First of all, my apologies if this comes off as a tad nonsensical. I just got back from the midnight premier and, excited as I am... I be needin' sleep soon. So, secondly - omfg, wasn't it just wonderful! It definitely met my expectations. If anything, it only complimented the graphic novel. The characters were spot on, the differences between film and source material were minimal, and, in the end, it was just an all-around spectacular movie. The only MAJOR change I noticed was at the end, when... Spoiler Rorschach is vaporized. I suspected they had changed something from the glimpses of extra comic pages I'd seen and rumors I had heard - I still sat up a little straighter in my seat when I realized Nite Owl was still on screen during the Dr. Manhattan/Rorschach confrontation. It always bugged me in the novel how Rorschach dies alone while Dan and Laurie are inside having sex -.-. To have Manhattan omit the truth about killing Rorschach later bugged me even more. It paralleled NY's demise a little too much for my taste. I much prefer Nite Owl being there then taking some long-deserved swings at Veidt. Blasphemous or not, I actually preferred the film's ending.
If you have not read the graphic novel's is it worth seeing?. I mean can it be confusing to someone that doesn;t know the watchmen universe. Other have said you really must have read the GN's to really understand whas goingon.. My friend saw the prem a few ays ago and said there was actually half a dozen people walk out in this (probably won free tickets and didn;t like it).;
My boyfriend hadn't read the graphic novels, and he enjoyed it. I think reading the novels helps, though. There are quite a few little blips, quick scenes, and such that are taken straight from the comic. They had meaning, but none you would catch if you hadn't done the reading. Plus, you miss out on some back story. They left in the important parts, but the origins of Rorschach's mask, and the reason he got started in the hero business were cut. They left in the most important bit (how Kovaks became Rorschach), but the chapter that covered his past is still one of my favorite comic reads.
Man, I want to see it, but I'm not 17, and its rated R. I'll have to wait 'til it's on DVD and then somehow convince my parents to let me see it, even though I know its pretty R-rated worthy. I loved the book, though.
I'm tempted to go and see it, because honestly I'm not sure what the fuss is about. It doesn't look all that good.
I haven't seen the film yet, but I would advise you to read the novel anyway because it's so GOOD. I don't know if it helps one to follow the movie, however. That was my favorite chapter too.
Yeah, the things I've seen on TV (trailors)haven't been ones that grab you and make you want to go see it. But I imagine if you have read the GN's that it would be exciting.
You know, Watchmen is the graphic-novel equivilant of Homer's the Odyssey.. mainly in length.. or so my friend continues to tell me.
I haven't seen it yet, but any good adaptation should be able to stand on its own. It should not depend on the original source material.
Shame on you! It looks amazing! And it's an 18. Which I'm not. Prepare for gratuitous swearing. ******* **** ****-ady **** **** ********* **** **** **** on a duck's **** with a ******** spatula! Ah. Thank you site AI.
It looks so-so at best. The trailers have all been a series of unconnected clips, and psuedo-smart taglines, oddly dominated by big glowing naked blue men.
Haha. Actually that makes sense. But for once, it's a serious film that I'm actually looking forwards to, and it's not a comedy.
They did Watchmen a little differently from the behind the scenes stuff I've seen. Watchmen is adored by so many people that they were extra careful. Moore has been quoted as saying something to the effect of Watchmen being inadaptable. Like some books don't translate to film and some film doesn't translate to books, he and Gibbons set out to make a story just for comics. In a sense, they succeeded. A film can't really capture all the nuances you remember, like some of the dialogue (inner and outer), the reoccurring theme of silhouettes/inkblots with Rorschach, and, perhaps most sadly (for me ), the sweetly awkward moment that was the Nite Owl/Rorschach handshake....ect. I did, however, recognize quite a few shots in the movie that were pages out of the comics. For the biggest change, the end, they even brought in Gibbons to draw them out. The movie gave me quite a bit of insight to the story that I'd never had before; for instance, I now find myself liking the Comedian just a little, and went from emotional indifference toward the Manhattan/Laurie conversation on Mars to being just blown away by it. I know I wouldn't have appreciated all the incredible detail as much if I hadn't read the graphic novels. So, unlike, a lot of comic adaptations, they didn't round things around the edges for non-readers. I'm looking at you telekinetic Gambit and laser-eyes Deadpool.
I think it got a M rating in Australia (meaning pretty much 14 or up).... darn R rating.... i heard someone mention why over here it didn;t get one ... oh well I agree, but apperently there is a lot of stuff to be shoved down a 3 hour movie (which most is not explained). I may go see this net weekend.
Soooooo it was amazing! I'm going to see it again tomorrow, lol. I really want to type up some sort of review, but I'm feeling lazy. I'll do it for my own amusement and satisfaction later. But, really, adored it. I'm proud to say it was a very good adapation, seeing as most book-to-movie adapations suck. Nothing can replace the graphic novel itself, though (goes without saying). But still, love the visuals and overall tone and feel to the movie. Love my Rorschach.
