I wasn't into Watchmen when it first came out. My reading tastes were a little more pedestrian: bad guys were bad guys, good guys were good guys, etc. It took my rebellious brother to show me what was possible. When he finally got me into Watchmen, it took the top of my head off. Explosive revelations, iconic characters, an incredible mystery story and real human situations and emotion through the lens of the fantastic were all present. The collected series I bought for myself in the late 80's (12 issues in all; the complete story) is still one of my most prized possessions.
Went to see the movie last night. Not horrible, definitely not great. I'm not entirely certain what I think about it yet. Let me run down the numbers for you:
Effects: Mostly ass-kicking, especially the action. But I thought the aging make-up just looked cheesy, and the full CGI - including Dr. Manhattan - was just a bit off.
Costumes: Sick. Off the hook. Worked great.
Overall Look & Feel: Wonderful. Did an amazing job of bringing the visual character of the story to life.
Acting: Mostly for s*&t.
Direction: Mostly for s*&t.
Story: Mostly for s*&t. There was just too much of it there in the comic; too much nuance and character building. To be fair, I don't think anyone could have put all that story into 2.75 hours, which Snyder tried to do. Evidently, at one point, Terry Gilliam was given the project. He cogitated, then said something to the effect of, "I can't make a movie of this for you. Give me a trilogy or a t.v. mini-series, and I can do this. But anything less than 8 hours simply won't do it."
I think it's possible the acting may have been better with better direction, but I'm not sure. The woman playing Laurie (the daughter Silk Specter) looked exactly like the drawings in the comic book. It was a bit eerie. I don't think she was hired for her acting strengths.
Moore's probably pissed, if he's even looking. I like to imagine he's not. His name wasn't on it, as it wasn't on V for Vendetta. I almost hope that Promethea is never made into a single movie. It just wouldn't carry.
Now, the one thing I think they got completely right (except for weaknesses in the CGI) was Dr. Manhattan. I got shivers every time he was on the screen. His story arc, although hideously compressed (as were all the others), was the most compelling to me; his existential crisis was made real on the screen.
Another thing I noticed was my very visceral reaction to all the viscera. There's a fair amount of violence in the comic, but the translation of it to film was kind of overwhelming to me. I've read the comic at least 7 times, but to see some of the action transcribed to the screen was shocking. I feel a bit pansyish about it, but then, I've always been known as such a tough guy. ;)
In that vein, one of the most disappointing aspects was the treatment of Rorschach. His utter eerieness was simply not achieved, certainly not by the actor who played him. There was just little sympathy for him. The nuances of his violence and his reasons for it were just plain lost in the shuffle. I feel sad for his character, not for all the reasons I've felt sad for him before (which he would abhor), but because those reasons were not brought to the screen.
All in all, I think a C, C+ for effort. It just never came even close to the gut reaction the comic gave me in the 80's. And all the deaths at the end...just didn't seem at all real. Ozymandias was a joke, and the build up to the end, and the whole mystery aspect was...well, mostly for s*&t.
Better luck next time. And maybe spend a little less money, give it a little more time, and more heart.
