Watchmen is big. Really big. From the time –span the story follows, to the issues it deals with, the amount of characters and the sheer scope of the whole thing. It's just massive, (note that this is a review of the Director's Cut. The Theatrical Cut is a 9/10). But that's only to be expected, considering it's an adaptation of one the biggest, and one of the most critically acclaimed comic books of all time- which was one of the first to define the graphic novel genre and remains one of its great masterpieces-, so being stingy with its scale and the care taken to craft the film adaptation was never an option. Now, people will look down on me for saying this, and truth be told I do feel a twinge of guilt saying this, but I really do feel that the film lives up to it's source work, and personally, I think it surpasses it. I'm sure that's something that no fan of the graphic novel will want to hear, but I truly believe that the film takes all of its best elements and adds its own great touches, and manages to create an incredibly sharp and hugely intelligent experience.
This is easier said than done, which is evident from the amount of time the project spent in development Hell, waiting for someone crazy enough to make it, attracting names like Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam and others, before finally landing into the brave and talented hands of Zack Snyder, an already established pleaser of fan-boys and non-comic fans alike, with hits like 300 and Dawn of the Dead. But with Watchmen, Snyder cements himself as not only being capable of crafting a hugely faithful and worthy adaptation of an acclaimed work, but an incredibly talented and tactful director who isn't afraid to do his own thing. Big as the film is, there's not doubt its everything Hollywood hates, with a running time of over 3 hours, a slow-moving and complex plot, razor sharp satirical undertones and some extremely graphic scenes, it's frankly a miracle it was ever allowed to be made. But Snyder and his creative team, with writers David Hayter and Alex Tse and a team of producers, stuck by their guns, and have crafted a film that even Alan Moore, a notoriously harsh critic of adaptations of his work, would have to admit is pretty good.
The story is gigantic and spans over 40 years of history, and reaches far off to the red planet Mars, dealing with any topic, be they political, social or personal, in between. It takes place in an alternate 1985, where the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war, and where superheroes have been outlawed. When one of them is killed, Rorschach, the last hero still in operation, unknowingly stumbles on a plot that will change the entire world, leading to the re-emergence of other heroes that had previously retired, including Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and others, who must do what they can to prevent a global catastrophe in a world quickly falling apart.
Handling the material with great enthusiasm, and showing huge skill with the slow-moving story and character/theme driven plot, Snyder uses the aspects the graphic novel couldn't to great effect, with striking visuals and incredible colour use, breathtaking cinematography from Larry Fong and a fantastic soundtrack, (opening with one of the best montages ever made), and boasts some incredibly well-made scenes that leads to amazing story development, with not a dull moment in sight, despite an epic and sprawling plot that deals with themes like political totalitarianism, society, humanity, morality and the relevance of existence and life itself. But, believe it or not, at its heart, Watchmen is extremely satirical. True, it's a bleak, razor sharp satire, and its uncomfortable humour is mostly earned through shock value rather than broad comedy. But underneath all the heavy themes and some truly disturbing sequences, Watchmen is a sharply-observed and pitch-black comic satire that delights in deconstructing the entire superhero genre, and cast a glaring eye at what it would be like to actually be a costumed hero, asking questions like what would make real people actually become heroes, how the world would react to them, the impact they would have on society and the impact a real superhero with god-like powers would have on the world if they existed.
But one of the greatest strengths of Watchmen is its 3-dimensional and multi-layered characters that are thought-provoking and keenly satirical of other superhero characters, brought to life by a great cast that all really seem to understand their characters, and who succeed in nailing their performances of them to the wall. Jackie Earle Haley gives a fantastic performance as Rorschach, and depicts his unflinching brutality and expert superhero skills with his paranoid naivety brilliantly. Patrick Wilson is perfect as Dan Dreiberg, and gives a down-to-earth portrayal of a man lost in the mediocrity of normality, and together with Malin Akerman as Laurie Jupiter, who's Silk Spectre is spot-on and powerful, the two convey perfectly the vital theme of people who once lived lifestyles of excitement and thrills, but are now hollow shells of their former selves, desperate and driven by their need to don their costumes once again. Billy Crudup gives a perfect performance as Doctor Manhattan with his cold, calculating personality and his emotionless mind, and Matthew Goode is spot-on as the dignified yet seedy Ozymandias, but the stand-out performance for me, perhaps just for the sheer strength of his character alone, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, who is so gloriously twisted and sadistic you may cringe every time he comes on-screen.
