Mar 07 2009
Watching Watchmen
Firstly, I apologize for the terribly cliche title, but I figure, every other critic out there is going to town with that word play (bunch of gamecock eaters that they are) so why don’t I. Secondly, this is going to be a rather pithy review as it is almost 3 A.M. as of this writing, so don’t expect my normally well thought out and colloquial mode of expression in this blurb.
So, I went to see “Watchmen” and me going to see a movie on opening day is rather unprecedented, but it’s been a long time coming and this is one of my favorite stories EVAR; not just of the comic medium, but of any narrative medium.
If you don’t already know, “Watchmen” is a comic book or, rather, “graphic novel” in massive nerd quotes, if you’re inclined to use said quotes, and is the story of an alternate reality 1985 world on the brink of nuclear war, where superheros are a regular part of the social fabric. Now, the tapestry woven by the “graphic novel” (this and “V for Vendetta” are the only two comics I would consider graphic novels, as I put on my shiny, literary elitist pants) is far too dense to be captured in the medium of film.
The writer, Alan Moore, said that but you know hollywood. They just won’t listen to reason. So they made it a movie and it wasn’t as good as the book, but seldom is that the case. Books are almost always better than the movies they become because they are made specifically for that medium, so it’s rather insular to equate or compare two completly different things. I will also qualify this review by saying that I am severely biased in this situation because it’s my favorite story and Rorschach is my favorite hero, so my views are colored by the orange tinted glasses of… nostalgia and bias, I guess.
So, here it is. I was entertained by it and it was a lot more action packed than the comic, sorry, graphic novel, but it followed the story pretty faithfully, despite replacing some significant set pieces and cutting parts of the story for times sake. It’s almost three hours already and if everything had been included, I fell they would have had to make a sci-fi channel mini series out of it (god forbid). It all fit together, though if you’re not familiar with the material, you may get a little lost in the narrative. That’s not really it’s fault though. It’s billed as “action/adventure” by the universal pigeon holing council, but the story is more of a “mystery/thriller” with action elements. Some of the movie seemed needlessly gratuitous (sex and violence was a little over the top at times) but it fit the theme over all.
What really irked me most was the music. I said this to my friend after we left the theater and I think this captures the essence of the problem. “The composer was a lazy *fill this space with whatever colorful word you choose to*.” The music was good mind you. I like Jimi Hendrix and Simon and Garfunkle as much as the next person, but it hurls you out of the viewing experience like a trebuchet. One minute you’re watching a poigniant scene and the next all you can think is, “Man, I love ‘All Along the Watchtower.’ Jimi Hendrix is great.” Tyler Bates needs to do more of his job and stop robbing from other artists. Lastly, I think this movie has the most full frontal male nudity of any movie that isn’t a porno. Seriously, it’s ridiculous to the point where I applaud it’s prevalence.
There is a lot more to be said about that movie, but I’ll leave that to the professional critics (who get paid for their reviews). Bottom line is:
I was entertained.
I recommend it.
Music could have been better.
That is all and I applaud “you” for reading this far. *golf clap*
