at all; however I’m not expecting it to pull in the big bucks at the box office. I’m guessing it’ll make around $50mil opening weekend and unless a solid number of people like it, creating good word of mouth, it’ll hold its own the following weekend.

  20. This actully reasures me, most film critics are snobs and I like films that get panned ESPECIALLY by the mainstream critics like Variety, Ect..

    Being a music critic myself thought I respect their right to their opinion. Never read or really knowanything about the story but the trailers so far have intrigued me. We will see Friday…

  21. This is definetely going to be a love it or hate it movie.
    Most of the negative reviews haven’t hated it because they said it wasn’t typical. Most gave it negative reviews because they felt that the narrative was not as strong as it could have been.
    I’m still going to see it and hopefully enjoy it.

  22. “The only person’s opinion I care about is my own. And I know I’ll love it.”

    Anthony Robbins? Is that you…?!?

    I’ll be expecting to see a comment confirming that this has happened, that you’ve seen the flick and you did indeed love it.

    Still, it’s fascinating how people can believe they’re going to like something before they’ve experienced it. I mean; based on what?!?

  24. the last time i really listened to the critics was with superman returns. time magazine really liked it and then i went to see it and well… you get the idea. so though i understand the fear (and trust me i’m not expecting another batman here)at the moment im not too concerned about the critics.

  25. My main fear? Snyder will rely too heavily on thoseaction scenet “fast motion slocw motion” back and forth… those are cool, but you shouldn’t build a film around them, especially when the film is an adaptation of what is considered by many to be the greatest graphic novel of all time.

  28. I think this movie will be a love it or hate it film. Those that love it will understand the film for what its trying to do. Those that hate it would most likely have been expecting the typical super hero comic movie. As a comic fan, I heard of Watchmen but never got around to reading it. Im excited to this this film as just a fan of movies and comics. Yea it could be too faithful but as what was mentioned earlier it could have been too radically adaptive which could kill it in an instance. I dont listen to critics much. If I wanna see a film ill go see it. Then ill give my thought on what I felt on the movie.

  29. I’ve never read the comic book so this will be a new experience for me. These kinds of reviews aren’t the kind that frighten me. I feel confident that I will like what I see this weekend at the theater.

    Maybe they are right, I don’t know but if they (critics) were looking for something different perhaps they were looking for something other than The Watchmen. Better to stay faithful to the comic book than to dumb it down and trash the story.

    3. ive already seen it and i can tell you, your fears should be quelled, and also its another reason why i dont pay attention to any reviewer in the first place.

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