Saturday, March 7, 2009

I've Watched the Watchmen



I found it to be good. I probably need to see it a second time to really be able to absorb the movie, and the fact that I didn't like the way I saw it two nights ago makes a second viewing a necessity. But right now, I find Watchmen to be a dense film, and I like the way it kicked my ass multiple times in its almost 3 hours of running time.

I read the comic a couple of years ago. The the 12 issue comic book was everything I ever heard it was; seminal, enduring, dark, dense, mind-blowing. It was definitely one of the best experiences I've had in reading. When I finally finished it, I spent days pondering the implications of the ending, questioning my preconceptions of villains and heroes, and evaluating the characters. Until that time, I've never read a comic that had as well fleshed out characters. Watchmen the comic is amazing.

The story is about an alternative 1985 where super-heroes, or masked vigilantes to be more precise since only one of them has actual superpowers, exist. So this is what our world would look like if actual heroes exist. The story begins with the killing of The Comedian, a retired superhero. Rorschach, the only masked vigilante remaining active after the Keene Act was passed, investigates his murder and seeks the help of his other colleagues. Together, the uncover a horrible conspiracy that would change their world as they know it.

Given that there will always be something lost in the translation or adaptation of books into film, I was surprised how much of the book remained intact, especially the character work.

Rorshcach is the same nut job in the comic book. He is the same bad-ass who sees things in black and white, no shade of gray in between. He sees only the dirt and grime of society, of humanity. From the very first time he's on screen, he expresses his disgust of the humans he's trying to protect. It makes one wonder why he keeps on doing what he does. His origin sequence is especially memorable and is one of my favorite parts of the movie. I have to say that Jackie Earle Haley who portrays him did a bang-up job, despite the fact that he has to act with a mask on most of the time. But his scenes without his mask were fantastic. He was able to show a Rorschach who was crazy, but at the same time giving him just enough of a humanity to ground him. Just enough that I didn't lose touch. Rorschach's final scene was especially affecting.

Another character that needs mention is Dr. Manhattan, the man god. How they were able to make a fully cgi character believable is beyond me, but I'm sure credit should be given to Billy Crudup's performance behind those pixels. His voice is disconnected to show how severed he is from humanity because in fact, he is no longer human. Because of a freak science lab accident, he gains the power to manipulate particles in an atomic level. He also sees time differently. The past, present, and future, makes no difference to him. He is the only one who has the power to save mankind. He is practically a god.

The Comedian is definitely one of the most despicable characters ever created in fiction, and certainly one of the most fascinating. He does so many horrible things that makes the character repulsive. But at the same time, his character begs for deeper understanding. As I see him, he is certainly the most enlightened out of all the characters in the story. He sees the world so clearly and it has caused him so much anguish, and the only way he can preserve his sanity is for him to look at everything as one big joke. He sees the world's evil but he admits that he has no power to change it. So he does what he can, take part on it. He is cynical about everything and he has no hope for change. He is a man who has given up on humanity because he believes that there is nothing that can be done to turn things around.

Patrick Wilson's Dan Dreiberg is the exact copy of the book. Definitely a great casting choice. He basically balances the absurdity of the other characters. He's not as obviously crazy as Rorschach. He's the normal guy in this crazy world.

The rest of the cast actually did a good job. I'm really not that discriminating when it comes to acting, unless the acting is so totally bad. There's none of that here. No actor was distractingly bad so I won't complain.

But if there's one thing that I have to whine about, it's Zack Snyder's stylistic choice in action. The action scenes are too gory for its own good. Gore doesn't actually gross me out, I'm actually a fan of it. I love Verhoeven as a matter of fact. But in this case, I think the gore is just too much. It makes the movie R rated for all the wrong reasons. I know I'll see this movie again, but it won't be because of the action. Because of the gore, the action is over the top and cartoony and it lessened the impact of some of the scenes that should have evoked terror. I'm afraid the gore in the fight scenes decreased the rewatchability factor of this movie for me.

Other than that though, the movie worked for me. The ending was ok if not a bit rushed. I'll probably see more flaws in subsequent viewings but I'm sure it will hold up. A lot of people point out plot holes to The Dark Knight but for some reason, I'm blind to them. heh heh. To sum it up, I liked this film. Between this and The Dark Knight, I still haven't decided which one I liked better. I just hope that this movie will be a success. Because if it is, it will certainly pave the way for more films of it's kind; adult, ballsy, smart. Love or hate this movie, don't expect anything else like this coming out in theaters this year.


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Thank ghad this movie came out at the time it did. It gave me something else to think about. It gave me a means of escape for a couple of hours. For 3 hours, I was transported to a place that is far different from my current reality. I never thought that I needed that, an escape. But I realized how much a good movie can change the way you are feeling at a given time.

I've been looking forward to this movie to hit cinemas for so long, almost a year. And now that it's finally over, I don't know if I still have anything to look forward to. It will be on for another couple of weeks, I'm sure, but I don't think that will be enough. heh

It will take more than excellently executed movies to get me through this. I have to find more productive preoccupations. I have to stop thinking about counter-productive things. I have to keep on going. If thinking about the future bothers me, I have to stop doing that now and live by the moment. If I have to abandon my hope on something, I still have to leave enough hope for myself. I believe that there is a future for me. I don't know what it is yet, but it is for me and for me alone. All I have is now and that is what I should live for.

Sorry if the above paragraph doesn't make any sense. It won't make sense for other people other than me. heh heh.

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