A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, 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, keeps ticking closer to midnight. While superheroes are all around, they have been outlawed since the 70s with a few that are government sanctioned and still active. When the still active hero, Comedian is murdered, the 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 disbanded group of retired superheroes, of which only one has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a 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?
You waited for it, some longer than others, and now it is finally here. The un-filmable filmed, the un-adaptable adapted. So how is this stupendous superhero adventure with the ubiquitous marketing campaign? Eh, good and bad. Alan Moore created an incredibly effective and influential piece of literature and when asked about seeing Zack Snyder's adaptation Moore said, "I'm never going to watch this fucking thing." And after having seen the movie, I don't really blame him. It's not that the movie is bad--far from it--it's an incredibly faithful adaptation. It's just that Moore clearly put so much effort into his back stories, his character layers, and all the details the book so richly explores, you get somewhat of a cliff notes version in the movie. Snyder has done a fantastic job of recreating Moore's world and characters and, at times, the film is so faithful that it literally looks and sounds like the comic panels are moving in front of you.
But as with any adaptation omissions and changes had to be made, and while the new ending didn't really bother me much--it has the same general idea as the book--it was the left out details that left me feeling let down. There are flashbacks and character explorations but not enough and not to the extent I would have enjoyed. There is so much going on narrative-wise that I feel Snyder shortchanged some of the characters and their relationships, which makes it harder as viewers to connect with them emotionally. I didn't feel a Dreidberg/Laurie connection, it just happened. I never really felt like Laurie cared for the Doc--she just said she did. And because of that, it made the whole impact of the story less resonating.
But that's me nitpicking, because this is a pretty good movie. The Snyder slo-mo bad assenomics are back, and couldn't be more welcome. The action scenes take a break from today's standards of shaky hyper-realistic what-the-fuck-is-going-on editing, and actually shows us a well-orchestrated fights. The production design and visual effects capture the comic almost PERFECTLY, and pretty much all the actors nail their parts. I say pretty much all, because Malin Akerman, while far from the train wreck many critics would have you believe, just doesn't deliver. Who does? Good ol' Patrick Wilson does. Despite a somewhat simplified character, Wilson still managers to grasp hold of Nightowl/Dreidberg and plays him pretty expertly. And Wilson would be the highlight if it weren't for Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffery Dean Morgan. Haley absolutely drills each and every thing about Rorschach, from the voice, to the movements, to the stilted dialogue delivery. The man was clearly a fan and most definitely proved his Oscar nomination was no fluke--he is Rorschach. The same could almost be said about Morgan who delivers an extremely strong performance as The Comedian. He's good, he looks the part, and he takes the character who does despicable things and makes you like him in spite of it.
After all is said and done is the un-filmable unwatchable? I wouldn't say so. While the middle is a bit clunky, and the plot can get a bit murky, I feel it is a rewarding experience for both the Watchmen fanatics and uninitiated alike. But if you're completely unfamiliar with this world, don't go in expecting a wham bam action jam, because these characters and this story are far more than that. Who's watching the Watchmen? It seems like everyone, but if you really want to love and appreciate this story, you really should be reading them.
--Greg MacLennan
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