Watchmen is definitely not for everyone. Its 3-hour length, unusual story/themes and moments of extreme nastiness, probably means that most people won't care for it. But if you want to see a film that really puts a twist on superhero movies, then this is a film you should definitely experience.
This is easier said than done, which is evident from the amount of time the project spent in development Hell, waiting for someone crazy enough to make it, attracting names like Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam and others, before finally landing into the brave and talented hands of Zack Snyder, an already established pleaser of fan-boys and non-comic fans alike, with hits like 300 and Dawn of the Dead. But with Watchmen, Snyder cements himself as not only being capable of crafting a hugely faithful and worthy adaptation of an acclaimed work, but an incredibly talented and tactful director who isn't afraid to do his own thing. Big as the film is, there's not doubt its everything Hollywood hates, with a running time of over 3 hours, a slow-moving and complex plot, razor sharp satirical undertones and some extremely graphic scenes, it's frankly a miracle it was ever allowed to be made. But Snyder and his creative team, with writers David Hayter and Alex Tse and a team of producers, stuck by their guns, and have crafted a film that even Alan Moore, a notoriously harsh critic of adaptations of his work, would have to admit is pretty good.
The story is gigantic and spans over 40 years of history, and reaches far off to the red planet Mars, dealing with any topic, be they political, social or personal, in between. It takes place in an alternate 1985, where the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war, and where superheroes have been outlawed. When one of them is killed, Rorschach, the last hero still in operation, unknowingly stumbles on a plot that will change the entire world, leading to the re-emergence of other heroes that had previously retired, including Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and others, who must do what they can to prevent a global catastrophe in a world quickly falling apart.
Handling the material with great enthusiasm, and showing huge skill with the slow-moving story and character/theme driven plot, Snyder uses the aspects the graphic novel couldn't to great effect, with striking visuals and incredible colour use, breathtaking cinematography from Larry Fong and a fantastic soundtrack, (opening with one of the best montages ever made), and boasts some incredibly well-made scenes that leads to amazing story development, with not a dull moment in sight, despite an epic and sprawling plot that deals with themes like political totalitarianism, society, humanity, morality and the relevance of existence and life itself. But, believe it or not, at its heart, Watchmen is extremely satirical. True, it's a bleak, razor sharp satire, and its uncomfortable humour is mostly earned through shock value rather than broad comedy. But underneath all the heavy themes and some truly disturbing sequences, Watchmen is a sharply-observed and pitch-black comic satire that delights in deconstructing the entire superhero genre, and cast a glaring eye at what it would be like to actually be a costumed hero, asking questions like what would make real people actually become heroes, how the world would react to them, the impact they would have on society and the impact a real superhero with god-like powers would have on the world if they existed.
But one of the greatest strengths of Watchmen is its 3-dimensional and multi-layered characters that are thought-provoking and keenly satirical of other superhero characters, brought to life by a great cast that all really seem to understand their characters, and who succeed in nailing their performances of them to the wall. Jackie Earle Haley gives a fantastic performance as Rorschach, and depicts his unflinching brutality and expert superhero skills with his paranoid naivety brilliantly. Patrick Wilson is perfect as Dan Dreiberg, and gives a down-to-earth portrayal of a man lost in the mediocrity of normality, and together with Malin Akerman as Laurie Jupiter, who's Silk Spectre is spot-on and powerful, the two convey perfectly the vital theme of people who once lived lifestyles of excitement and thrills, but are now hollow shells of their former selves, desperate and driven by their need to don their costumes once again. Billy Crudup gives a perfect performance as Doctor Manhattan with his cold, calculating personality and his emotionless mind, and Matthew Goode is spot-on as the dignified yet seedy Ozymandias, but the stand-out performance for me, perhaps just for the sheer strength of his character alone, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, who is so gloriously twisted and sadistic you may cringe every time he comes on-screen.
Watchmen is definitely not for everyone. Its 3-hour length, unusual story/themes and moments of extreme nastiness, probably means that most people won't care for it. But if you want to see a film that really puts a twist on superhero movies, then this is a film you should definitely experience.