| | March was a month with many highlights, much of which may have slipped by without a mention here, as each event began to overlap each other. So now I revisit them, starting with my take on the Watchmen movie.
The greatest graphic novel of all-time, Watchmen finally gets made into a motion picture. This graphic novel is supposedly what changed the landscape of the comic book scene, making it more than just a medium of nonsensical fun, but become a deeper and more complex medium of literature. I came to know about Watchmen as I began to explore less mainstream of the comics which I was familiar with. Just look at Time's list, and you would find Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns on it. I have my very own copy of the graphic novel, which I read prior to watching the movie, just to refresh myself. And just looking at the writing and the panels, there is a whole lot to be cramped into a movie. Watchmen has so many characters, so many themes and layers underneath it. Director Zack Snyder would have a challenging task ahead of him.
As it is with any fandom, there was concerns about how it would all turn out. But early news where positive, as high profile fanboy director Kevin Smith said it was awesome. The trailers looked equally awesome when I laid eyes upon it, artfully using The Smashing Pumpkins' slow mix of The End Is The Beginning Is The End. But I figure it was hard for Zack Snyder and company to go wrong, when the storyboard was all laid out in the graphic novel panel-by-panel for them.
And now, having finally watched the film twice, first on a free preview screening and second on a true fanboy outing, I can safely say that Watchmen is awesome. But not as awesome as The Dark Knight. And here on comes the SPOILERS. Right from the get-go, it had to open with something grab the audience's attention. So they did a prolonged fight/death sequence for the Comedian with a odd but interesting mix with Nat King Cole's Unforgettable. Then we get treated to a quick run through of history lesson with Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' and wonderfully art-like slow-mo sequence. They definitely got me from the start.
It did not disappoint further down the road. I have to say Jackie Earle Haley has brought Rorschach right out from the comic pages into real life. I will say the cliche line like always, that is I think he was born to play Rorschach. Every word he utters brings along such frightening conviction that you believe what he believes in and the extent he goes to stand by them.
Patrick Wilson gives Dan Dreidberg (Nite Owl) just as much character as the down-and-out superhero. I felt what a sorry state he was in and how he longs for his past glory. Yet, his character is probably the most human of the Watchmen, in someways the most caring one even towards the likes of Rorschach. Billy Crudup does a decent take on the emotionless and naked Dr Manhattan. Much of his big blue dong was blurred off by Malaysian censorship much it was better than cutting his scene entirely. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's take on the Comedian was pretty spot on as well, bringing to life him and all his psychopathy. Matthew Goode pulled off a humble yet megalomaniac Ozymandias. My biggest complaint has to be Malin Ackerman's Laurie Jupiter. She can not act. People complain about Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. Well, wait until the watch Ackerman in Watchmen. Holmes is Oscar compared to her.
A lot of the scenes from the graphic novel was difficult to read even for me. This is because of the way the story was told, over narrations, shifting back and forth between places, times and character. So I imagined it would have been difficult to put on screen, but yet they pulled it off. Dr Manhattan's origin story was the one which worried me, but it actually came off even clearer for me in cinematic form. Snyder also seemed to up the violence factor a notch, with the prison riot scene looking much more brutal than the graphic novel. I also think that those Nite Owl scenes are either blatant rip-off from Batman Begins / The Dark Knight or just respectful homages. I would like to think it is the latter, because from Nite Owl's movements right down to the accompanying soundtrack, I felt like I was watching Batman Begins / The Dark Knight all over again.
I actually found myself liking the movie on the second watch, because it was at this point that I decided I did not want to anticipate what scene comes next or how its done compared to the comic, but to just watch it for the moment like an average cinema goer would. I felt myself more drawn into each scene because of this. Like the sadness felt at Dr Manhattan's origin story. The 'oh-shit' moments of realising the fate of the missing child Rorschach was looking for. But Ackerman's scenes took me away from everything. Her crying after the revelation in the comic was heart wrenching, but in the movie, she could not even shed a tear.
The biggest buzz about the movie is the change in the ending. I actually felt this was better than the graphic novel. Considering the current times, people are not going to buy or be scared about an alien invasion. Too many bad alien movies in recent times have probably cheapened this effect. So they did a wise decision by turning that threat into Dr Manhattan, and this still flows very well with the rest of the story. It seems more logical and devious of Ozymandias at the same time. Hats off to the filmmakers.
Watchmen continues on the trend that I am very glad to see. Comic book movies are becoming more than just cheesy fun. They are much more deeper and complex than that. Watchmen is an awesome movie, so many layers and themes, that one cannot watch this as mere entertainment, but must open their minds to actually think what is being put forward. If you want easy comic book fun, go watch Punisher Warzone I suppose. I love Watchmen just fine.
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| | Posted 3/28/2009 11:48 PM - 9 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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