Who Watches the Watchmen? (New Movie Thread)

[BWPS]

Oh, yeah. The trailers are so stupid, so many scenes from the end of the story. I guess they wanted the effects-heavy stuff in the trailer, but they basically spoiled the ending (including the big part they changed). I hate trailers as much as I love them.

[zuludelta]

I hate trailers as much as I love them.

The thing I like about all the comprehensive trailers they make these days is that sometimes, they're a good enough substitute for the actual movie. Most recent comedies feature their best joke(s) in the trailer, so I don't really have to waste my money on a movie ticket and wade through an hour-and-a-half of filler just to get to the actual funny stuff.   

[Uncle Yuan]

I hate trailers as much as I love them.

The thing I like about all the comprehensive trailers they make these days is that sometimes, they're a good enough substitute for the actual movie. Most recent comedies feature their best joke(s) in the trailer, so I don't really have to waste my money on a movie ticket and wade through an hour-and-a-half of filler just to get to the actual funny stuff.   

Reminds me of a recent Onion video story about how, based on the success of the movie trailers, they decided to make a feature length Iron Man movie . . .

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/wildly_popular_iron_man_trailer

[TheMarvell]

finally finished reading the book, and now I can't wait to see the movie. Only a couple more weeks! 

[El Condor]

From Wil Wheaton's (yes, THAT Wil Wheaton) blog. He got to see an advance screening and looooooved it. *Warning* Wil uses some pretty salty language, and does run on a bit. But the praise is quite encouraging, indeed.

[Zippo]

Well, I just scored a ticket to an advanced screening on the 5th, so you guys can expect to see my reaction that evening.

[TheMarvell]

so far, the movie is getting pretty good pre-reviews at Rottentomatoes, currently around 75% or so.

[konbiz]

I bought 50 tickets to take students for free at my university for opening night. I'm really excited.

[Mr. Hamrick]

Heading out this afternoon to go see WATCHMEN at a press screening with comic artist Steve Scott. 

I will not be giving any reviews till Thursday morning 7:30 AM on the radio at the earlier.

[Cyber Burn]

   I am soo looking forward to this, and yes, my inner geek IS showing. (At least, that's what my wife keeps saying)

[BWPS]

I just found out that Snake wrote the script. Awesome. He writes good scripts.

[Panther_Gunn]

I just found out that Snake wrote the script. Awesome. He writes good scripts.

Snake Pliskin?  I heard he was dead.

[BWPS]

I just found out that Snake wrote the script. Awesome. He writes good scripts.

Snake Pliskin?  I heard he was dead.

No,  SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKE! ...David Hayter. He wrote the first two X-Mens and plays Snake on MGS.

[Uncle Yuan]

Don't go in there, Snake.  It's a bad place!  Snake!

[Jakew]

Just watched it ... from the perspective of someone who read the comic beforehand, it was disappointing. I'd rather more of the dialogue been intact rather than adding graphic gore, kung-fu fight scenes, and swearing. I mean the scene where

Spoiler

Laurie and Dan literally KILL the gang in the alley? Rorchach graphically hacking the head of the leering kidnapper with a meat cleaver? Dr Manhattan turning guys into bloody gibbets hanging from the ceiling of the night-club? WTF?

Plus, from the perspective of someone who hadn't read the comic, i would have had no idea where

Spoiler

Bubastis (the giant lynx) and the Frontiersman newspaper

came from, as there was zero explanation for either, although I'm sure it'll be on the DVD.

The ending didn't have the impact that it should have.

Some of the acting was also quite misjudged, particularly Silk Spectre 1 & 2, and Ozymandias.

Dr Manhattan, Comedian and Rorscharch were great, though, as were some of the directorial flourishes.

So yeah, not sure how to judge this one. I'd like to hear the opinion of someone else who hadn't read the comic (the person I went with just dubbed the movie "weird" and a bit hard to follow).

[lgmss]

They didn't say much about Bubastis in the comic either besides that Ozymandias created it. The Frontiersman newspaper however is a newpaper that Rorscharch reads, throughout the comic.

[Figure Fan]

Rodger Ebert gave this a 4-star review

I guess you just have to be good at separating the two mediums. I have no problem with this task. If they want to keep a lot of the dialogue, fine. If not, fine. I am concerned about the gore, however. Then again, Watchmen had quite a bit of blood and guts, but it was easy to look at when it was borderline magenta on the page. *shrugs*

[lugaru]

Ebert is a closet geek (read his original X-Men review) who is really good at not judging every single movie like it is nominated for best drama. Usually if it entertains him, or if he realizes it is a good entry into it's genre, he will give it some love.

[Jakew]

They didn't say much about Bubastis in the comic either besides that Ozymandias created it. The Frontiersman newspaper however is a newpaper that Rorscharch reads, throughout the comic.

