WATCHMEN
December 10th 2009 02:53
Category: Videos
Based on the graphic novel Watchmen co created by David Gibbons
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay by: David Hayter & Alex Tse
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin & Deborah Snyder
Starring: Malin Akerman (Silk Spectre), Billy Cruddup (Dr Manhattan), Matthew Goode (Ozymandias), Carla Gugino (Sally Jupiter), Jackie Earle Hailey (Rorschach), Jeffery Dean Morgan (The Comedian), Robert Wisden (Nixon), Frank Novak (Kissinger), Matt Frewer (Moloch), Stephen McHattie (Hollis Mason) & Patrick Wilson (Night Owl)
Produced by: Warner Bros, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures & Lawrence Gordon Productions
Released by: Paramount
Running Time: 155 minutes Rating: MA 15
Its 1985, Richard Nixon is president of the US, the Americans won the Vietnam War, superheroes have been banned by the Keene Act and the world is on the brink of nuclear holocaust with trouble brewing in Afghanistan. This is the world of Watchmen, a rather bleak dystopian version of the usual standard comic book fare that DC is noted for along with some rather interesting takes on the superhero genre. My local library has a copy of the seminal graphic novel on which this film was based and I gave it a perusal a while back, it was a rather bleak and depressing piece that was not enjoyable reading in the slightest. Granted it had a world of interesting ideas and takes on the whole genre but it was also extremely heavy on the doom and gloom, too much so for my taste. If anything it seemed to be a general take on the whole cold war pitched into a fictional universe in an attempt to illuminate the futility of human society and politics, we are all doomed and unless we change drastically we will bring about our own destruction. It very much put me in mind of the maxim – those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so in that light how does the movie version rate?
Unfortunately it’s very much the same in that regard, although in this case to the above maxim could also be added the proviso that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This is a world in a scenario in which is similar to that experienced by our own at the height of the Cold War but with the added ingredients of superheroes or masks as they are called and a few twists to the history of the era. In this world the US has won the Vietnam War and the whole two terms for a presidential candidate has been repealed allowing Richard Nixon a third term in office, the first such individual to do so since Franklin D Roosevelt. It is a world that is bleak, dark and somewhat lacking in any significant hope or joy. Gangs roam the streets, crime and civil disobedience are rampant and those who are in charge seem to be apathetic at best.
Interestingly this film is very much a montage piece, an interwoven work of the various characters own personal stories that form a cohesive whole into which is tied the driving primary story arc that is moving the drama along. I suspect that the film was made in this particular manner to try and get the most from the source material and remain fairly true to the graphic novel. The problem is working out how it all effectively ties together and why, it’s easy if you’re someone who has read the graphic novel it might not be so if you haven’t. Strangely though events open not so much with the drama of the film but with the credits, we see the post Second World War US and the superhero group the Minutemen. As the credits roll history unfolds and we see the euphoria of the end of the Second World War metamorphose into the dystopian, doom laden era of the eighties as well as the demise of various heroes as well as their tarnishing. From glory they become fallen icons as to those the hope that was engendered in the wake of the events of World War II.
From this opening rundown things then move into the meat of the action, and it all begins like any good drama with a death. The Comedian, a founding member of the Minuteman and of the Watchmen, ends up being a smear on the footpath after being hurled through the plate glass window of his plush Manhattan apartment by a mysterious black clad assailant. Not exactly a good look, but that’s what happens when you are a superhero and make a considerable amount of enemies over the course of your life. And considering that the Comedian was the governments go to man for all manner of black ops he wouldn’t have just made enemies in the underworld but amongst numerous political groups and the supporters of failed revolutionary regimes. Interestingly though his demise is the spark that ignites a catastrophic chain of events that will have a profound impact upon the world…or will they?
Effects wise there is a taste of the Matrix and Hong Kong martial arts films with the fight scenes in this film, they are almost balletic in their action and intensity. Silk Spectre II and Night Owl II seem to work well, as their fight scenes demonstrate just how much of a dangerous, tight combo they are. They have a bond that is seemingly brought out in moments of danger and violence, a bond that reaches deeper than just a primal survival urge and that they have only picked up on this and are unsure of what to make of it. It’s an example of how even what seems to be a rather trivial point is just one more piece in the mosaic of this films story. And these instances serve to lay the groundwork for what is to come, they are future pointers if the characters can realise them, pick up on these ever so slightly subtle nuances. You don’t need to be Dr Manhattan to be able to see certain future trends, although in the story it seems that only this enigmatic entity is only capable of perceiving past, present and the future and their fundamental interconnectedness.
When the dust finally settles on this drama what has essentially occurred is a retelling of what went on before. In the wake of the Second World War there was an era of bright hope and euphoria, an era that descended into mistrust, fear, violence and potential global destruction. Now it seems that the world has emerged from the tunnel once again into the light but it’s a light that can potentially dim all so quickly and become a new dark age just as the past has previously shown. Events could thus turn full circle once again, leading humanity to the brink. On one level I did enjoy this movie, which was the level of someone who can appreciate the skill and expertise of a finely made feature length film. As far as entertainment value goes though I just didn’t enjoy it, like I said earlier it is a rather depressing story one whose conclusion seemed rather unsatisfying to say the least. But then again could it have been done any other way, unfortunately not, to do so would have probably cheapened and demeaned the entire film.
