Watchmen

[Joyrex-J9]

I thought Manhattan sounded like HAL.

Which is spot on.

[11 Herbs 'n' Spices]

I really enjoyed it, although having re-read the graphic novel recently I found myself dwelling on the changes a little too much. My own fault really. On the whole, I thought the changes and omissions were for the best apart from Veidt's first scene

why does Dan visit him instead of Rorsarch? I loved Rorsarch dismissive view of Veidt and his 'Possible homosexual. Will investigate further' line. Although, they did have a folder marked 'Boys' on Veidt's computer

and I didn't like how vicious Laurie was in the alley brawl. As mentioned earlier, their brutality kind of dilutes Rorsarch's.

But as a movie in it's own right, I thought it was great. Never felt long either. If anything, I could have easily done another 20-30 minutes.

The soundtrack was a little distracting at times, often a little too obvious. Although I still can't decide if the use of 'Hallelujah' was cheesy or genius.

[Lorfarius]

But as a movie in it's own right, I thought it was great. Never felt long either. If anything, I could have easily done another 20-30 minutes.

You have only seen the theatrical cut, the DVD release is bound to add loads more.

[mayor_mike_haggar]

1) I'm fairly sure Osterman should have been circumcised.

2) WHERE WERE THE SUGAR CUBES

3) For some reason dreiberg wasn't addicted to coffee.

These are my main gripes with the cinema version. I'm sure we can all agree that it was aesthetically beautiful and that de manhattan's penis is an utterly astounding sight. Well done, Zachary

[Silent Runner]

I loved the bit when Mickey from Seinfeld turned up, I could barely keep the laughter in.

[Captain Novaforce]

YAAAAAS so good! Need to get the super extended edition on DVD when it arrives to get all the extra bits.

[11 Herbs 'n' Spices]

You have only seen the theatrical cut, the DVD release is bound to add loads more.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the Director's Cut. Although ultimately I still think that a TV mini series would have been better suited.

1) I'm fairly sure Osterman should have been circumcised.

2) WHERE WERE THE SUGAR CUBES

3) For some reason dreiberg wasn't addicted to coffee.

These are my main gripes with the cinema version. I'm sure we can all agree that it was aesthetically beautiful and that de manhattan's penis is an utterly astounding sight. Well done, Zachary

I also wondered about the sugar cubes but seeing as the detective's role was reduced significantly, I guess they don't need to be in there. Just one of the many subtle nuances the comic has over the movie.

[larrydavidsanger]

Went to see this today, thought it started quite slowly and appeared to be quite... muddled but once it got into the swing of things about 45mins in it improved greatly. I'd been worried that I'd have gotten bored with it being as long as it was but I didn't notice the time passing at all. However almost with the words "I'm not a comic book villain, Dan" it suddenly switched into conventional Spiderman/Pre-Nolan Batman/X Men territory and the the ending... ugh. My favourite thing about the original was

the way Jon left Ozymandias saying "It's not over, it's never over" for it to switch to the New Frontiersman office and the hand hovering over the diary in the last cell.

This version was just a bit clumsy about how it did all that part, especially as it had been very faithful up until that point.

Come on. Rorschach's voice was faintly embarassing. It was, in fact, lazy.

I always imagined Rorschach's voice to be very strained, creaky sounding, he just sounded like Batman here. I thought Nite Owl moved a lot like Michael Keaton too at times, very jerky and stiff. And that sex scene being soundtracked by Leonard Cohen, just horrific! I found a lot of the soundtrack quite jarring actually, I don't know why they had to have that horror movie pop-metal crap over the end credits.

[chalkitdown]

Just back from seeing it. Absolutely loved it.

How in the name of fuck did this only get a 16 rating here in Ireland, though? I'm actually baffled by it. How could a panel sit down, watch this, and then decide a 16 rating would suffice? It defies logic.

[Spacehost]

First things first- yes, I've read the comic, and no, I don't think it's perfect.

Right, on to business. Just saw it, and I was absolutely stunned. It's as perfect a piece of comic-to-cinema transformation as anyone could've wished for. Capturing the hyper-realism of the medium (unlike The Dark Night) while simaltaneously remaining close enough to the source material that I couldn't imagine any major scene (bar the first Nite Owl's exit) that was removed. Visually stunning, rather well acted (Rorsarch didn't so much push Heath Ledger's version of the Joker out of the limelight as throw him down an elevator shaft), and with an ending that provided a slick, sensible, and intelligent alternative to the comic's page-gobbling, inexplicable alien subplot.

Ten dismembered arms out of ten.

[JohnC]

Just back from seeing it. Absolutely loved it.

How in the name of fuck did this only get a 16 rating here in Ireland, though? I'm actually baffled by it. How could a panel sit down, watch this, and then decide a 16 rating would suffice? It defies logic.

It was 18, but got reduced on appeal. I wonder what argument was used to get it reduced.

[JohnC]

I was more distracted by Manhattan's Michael Jackson voice.

WTF? Must have had some weird sound problems at your cinema if you thought he sounded like MJ.

[Spacehost]

It was 18, but got reduced on appeal. I wonder what argument was used to get it reduced.

I kept forgetting it was an 18, so I expected the bit where they... y'know...

accidentally a both fucking arms, BOTH FUCKING ARMS

to end in a cut away. IT DIDN'T.