The comic explained that Bubastis was the result of genetic engineering, which tied into

Spoiler

the creation of the giant alien.

In the film, Bubastis just appears out of nowhere towards the end ... a non-comic reader would be like "errrr, where did this weird-looking giant grey tiger thing with huge ears come from all of a sudden???"

The Frontiersman newspaper wasn't seen in the movie until Rorscharch dropped his diary into their door slot. Even then, it would have been unclear to someone who hadn't read the comic as to what was happening, as you just see the diary slipping through a door into a huge pile of mail.

The gore and violence in the movie is faaaaaar greater than the comic.

[Zippo]

Well, I just got back from the movie, and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. The soundtrack, if nothing else, was just great. The actors were spot on for the roles, IMO, and they really had a great voice for Dr. Manhattan.

As far as changes go:

Spoiler

• Yes, they were put on a team named the Watchmen, but the original team is still called the Minutemen, and the "Watchmen" name is mentioned only briefly in passing and is barely noticable at all.
• The change in the ending, in which they framed Dr. Manhattan for the destruction of New York rather than squid aliens, was pretty well done. After watching it I totally understand why they did it because, not only is it a little easier for audiences to accept than genetically engineered squid monsters that aren't mentioned at all until the end, but it gives everyone more of a reason to not just rely on Dr. Manhattan to fix all their problems and solidifies the need for the nations to come together in peace. So, while I must admit I have a soft spot for squid aliens, I was perfectly happy with the new ending.

Really, the only problem I had with the movie at all was the cheesy "NOOOOOOOO!" by Night Owl near the end. I hate it when people do that...

As a note, I've read the graphic novel, and have been a fan of it since before this movie was announced. Haha, not to be all "I liked it before it was cool" or anything, but just to give you guys a perspective of where I'm coming from in my opinions of the film.

[GogglesPizanno]

So i read the graphic novel years ago when it was still a maxi-series or whatever they dubbed it. I remember a lot of it, but Im not up on the inner workings and intricacies of the story like some are. That said. I think they did a good job of translating a fairly dense story to a film. Yes some changes were made, but for the most part, I think they were reasonable in transitioning between mediums. However my problem with it is that I just dont know if it really works as a film near as well as a printed story. The whole thing just felt very sterile and detached. The actors were good, the sets were fantastic, the FX were mostly really good. But something about it just felt unemotional.

I went with some friends who had no clue about the story, and up until about half way they were liking it, but by the end they thought it lost its oomph and just started getting bogged down on itself. Plus they thought the ending for what it was was terribly underwhelming especially given the build up.

So i think if you like the comic, you will more or less like the movie to some degree... how much will vary, but its not like they totally ruined the source material -- its fairly faithful. If you don't know the comic, I think its going to be a bit of an uphill battle... especially given that its being marketed as a comic book super hero movie and the running time is almost 3 hours. Some of the non-comic people in the audience at my show were visibly bored by the time it ended.

[BWPS]

  FAIL.
Why was the movie three hours long? Why should any movie be three hours long, but especially why this one? They wanted to make the movie almost exactly like the book only to change the ending? I hated it. The book was too full of stuff to have it all make it into the movie, but the squid wasn't one of the ones to be excluded.
I can enjoy movies that are different from the book, but not ones that rely on the book only to change things up at the end. As a movie that I can't judge because I knew everything that was going to happen, I think it had the gore, the effects, the setting and lighting, and Rorschach going for it and not much else.
I accidentally wore my Wal-Mart associate of the month shirt without realizing what Wal-Mart's logo was until after the movie started. I laughed.

[stumpy]

I liked it. I really thought it was very good, both as an adaptation of the graphic novel and as a movie on its own merits.

Spoiler

I still think the comics were better, largely because there are some things that got a bit more detail (e.g. like Rorschach's interaction with his prison therapist) that I missed a bit in the movie. But, I really have to say that some "changes" in the movie really worked much better in that format than the comic version would have. For instance, the change where Doc Manhattan became the public bogeyman instead of the psychic explosion squid was a much better choice for film and, arguably, would have worked just as well in the comics, though it would have undermined the motivation for the pirate B story. And, even the parts that I didn't like in the comic (DM's silly revelation about a thermodynamic miracle) at least weren't any worse in the movie.

I'm not saying it was perfect, but it was pretty darned good. To my thinking, it captured most all of the important story points in the comic, it didn't really oversimplify any major character in a way that bothered me. There was hope and disillusionment and then hope again. Rorschach still felt like Rorschach to me. Doc M's growing separation from humanity was believable (though the movie never made clear the government's role in encouraging his relationship with Laurie). There was a reality to the passivity and lack of purpose that Owlman experienced. Conversely, I thought Rorschach's semi-psychotic passion and sense of integrity came through (and I really appreciate that in a movie, where it is tempting to make that sort of a character either a complete psycho or a cool "bad boy" type). I even think I understood Sally Jupiter's forgiveness of Blake better than I did from the comic, although most of that may be that I was a teenager when I first read it and didn't understand the need to emotionally put to rest some of life's injustices in order to enjoy life's gifts. Even the Comedian came across as a character with some nuance, when it might have been easy to portray him as an unsubtle bad guy.

