WATCHMEN

[DRDarkeNY 0]

Can somebody explain to Zack Snyder's publicist that "visionary" does *not* equal "excessively visual", please? WATCHMEN is an overdesigned heaping pile of CGI and film speed trickery based on Alan Moore's classic graphic novel that *seems* faithful to it at first glance, but manages to sentimentalize and cheapen Moore's dark point by presenting the amoral Comedian as some kind of off-kilter moral compass (though maybe that's due to Jeffery Dean Morgan's portrayal), making Ozymandius a generic giggling psychopath rather than an extremely intelligent man who does the worst possible thing for the best possible reason (and fears it's still not enough), and reduces the climactic act to The (figurative) Crucifixion Of One Great Man rather than Moore's blackly humorous take on THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!

While I'm not one of those graphic novel fanbois who drool at the "genius" of Moore or Frank Miller no matter what they produce, and I thought the WATCHMEN graphic novel ultimately painted itself into a corner, it was still leaps and bounds better than the film version.

[Johnny Unusual 525]

I don't hate the Watchmen movie as much as you, clearly, but I don't think it's terribly good either. I actually think there are some good points to it, including a rather strong opening montage. Still, I don't think it really belongs on this show. It seems a lot of the complaints you have, while valid, are rather subtle and really HDTGM is more about really out there in their badness. If anything, the problems in this movie seem to come from toning down or misinterpreting source material. Also, there are a lot of people who like this and while that goes for many movies that have been on the show, this seems more like a film up for debate than a "let's all rag on this one."

[jarrycanada 2483]

I didn't mind this movie, but I didn't love it. I read the graphic novel and I loved that and I would recommend highly to anyone before watching this movie to read the graphic novel before hand even if your not into comic books forsay.

What wrecked the movie version for me was the voice dialogue of Dr. Manhattan, he just didn't work. he sounded less heroic. fix the voice acting and I would love this movie. I would of recommend patric stewart he would of sold this movie... 5 stars. I am just kidding by the way. I don't really know who could of done it..

[RyanSz 3140]

I actually liked the movie for how well it was able to adapt what it could from the book. There were things that due to either time or content couldn't be done properly, like the squid. Having bought and owned the giant director's cut of the movie it does work a lot better with the Black Frigate sewn in as well as things like the original Night Owl being killed. The only thing that really could turn me off from this movie are all of the Moore fanboys who are just as crazy as he is and wanted to nitpick every little thing.

[seanotron 2307]

It's not awful, but it's not great, either. Ponderous and forgettable in a lot of ways. It also fetishized violence in a way that the comic never did that made me very uncomfortable, but that's a Snyder thing. The source material isn't above reproach, either. Anyone that thought the Squid from Outer Space was going to work on screen wasn't thinking it through.

 

I don't think it would be a very fun episode of HDTGM, however.

[sillstaw 414]

My two problems with this movie:

 

1. Zack Snyder does not know the word "subtlety." The Comedian specifically says that he killed Woodward and Bernstein, out loud, around people who logically would not know who they were, just so the audience will get the (really irrelevant) point.

 

2. Zack Snyder doesn't get why certain things were in the book. After the climactic New York attack, we see "The Outer Limits" on TV (and, tying in with point 1, it's shown in close-up instead of being in the background, just so You'll Get It). The reference in the book was to a specific episode echoing the alien-attack-decoy* story, something which is significantly less applicable with the changed ending. Not that it matters, because all it shows is the intro, which basically comes across as "Hey, this was on the TV! It's not relevant, but let's throw it in anyway!"

 

* Great name for a rock band.