Thanks for checking out our Watchmen Review. For years, Watchmen has been the one graphic novel that most comic book fans have been waiting for with insane anticipation. Very few other graphic novel properties held as much potential to be a classic movie… and yet at the same time no other graphic novel seemed to hold as many challenges.
The big question that I, and many other had about Watchmen was: “Could a faithful adaptation work on screen as well as it does on the printed page”? The fear was that a literal translation from page to screen would be too slow and heavy for the average film fan… while at the same time a fear that too much of a departure from the novel would dilute Watchmen into just another shallow comic book superhero film. So with much anticipation and much apprehension I went in to see Watchmen. Did it live up to it’s massive potential or fall into snares of the unique challenges it faced? In my opinion, it lived up to, and exceeded its already impressive potential. For me, Watchmen is the best movie of 2009 so far.
THE GENERAL IDEA
The synopsis for Watchmen looks something like this: “Watchmen” is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity… but who is watching the Watchmen?”
THE GOOD
Where do I begin? Let’s start with the action. For those of you who have read the graphic novel, you know that Watchmen is not your typical superhero comic book. It’s not filled from cover to cover with big action sequences… yet somehow director Zach Snyder was able to find that delicate balance of inserting very impressive action / combat sequences without taking away from the real identity of the film by making it look or feel like an action movie. Each and every fight / action sequence was masterfully put together. Exciting, beautifully choreographed and shot in such a way that we the audience got to clearly see each second of the action. I’ll tell you right now that while I won’t say Watchmen is either better or worse than the recent Christopher Nolan batman movies… the action sequences (especially the fights) are far superior than anything The Dark Knight offered (aside from maybe the armored truck chase scene).
A theme that went extremely unappreciated in Superman Returns was also used in Watchmen with just as much if not more effectiveness. How does someone with god like power stay connected with the human race? Not just with the others they live with, but with their own humanity as well? As a result of a tragic accident (isn’t that how all superheros get their powers?), Dr. Manhattan finds himself in that situation. We see him over time losing more and more of his humanity and his interest in the human race as a whole. Still barley holding on to his intellectual belief that he SHOULD help humanity, but increasingly letting his actual emotional connection slip away. He still thinks he SHOULD care… but he increasingly doesn’t. In this way Dr. Manhattan, for me, is the most fascinating character in the film whose own moral dilemma stands in a juxtaposition to the self inflicted crisis the human race finds itself in. For me, Dr. Manhattan’s observations of the sinking world sets the context for the entire story of the film and it was executed beautifully.
If Dr. Manhattan is the most fascinating character in the film, Rorschach is flat out the most cool. I admit I was not thrilled with the casting of Jackie Earle Haley at first. He’s a wonderful actor, but I didn’t buy him for a minute as Rorschach… that is until I saw him actually playing the roll. Now I think it was one of the best castings I’ve seen this year. Without the god like powers of Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach is no less complex of a character. His very loose grip on sanity is grounded in his desire to enforce justice… mostly manifested by a bloodthirsty drive to punish the wicked. Even his old comrades in the Watchmen keep their distance from him now and see him as dangerous, but as we explore the history and past of Rorschach we start to understand what made him snap, losing his connection with humanity. Dr. Manhattan is losing his as a result of his god like power and his lack of common ground with humanity… while Rorschach is losing his as a result of his increased disgust with the state of humanity. Brilliantly played out.
Creating an alternative world within the real world and real history is no small task, filled with the potential to be cheesy. Thankfully, Snyder found a way to make it interesting and remarkably believable. Sure… Richard Nixon was elected for a third term as president… and the audience didn’t blink. This world was gritty, real and filled with the authentic fears and tension of the cold war which were pivotal to making the story work.
At it’s heart, Watchmen is a mystery film. Who is killing off the heroes? What is the bigger conspiracy and what is its goals? The movie is pushed along by these questions which also sets the framework for the rest of the story to exist within. On this level it works extremely well. Since I read the graphic novel I already knew the answers to those questions… and somehow the movie got me just as caught up in the pursuit of the answers as other people who had no idea. Brilliant!
Throughout the film the movie raises larger moral questions. The standard black and white textures of comic book films (which is often perfect for comic book films) is replaced by endless shades of grey. Where does justice stop and vengeance begin? To what extent do the ends justify the means? How great does the “greater good” have to be in order to warrant unspeakable actions? Does humanity even deserve to be saved? These are huge questions that Watchmen resists the urge to give quick trite answers too. Each character comes to their own conclusions and beliefs.
THE BAD
I’ve got to say that I wasn’t impressed by Malin Akerman’s performance as Silk Specter II. As a matter of fact, I found that just about anytime she spoke it pulled me out of the film. The dialog was fine, the character itself was fine… the performance was not. I’m not saying Malin Akerman isn’t a fine actress (I haven’t seen her enough to give that opinion), but for whatever reason, she stood out as a high school play in the midst of a Shakespearean festival.
The film’s decision to use of a younger actress, Carla Gugino, to play the aged Silk Specter I was a terrible one. Oh she was great in the flashback scenes showing her when she was a superhero and young… but they should have just cast a different older actress to play the much older version. Not only did they not have her ACT old enough, she LOOKED terrible… she looked like a young woman in bad old woman make up. Much like Malin Akerman’s performance, it pulled me out of the movie whenever it was on screen.
I found the last 5 minutes of the film or so started to unravel a bit. I think the film did indeed need a little bit of an epilogue to it, but they didn’t do one very well and felt like it was just filling screen time as opposed to putting a book end on the story. But this is a minor point and thankfully it was pretty short.
OVERALL
Watchmen is a brilliant, wonderfully shot, wonderfully told and wonderfully experienced movie that skillfully navigated the potential pitfalls that a story like this one presents. Vibrant and complex characters, exciting and beautiful action sequences, an exceptional story with a compelling mystery and broader themes and questions rarely approached in “comic book” films. A few small slips here and there with some poor choices in terms of casting or endings doesn’t at all derail the Watchmen steam train. A terrific film. I can understand and see why certain other critics may not appreciate the film nearly as much as I’ve ended up appreciting it… but I disagree with them. Go see it… see it a couple of times to really catch everything going on. You’ll be glad you did.
Overall I give Watchmen an 8.5 out of 10