Of course, I really can't say if what I took away from the movie is anything like what someone who hadn't read the comic would have taken away from it. But, I liked it. And, for good or ill, I like Snyder's action sequences and stylized combat. I will likely buy the DVD when it comes out.

[TheMarvell]

I just went to the movie tonight. And from someone who just read the graphic novel not even a month ago, in a word, the movie was...ugh.

Disappointing overall, while bits and pieces were really good. But ultimately (and I'll probably be in the minority here, but so be it) I found the movie to be a victim of its own fans and cult following.

Spoiler

Let's face it: this movie had a LOT of pressure on it's shoulders from its rabid fan base. Anything remotely different from the novel implemented into the movie and fans would tear it to shreds. Just look at the squid fiasco. If anyone actually thinks a general audience would swallow a giant alien squid, they're nuts. The altered ending is ultimately a better one for a film, but that's not the problem with this movie. Not by a long shot.

I feel that the problem with this movie is that it follows its source material almost exactly. It's great that Snyder sticks so closely to it, but so much so that it makes for a drawn out and drab movie? This is proof that you can't just recreate scenes from a comic and expect it to be a great movie. The monologues in particular are a dead give away here. Dr. Manhattan's thoughts on his past were interesting in the book, but were one of the most boring parts of the movie. All in all, the movie just flatout didn't flow right, and the character development was almost completely gone. I'm sorry, I'm actually pretty surprised at how good of reviews this is getting, both professionally and even here from long time fans.

Rorschach is far and away the best thing about this film. I also really liked Patrick Wilson as Night Owl. In fact, I wish the movie would have played up their angle more, because I felt the movie never really focused on anything at all as a whole.

I went with 4 others who were not familiar at all with the story: my girlfriend and 3 friends. Oddly enough, my girlfriend seemed to think it was ok, while the others flatout said they hated it. In fact, most of the theater seemed to hate it. And I can't really blame them... The first thing they asked me when the movie was over: what the hell was that horned tiger thing? Yeah, I had a hard time explaining what it was in a believable fashion. God, if you're not going to include the squid, then why the hell did they include the mutant lynx, which served absolutely no purpose other than to confuse the hell out of people? Ugh. And oh my god, they should have gotten rid of Richard Nixon. The makeup job was distractingly awful. People laughed whenever he showed up on screen. They should have just went with another president, either Reagan or someone made up.

and the soundtrack they chose, except the one during the beginning credits, were terrible choices.

I'm sorry. I did not think this was a good adaptation, guys.

[zuludelta]

I'll probably see the movie this weekend, out of curiousity more than anything else. It seems to be one of those polarizing films from the reviews I've read so far (both here and elsewehere), people either liked it or hated it, with little middle ground. 3 hours though... that's about half an hour beyond my usual sitting-in-a-cinema endurance, and seems like an awfully long time to commit to a film that I might end up hating.

[The Enigma]

I'll either love it or hate it. For a long, long time, I thought it would be the latter. However the talk of "slavishness to the point of irritation" with the source material is exactly what I want from a Watchmen adaptation (sorry, is my fanboiness showing a little?). I'm withholding judgement about the ending and, indeed, about the entire film until I see it on Monday evening. In the meantime, my copy of Watchmen is getting increasingly battered as it makes the rounds with all my friends.

[thanoson]

Hmm.... I get to see it tommorrow. I bought the book for my gf and she wants to see it for her bday. SHe's awesome. I'll give my review as well afterwards.

[bredon7777]

I'll do a more detailed post later, but I just wanted to chime in on two points:

a) That was very nearly almost the best possible movie that could've been made from the source material.  I still maintain that a 6-12 hour miniseries could be made that would surpass this, but for a movie - this was very good.  Shame that I was hoping for great, though.

b) To the Marvell- well, I guess I'm nuts.  I've certainly seen no evidence to back up your assumption.

[TheMarvell]

Spoiler

You honestly think your average movie goer would find conjuring up a giant alien squid as the finale not absolutely ridiculous?

[tommyboy]

Spoiler

You honestly think your average movie goer would find conjuring up a giant alien squid as the finale not absolutely ridiculous?

Spoiler

Godzilla, Cloverfield, Independance Day, Alien, Predator, Starship Troopers, etc etc etc etc etc.
The fact that it wasn't an actual alien in the story, but an SFX conjured up by the sorts used by film companies makes it less of a stretch than the above.
As for the credibility of the hoax; see Wells, Orson, War of the Worlds radio broadcast, or Roswell, Aliens.