Watchmen

[MMM]

Watchmen came out in the US this weekend, and I am sure will put up big numbers, besides being rated R and well over two hours long.

Anyone see it? Opinions?

[Ronin4hire]

Haven't seen it.

Some people are raving on about how it's supposed to be some excellent graphic novel and if it's anything like that then it should be one of the movies of the year.

As someone who has never heard of Watchmen before though... It just looks like X-men meets Sin City meets The Dark Knight.

I'll give it a chance if I have the time and if other friends drag me along... but otherwise not interested.

[Yuna7780]

A bunch of my upperclassmen want me to read it. But I don't have time for it.

[MMM]

Time Magazine has rated Watchmen as one of the top 100 pieces of fiction ever (not sure if that was limited to American fiction). I have read the book, and its reputation is well-deserved. It is a very intelligent look at superheroes as real people. People who are political, and have serious psychological issues.
It is also a look at the world through Cold War eyes, which may be hard for younger readers to grasp.

In the Watchmen, a group of superheroes basically wins the Vietnam War for America, allowing Pres. Nixon's popularity to go so high he is elected for five terms. He thanks them by making masked heroes illegal, leading to a breakdown far beyond anything in The Incredibles.

I liked the movie a lot. It is very violent, but also very talky (and long) so if you are looking for The X-men, Watchmen is probably not a good pick. However if you like adult themes and thinky movies, you will probably enjoy it.

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by MMM

Time Magazine has rated Watchmen as one of the top 100 pieces of fiction ever (not sure if that was limited to American fiction). I have read the book, and its reputation is well-deserved. It is a very intelligent look at superheroes as real people. People who are political, and have serious psychological issues.
It is also a look at the world through Cold War eyes, which may be hard for younger readers to grasp.

In the Watchmen, a group of superheroes basically wins the Vietnam War for America, allowing Pres. Nixon's popularity to go so high he is elected for five terms. He thanks them by making masked heroes illegal, leading to a breakdown far beyond anything in The Incredibles.

I liked the movie a lot. It is very violent, but also very talky (and long) so if you are looking for The X-men, Watchmen is probably not a good pick. However if you like adult themes and thinky movies, you will probably enjoy it.

Oh wow... that sounds like a really cool story.

You've made me interested MMM...

I hope that the deepness of the movie's themes doesn't get lost in the camp superhero costumes though (I'm sure I'll be able to look past it if it's any good). I liked how in the TV series "Heroes" the characters never really dressed like bats etc.

[Payne222]

Ok, the movie has brilliant cinematography, so for that it's brilliant. But it's a frame for frame of the comic which drags it on for 3 hours and bores you sometimes....that's where it loses it's points. I saw it opening day, wish I didn't...

[MMM]

It is a very close adaptation of a 12 issue comic series. The director is the same director as 300, which is probably a more obvious comic to make into a movie, especially for this director (Zach Snyder) but I think he did a fine job of keeping it going at a fast clip, but not cutting out too much.

A big theme is generations, so we bounce around from superheroes from the 40s to superheroes of the 80s (and in between) Some are ageless, and some age not so gracefully. There is a lot going on, and readers of the book will look for and see things that non-readers won't (like any adaptation).

It is NOT non-stop action. There is a lot of talking, but the action is incredibly violent and well done, especially for a "comic book movie" and the themes are pretty well preserved. Again, I don't know that people under 20 will appreciate the idea of an extended Cold War and don't remember "The Day After" and the real fear of nuclear holocaust that at least Americans dealt with daily during this time, which is such a major part of the movie, but for me that struck an old-forgotten chord.

[ThuMpeR]

I saw it on opening day, and I enjoyed it . It was a frame by frame adaptation of the novel, with some very minor changes and more cussing. Just like The Dark Knight, I was waiting for the credits to roll before I could jet off to the nearby restroom because of the large soda I bought.

[MMM]

A family brought an 8-year-old to the theater I saw it in today. I couldn't believe it. The mom spent half the time covering her eyes with her jacket.



The Japanese trailer

YouTube - WATCHMEN Japanese Trailer (ウォッチメン予告編)

[noodle]

Damn... I wish I didn't watch the Japanese trailer... It revealed so much more than the British trailer... I personally don't know anything about the comic/novel etc, but I want to watch this. I've wanted to since the first day I saw the trailer a couple of months ago... It looks really interesting.