What kind of an image could I pick for a review of Watchmen? I didn’t have anything with “watch” in the title and nothing else seemed to be quite right. In the end I settled on Tendrils: like the movie it’s a dark, twisted vision with many layers and a lot going on in a relatively simple frame. Dunno if you will agree but that’s why I chose this picture. Now--on with the review!-
Watchmen began life as a twelve-issue comic book “limited series” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Since then it has been named the “most influential comic book series” of all times--and even made it onto several “best books” lists of major critical organizations--something no other comic has come close to. It was inevitable that Hollywood would come calling but many fans said Watchmen couldn’t be filmed. Enter Zack Snyder (who brought 300 from page to screen) who managed to create a movie that fans of the series would truly love. Too bad nobody else will…
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Anyone reading this review will probably already now the plot so there’s no point in rehashing it here except to say this: one major point was changed from the source material: I didn’t have a problem with said change (guess I’m not a big enough fan of the Watchmen) but it did bother some serious fans who demand loyalty to the source material. What IS import is this: the look of the graphics have been transferred to the screen almost word-for-word, shot-for-shot. And much of the dialog and action have made their way directly from page to screen. (Good for the comic fans but for action fans--since it makes the movie run almost three hours and it‘ gets awfully talky and slow a few times.)
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Here’s what non-series fans need to know: the movie has an amazing look, seamlessly melding computer animation and “live” shots into a cinematic triumph. The movie deserves to be seen (once) on the big screen for the FX alone. History buffs will love playing “spot the real people” in cameos of historical and cultural figures who actually existed in 1985 (Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger are the to most frequently seen). The impersonations go from “OK” to pretty good--but I never felt that I was actually seeing the real people. (Nixon in particular looked like a wax doll but maybe that was a conceit of the Art Director.) Jackie Earl Haley goes for a “Dark Knight” growly delivery but it works: he was born to play the part of Rorschach. Frankly I’m of the opinion he deserves an Oscar nomination for the work but I doubt he’ll get it. Billy Crudup (owner of one of the world’s most unfortunate last names) spends much of the movie playing John Osterman/Dr. Manhattan on one note--but that’s what he’s supposed to do. Worse, he spends most of the movie covered by digital effects but Crudup makes us feel something when we watch his performance. Perennial nice guy Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan gets down and dirty as Edward Blake/The Commedian--a maniac with no redeeming social qualities: he gets killed off in the first five minutes of the movie but keeps popping back in via flashbacks--and you never like him. Patrick Wilson does better with his story arc as Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl but Malin Akeman (Laurie Jupiter/Silk Specter II).
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How can I describe Matthew Goode as Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt? The first thing that pops into my mind is “unrelentingly awful.” I’d call his villainous performance “hissable”--but it ain’t that fun. Sadly, Goode plays the entire movie like he’s on Prozac--or maybe something stronger. You want to cheer when he gets his in the end but you just--don’t care. Yes, he really was THAT bad, If Watchmen has a fatal flaw this performance is it. Weirdly enough, he’s the only one who gets a major costume make-over from the series (but judging by how “comic book-y” it looks, I’m not surprised.)
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Action fans will likely find the movie too long and talky (even though there are some seriously good fight scenes) and the philosophical points made so eloquently in the graphic novel come off sounding a little hokey here. There is plenty of violence (graphic in the movie sense not the novel) and plenty of sex as well (including digital full-frontal male nudity). This is not a movie for the faint-of-heart and it is DEFINITELY not for children. Fans of cinema might want to see Watchmen more than once as will fans of the series--but the general movie-watching public will probably stay away in droves. (I predict a huge drop off in business next week.)
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FINAL GRADE(S)
For Watchmen Fans: A
For the general public: C+
For me: B-
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