[vegetables]

I really didn't enjoy this at all- for me it was far too faithful to the source material, keeping dialogue and imagery the same regardless of if it translated well to the screen or not. Given that Watchmen as a comic depends so much on the form of the medium that its in, keeping things the same for the film seemed in a way to be far more of a betrayal of the point of the thing than changing more or less everything would be. And, perversely, I found it so obsessed with things being the same that it ended up losing sight of some really important things. A lot of the characters in Watchmen are walking a fine line between parody, cliche and fully fledged creations in their own light, and I felt that in some cases the characters in the movie almost became the cliches they were created as a critique of. Doctor Manhatten in particular, when stripped of his poigniant and brilliant backstory, seems extremely "Comic Book Stereotype", which isn't helped by his whiny stock physicist voice. It's horrible to see something trying so hard to be like something you love and getting it so wrong, especially considering most of what it gets wrong seems to come about through it trying to get things right in questionable ways.

[JohnC]

From reading the last few pages, it seems it is too much like the comic and it is also too different from the comic.

[Captain Helanio]

I haven't read the graphic novel, but enjoyed the film and followed it with no problems.

From the intro, I thought I was going to absolutely love it. I did like it a lot, but for me the violence was too much, which took it down a little bit in my estimations. I liked the soundtrack . Dr Manhattan was the standout character for me.

[biglime]

a slick, sensible, and intelligent alternative to the comic's page-gobbling, inexplicable alien subplot.

I don't like this revisionist "the squid is shit" thing that's happening here.

Am I the only person bothered about the squid?

[AndyB]

It seems that the Mr Snyder tried to put the written, inked and coloured onto the big screen. Some thinks just don't work when they move and I fear that Watchmen is one of those things.

[vegetables]

From reading the last few pages, it seems it is too much like the comic and it is also too different from the comic.

Well, it's mostly different people having different opinions. To be honest I think the whole idea of completely faithfully adapting something like Watchmen entirely misses the point of it, and I'd be happy to have many more things changed. It's a story told in the language of comics which depends on being a comic in several places, so not changing that when it isn't a comic any more seems more of a betrayal of the concept of the thing than anything else in the movie to me. I'd have far rather had scenes that echoed scenes in other superhero movies in how they were shot, written and conceived than faithful reproductions of comic panels and comic writing. That would have produced something that I think would have been more resonant, and would probably be the only way to make the movie have anything like the same impact.

[Spacehost]

I don't like this revisionist "the squid is shit" thing that's happening here.

Am I the only person bothered about the squid?

Who's being revisionist? I read the comic for the first time last month, not knowing about the change, and the first thing I thought was, "They've wasted loads of time and effort setting this up, and it's a bit rubbish". I prefer the film's ending, it's more... elegant? Something like that.

[biglime]

Sigh. It begins.

[Andsom]

I don't like this revisionist "the squid is shit" thing that's happening here.

Am I the only person bothered about the squid?

There are much bigger things to be bothered about than the squid. The new ending in theory isn't too bad, but the build up to it, the scenes in Adrian's base etc are all a bit shit.

I've had a couple of days to reflect on the movie now, and the bad points with it are sticking with me more than the good to be honest. I can't get over the problems I have with the overall tone and the trademark Snyder moments. I still think he was the wrong person for this stylistically and I don't think he's experienced enough to handle the 'deeper' stuff.

Kudos for him for getting it made and for some of the important elements being kept in some shape or form, but the film just doesn't work for me. I'll be sticking with the graphic novel I think.

[AndyB]

Sigh. It begins.

?

[Andsom]

Who's being revisionist? I read the comic for the first time last month, not knowing about the change, and the first thing I thought was, "They've wasted loads of time and effort setting this up, and it's a bit rubbish". I prefer the film's ending, it's more... elegant? Something like that.

Watchmen is something that needs to be read more than once. The squid thing makes a load more sense the second time round. It's actually a bit genius.

[biglime]

My fear, and it's a stupid fear, is that from now on this film is Watchmen. This is what Watchmen is now. That's what movies do.

[Spacehost]

Sigh. It begins.

Cheer up old chap, I still think the comic's fucking amaze.

[JohnC]

It seems to me that the movie ending should hold up to scrutiny better than trying to make a fake alien.

[biglime]

It's just that, though. Lets say the film's ending is more elegant. I don't know if it is.* But even if you're right...

...I don't want the more elegant ending. I want the squid. Who should have the right to remove the squid?

* Elegance is hardly the point. The squid is the point. The lunacy of the squid is the point.

[Andsom]

My fear, and it's a stupid fear, is that from now on this film is Watchmen. This is what Watchmen is now. That's what movies do.

I have a similar worry. I've been trying to deter everyone I know who hasn't read the comic to read it before seeing the film. Reading it for the first (second, third) time is such a unique memorable exprience; the moment when little subtle unspoken plot points come together and it hits you and you're all like 'wow'. That won't happen with the film, and the film does present those plot points really obviously (I'm thinking of one in particular) and beats you over the head with them. No subtlety. I'd be gutted if I went into the book with that kind of knowledge. The film is practically like reading a Wikipedia synopsis of the comic.

[Andsom]

* Elegance is hardly the point. The squid is the point. The lunacy of the squid is the point.

Indeed. It's plan so ridiculous that only the world's smartest man could come up with it.