Watchmen was ok
Maybe I’m too close. While watching this movie a part of me was upset anytime a favorite line or moment was NOT in the movie, and then often I felt the movie made mistakes my being so slavish to the comic. Quite a contradiction.
But now that I am 24 hours removed from the film I think I didn’t like. Mildly. It’s ok. It’s not bad. But it’s not even one of my top 5 movies, and that is sad considering it is one of (if not THE) best comic book stories ever.
I think what it boils down to is that Zach Snyder (the director) made the same mistake that all comic book publishers made after Watchmen came out. They mistook sex and violence for adult themes. Yes - Watchmen has violence. Yes Watchmen has sex. But that wasn’t what made it an adult story.
In this movie there are bones bursting out of arms, ceilings coated in guts, and a sex scene by way of soft-core porn. It all smacked of the film trying to say “isn’t this shocking in a super hero movie?” and while it might be - I think it hurts the smarter message that is behind the violence.
I though Rorshach and Nite Owl were pretty well done. I thought everyone else wasn’t done that well. I respected that the movie left in all the big possibly shocking moments. Rape. Impotence. Murder of a pregnant woman. Insanity. All in there.
But still, I look at it and realize this movie matches moments, but not the TONE of the story. Its gets some things right. Very right. But a lot more it misses (and only by a hair).
Still, sadly, when its all said and done, I didn’t like. But it was a close attempt to adapt a comic that seems VERY hard to adapt. Closer then I would have imagined even a few years ago.
I’d rather just rewatch Dark Knight.
Mar.08.2009 :: Tags: comic books, Movies :: 1 Comment »



