Watchmen (2009)

In an alternate 1985 where former superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own sprawling investigation, uncovering something that could completely change the course of history as we know it.

Director:

Zack Snyder

Writers:

David Hayter (screenplay), Alex Tse (screenplay),

Stars:

Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson

5 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Malin Akerman	...	Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II
Billy Crudup	...	Dr. Manhattan / Jon Osterman
Matthew Goode	...	Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Rorschach
Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Edward Blake / Comedian
Patrick Wilson	...	Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl
Carla Gugino	...	Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
Matt Frewer	...	Moloch
Stephen McHattie	...	Hollis Mason
Laura Mennell	...	Janey Slater
Rob LaBelle	...	Wally Weaver
Gary Houston	...	John McLaughlin
James M. Connor	...	Pat Buchanan (as James Micheal Connor)
Mary Ann Burger	...	Eleanor Clift
John Shaw	...	Doug Roth

Storyline

In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot.

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Plot Keywords:

vigilante | murder | investigation | conspiracy | usa | 

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Taglines:

Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what we do.

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Watchmen: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$130,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£3,243,001 (UK) (6 March 2009)

Gross:

$107,503,316 (USA) (22 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Legendary Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min 186 min (Director's Cut) 215 min (Ultimate Cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While writing the original graphic novel, Alan Moore was surprised to find out that his intended ending had remarkable similarity to the TV episode The Outer Limits: The Architects of Fear. Near the end of the film, Sally Jupiter can be seen watching the series on TV.

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Goofs

Dreiberg microwaves a carton of Chinese food with its metal handle still attached. While microwave instructions commonly prohibit customers from placing metal inside them for safety reasons the dangers of doing so are greatly exaggerated in the public mind. Small amounts of metal, like the handle from a Chinese food container, will likely not cause sparking and will generally, at most, cause damage to the microwave not a larger fire or an explosion.

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Quotes

Jon Osterman: Your mind goes to dark places and you wonder why I keep the worst from you.

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Crazy Credits

The company logos are black-on-yellow, with text set in Futura Condensed, the font used for titles throughout the graphic novel and film.

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Connections

Features Dallas (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
Written by Chris Hughes, Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley
Performed by Studio Group
Courtesy of Mascara Music & More
Under license from Licensemusic.com ApS

User Reviews

A Great Action Epic, But Nothing More

With 300, Zack Snyder had the problem of having not enough meat on the bone - Frank Miller's violent graphic novel was short and in-your-face, with director Snyder compensating by spending pretty much all of it's two hour runtime in super-slow motion. Here the problem is reversed: Alan Moore's unfilmable, complicated and very, very deep graphic novel seemed simply too dense for any director to take by the horns and be successful. Hell, even Moore himself deemed it so - so much that he disowned the film entirely.

Here, Snyder has two audiences: those familiar, and those who aren't. If you're the latter, Watchmen is a masterwork of literature, telling the story of a group of masked avengers who, since outlawed, live empty and lonely lives. When one is killed in his apartment, Rorschach, who dons the famous ever-moving mask, takes it upon himself to get to the root of the real reason for the death, but stumbles onto something much larger than he could ever have expected.

It really is a character piece. Each one, filled off-screen with complicated, articulate back-stories is brought to life on screen by some of the most heartfelt acting I've seen in a long time (save perhaps Malin Ackerman as the latex-wearing Silk Spectre II), particularly from Billy Crudup who plays the blue, often naked (and well-hung) demi-god who is the only superhero with real superpowers.

Although the star of the show is Rorschach himself. Despite being behind a mask for the large majority of the film, Jackie Earle Haley is beyond perfect for the role. His husky voice commands the voiceovers from Rorschach's journal (recited in many cases word-for-word from the novel), and plays the psychopathic, paranoid and immensely complex role with such a force that you simply can't tear your eyes away from him.

Snyder made himself known with 300 - the ultra-violent story of the Spartans who went to war (and lost… miserably). However, Watchmen makes 300 seem like Mary Poppins - this has got to be one of the most violent films I have ever seen. All the book's action sequences are there, just… bigger. More badass. Gory as hell. And, for some reason Snyder decided to place a porny, cringy 3 minute sex scene set to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" slap bang in the middle of the film. Sure, it was in the book, but it was shorter, and the soundtrack was most certainly not this poncy.

However, this… discrepancy… is the only gripe (and this is a very minor gripe) that I have with the film. It's hard to watch in places - a rape scene here, a pregnant woman killed there - and even pulls the heartstrings in others (Doctor Manhattan's backstory most definitely (almost) brought me to tears). The book is majorly complex, deep and meaningful, and in it's transition to screen, a lot of that is lost in translation. But what we get is a fantastically artistic, fast-paced action epic. Snyder was aiming for two audiences who are polar opposites, and comes free with an adaptation of which even writer Alan Moore should be proud.