Captain Zero (Watchmen)
Watchmen
Directed by Zack Snyder
Screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse
Based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
It was more than twenty years in the making and I can’t think of a more anticipated comic movie adaptation, ever. It had been discussed, optioned, and re-casted so many times it might have never come out. Enter Zack Snyder to the rescue and there most of us were waiting on line hundreds of people long to catch opening night of Watchmen in all of its three-hour glory. I got to the somewhat local Imax theater 2 hours before the 10 pm show and was about the 200th person on line, so now the question becomes: was it worth the wait? Will the millions and millions of uber-geeks make the movie a success, or will the hype over the changed ending sink it out of the gate? Let’s break it down….
For those of you unfortunate enough to have not read Alan Moore’s best work, Watchmen is the story of an America where a costumed vigilante fad in the forties led to the formation of a group of whack-jobs in costumes called The Minutemen. This cast of characters fought crime and made public appearances right up until the country moved on to the next fad, and the heroes moved on to making a living off their exploits. At least, until the accidental creation of Dr. Manhattan, a true super-powered hero. This giant bald smurf joins with a crew of second-generation heroes in a new era of civil unrest and change through the 60’s, up until a law is passed in 1977—outlawing the mask vigilante. If this all sounds like I’ve giving away spoilers, don’t worry. This is all glossed-over in the opening credits— set to Dylan’s Times They Are a’Changin’. This is a truly awesome opening sequence that fits the characters right into history. Unfortunately, if you didn’t read the comic you might get a little lost if you don’t pay close attention. This will lead into the death of a hero and the search for the killer. Okay folks, that’s all the back-story I’m giving you so remember it.
Director Zack Snyder took the story and made a 4-hour movie that you won’t see till the DVD. Instead we get a studio chopped down 2 hour 49 minute release that hits the high points but leaves out a fair amount of character motivation. I don’t blame Snyder or even the studio for this. A lot for the material would just be too slow paced for a movie audience. Its all well and good to sit though 3 hours of suspenseful build-up, but to add another hour of talking about what the 40’s heroes were thinking is best saved for when you can read a little at a time. The plot remains intact for the most part and that’s what’s important. The search by the vigilante Rorschach for the murderer and the uncovering of a conspiracy all play out in the best way you can expect from the big screen.
Here’s the thing about the ending: if you read the web sites I’m sure there’s uproar from the purist but I’m going on record right now by saying SNYDER IMPROVED ON THE ORIGINAL. Blasphemy you say? When you compare the original ending to the new one you’ll see the new one makes far more sense. The original never really addresses what to do about a godlike superhero living on Earth and constantly weighing on everyone’s minds. Moore talks about Manhattan’s influence on the political climate of the world but then leaves it as an open-ended question. The movie closes that loophole nicely. A solid 4 out of 4 for the plot, even though the fan boys probably won’t agree. I’ll say it again; Moore is a great idea man but somewhat sloppy with the wrap up.
Casting a bunch of marginally famous actors worked like magic. All through development there were rumors of people like Jude law being involved and I’m glad the biggest name on the roster was Billy Crudup. He plays Dr Manhattan so well you can almost forget him screaming, “I am a golden god!” in Almost Famous. The return of the original Bad News Bear Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach couldn’t be better. Malin Ackerman as the Silk Spectre II is spot on. Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian round out the most inspired cast I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what scouting report they used to pick this crew but its solid gold. Morgan IS the comedian. Half of this crew I had never even heard of and bringing in a guy who hasn’t been big since he was a kid actor (Haley) is just mind-boggling. Apologies to Haley on that but really guy you’ve been in the background since the 70’s. I guess we all misread his talent level. Another 4 out of 4 for acting. I know there’s a lot of characters I didn’t mention but they were all at least competent if not outright great.
Cinematography gets a ‘4’ as they truly created an 80’s New York with the alternate future of the book. They even incorporated the color scheme. They built on the fight scenes from the book and expanded them in quite a brutal fashion. Was this a concession to the studio for the non-fans? There’s far more gore and bone breaking than the book which may not be a bad thing but kinda surprising. The scenes also included some extremely similar fight choreography from Snyder’s 300 movie. Again, not a really bad thing but can sometimes look a little silly in the stop motion. Enough with the slow motion fight scenes guys, we get it. A ‘3.75’ for the fights.
So the end result of all this is the best possible movie adaptation of one of the greatest comics of all time. I know, I know things were left out, the ending is different, and the montage beginning speeds through a lot of history, but I truly believe it couldn’t have been done any other way. I’ll give this a ‘3.95’ with the only minus being for fight choreography. Also on a side note, there’s no category for this but the soundtrack is one of the top ten of all time. It covers all the decades from the story and is worth buying on its own. It really sets the mood and I can’t wait to see this movie again. This will go down as a landmark must-see flick. Don’t miss this one true believers….
Review by Captain Zero