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay by: David Hayter & Alex Tse
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin & Deborah Snyder
Starring: Malin Akerman (Silk Spectre), Billy Cruddup (Dr Manhattan), Matthew Goode (Ozymandias), Carla Gugino (Sally Jupiter), Jackie Earle Hailey (Rorschach), Jeffery Dean Morgan (The Comedian), Robert Wisden (Nixon), Frank Novak (Kissinger), Matt Frewer (Moloch), Stephen McHattie (Hollis Mason) & Patrick Wilson (Night Owl)
Produced by: Warner Bros, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures & Lawrence Gordon Productions
Running Time: 155 minutes Rating: MA 15
Its 1985, Richard Nixon is president of the US, the Americans won the Vietnam War, superheroes have been banned by the Keene Act and the world is on the brink of nuclear holocaust with trouble brewing in Afghanistan. This is the world of Watchmen, a rather bleak dystopian version of the usual standard comic book fare that DC is noted for along with some rather interesting takes on the superhero genre. My local library has a copy of the seminal graphic novel on which this film was based and I gave it a perusal a while back, it was a rather bleak and depressing piece that was not enjoyable reading in the slightest. Granted it had a world of interesting ideas and takes on the whole genre but it was also extremely heavy on the doom and gloom, too much so for my taste. If anything it seemed to be a general take on the whole cold war pitched into a fictional universe in an attempt to illuminate the futility of human society and politics, we are all doomed and unless we change drastically we will bring about our own destruction. It very much put me in mind of the maxim – those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so in that light how does the movie version rate?
Interestingly this film is very much a montage piece, an interwoven work of the various characters own personal stories that form a cohesive whole into which is tied the driving primary story arc that is moving the drama along. I suspect that the film was made in this particular manner to try and get the most from the source material and remain fairly true to the graphic novel. The problem is working out how it all effectively ties together and why, it’s easy if you’re someone who has read the graphic novel it might not be so if you haven’t. Strangely though events open not so much with the drama of the film but with the credits, we see the post Second World War US and the superhero group the Minutemen. As the credits roll history unfolds and we see the euphoria of the end of the Second World War metamorphose into the dystopian, doom laden era of the eighties as well as the demise of various heroes as well as their tarnishing. From glory they become fallen icons as to those the hope that was engendered in the wake of the events of World War II.
From this opening rundown things then move into the meat of the action, and it all begins like any good drama with a death. The Comedian, a founding member of the Minuteman and of the Watchmen, ends up being a smear on the footpath after being hurled through the plate glass window of his plush Manhattan apartment by a mysterious black clad assailant. Not exactly a good look, but that’s what happens when you are a superhero and make a considerable amount of enemies over the course of your life. And considering that the Comedian was the governments go to man for all manner of black ops he wouldn’t have just made enemies in the underworld but amongst numerous political groups and the supporters of failed revolutionary regimes. Interestingly though his demise is the spark that ignites a catastrophic chain of events that will have a profound impact upon the world…or will they?
Effects wise there is a taste of the Matrix and Hong Kong martial arts films with the fight scenes in this film, they are almost balletic in their action and intensity. Silk Spectre II and Night Owl II seem to work well, as their fight scenes demonstrate just how much of a dangerous, tight combo they are. They have a bond that is seemingly brought out in moments of danger and violence, a bond that reaches deeper than just a primal survival urge and that they have only picked up on this and are unsure of what to make of it. It’s an example of how even what seems to be a rather trivial point is just one more piece in the mosaic of this films story. And these instances serve to lay the groundwork for what is to come, they are future pointers if the characters can realise them, pick up on these ever so slightly subtle nuances. You don’t need to be Dr Manhattan to be able to see certain future trends, although in the story it seems that only this enigmatic entity is only capable of perceiving past, present and the future and their fundamental interconnectedness.
When the dust finally settles on this drama what has essentially occurred is a retelling of what went on before. In the wake of the Second World War there was an era of bright hope and euphoria, an era that descended into mistrust, fear, violence and potential global destruction. Now it seems that the world has emerged from the tunnel once again into the light but it’s a light that can potentially dim all so quickly and become a new dark age just as the past has previously shown. Events could thus turn full circle once again, leading humanity to the brink. On one level I did enjoy this movie, which was the level of someone who can appreciate the skill and expertise of a finely made feature length film. As far as entertainment value goes though I just didn’t enjoy it, like I said earlier it is a rather depressing story one whose conclusion seemed rather unsatisfying to say the least. But then again could it have been done any other way, unfortunately not, to do so would have probably cheapened and demeaned the entire film.
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