... share the Rorschach... I'm dying to see the movie again but, alas, I'm broke. That said, (and given that you're a Rorschach fan) wasn't Spoiler the new ending the best gift to Rorschach fans... ever? I never thought a big change to a classic could make me so happy yet so sad at the same time.
Oh My god. Brilliant movie. Never read the book, so i walked in knowing nothing. I walked out seeing my now favourite comic movie EVER. Spider man, superman, batman just don't compare to this world! I'm going back tomorrow as well to watch it with more people.... Im ust admit, the first half of the movie is what i loved about it. It held me to attached to it, its not funny. I somewhat figured what was about to happen a little early, but thats okay. 4 out of 5 ALSO ...Rorschach... greatest character ever.....a little chuck Norris, a LOT of Clint Eastwood!
Yeah I've seen this one now. Not a perfect film (what is?) but worth a watch (apologies) for sure. Detractions: Dr. Manhatton in general, over the top much? Reliance on less-worthy comic-book movie cliché. Plenty of 'kerpow, blammo' type fight scenes, remote evil lair etc Most charcters (Rorschach and Comedian notwithstanding) are numbingly dull A touch long, 15 mins could have been cut I'm sure Starts strongly if confusingly, and gently peters out becoming less than it could have been Gratuitious sex scene Positives: For the most part it looks amazing Credible alternate history distopia Attention to detail Good story building, provided backgrounds, developments and depths on key characters Gloriously violent (will be too much for some however) Does not require knowledge of the book (though knowledge of it will affect the watch, either positively or negatively) Gratuitous sex scene! 3/5
Saw it last night. The sex scene was horrid-- I was embarrassed for the actors. It was cheesy, unnecessary, revolting, etc. etc. etc. Sorry, but I don't recall any porn panels in the graphic novel, probably because Alan Moore was in the right when he decided showing raunchy details of the intimate acts between Dan and Laurie was, oh, I don't know, unnecessary to the story. Actually, I found every scene between Laurie and Dan cringeworthy... Jackie Earle Haley played a good Rorschach, though. I was very impressed by him, and loved all the Rorschach scenes. As for the ending, I went in knowing it wasn't going to be like that of the book, but I was still disappointed. It wasn't even the lack of the giant squid that ruined it for me; what irked me was the change in Veidt's character. I remember, at one point in the book, Veidt says something like, "Did I do the right thing?" And I think that line is very important for allowing the audience to sympathize with him, to show us that even the smartest (most perfect) human in the world can still doubt her/himself on occasion. It was difficult to sympathize with him, to believe that he actually "felt every death" or w/e the line was. I know I'm harping on the negative points, but I do acknowledge there were some good features. They kept a TON of things (not those I mentioned, I guess) close to the book--some scenes reminded me exactly of the panel drawings, for example--and I was very glad about that. Using the music of Phillip Glass for the Mars scene was awesome too. You can't go wrong using minimalist music for space shots.
The sex scene was great! I would have to go and check, but I do believe the sex scene was there and just condensed. There was several panels of implied sex before Laurie elbows the "fire button" which blatantly symbolizes climaxing. Granted there wasn't as much detail, but they couldn't very well have a freeze frame sex scene, could they? The GN was very much about shattering a lot of taboos in comics. They just put it all out there, and the sex scene was just... glorious. Well, for me - there aren't enough well-shot sex scenes in mainstream movies... plus, it was set to one of my favorite songs in the whole, wide world. That was definitely a plus. Do I need to pimp the spoiler tags? It feels like I should, just in case. Spoiler Really? The line "I did it!" stands out for me. I hated Veidt in the GN. He had this bipolar switch from smug to... mildly remorseful and back again... In the movie he's not quite as much of an ass. I think allowing Nite Owl to just beat on him at the end spoke more about his feelings than the "felt every death" line. BTW, this is all just my opinion, obviously. I have a nasty case of writer's block, so I feel compelled to immerse myself in my hobbies. Oh, and I do believe the computer program was named S.Q.U.I.D. I missed it, but know a couple of people who agreed it was there in plain site... which is pretty unimportant, of course. I just found it amusing.
It was definitely in the GN! And I loved that Moore was willing to include whatever material necessary, no matter how gritty it was. But I guess the difference I was referring to was the level of detail. I definitely don't mind seeing a few sex frames in the GN or anything (and the flamethrower was very funny, imo). I also wouldn't have minded some brief sex scene either. I suppose it's just the "slight" difference in treatment of material that irked me. Sometimes even subtle things can make you groan and roll your eyes, ya know? I just kept thinking, "Cheesy," throughout that scene. Perhaps it had to do with the length of the scene, or the looks on the actors' faces, or a combination of those and other things. I also love "Hallelujah" and found it interesting that they used the original version! Leonard Cohen's take has always sounded a bit coarser to me than Buckley's or Wainwright's covers (I wonder how many covers of this song exist besides the famous ones...). It accompanied the tone of the scene well. Overall, the soundtrack was very well done, though. Yeah, that part was the biggest clue hinting at Veidt's remorse. For some reason, I guess the statement/question coming straight from his mouth in the novel moved me more or something. And you're totally right about him being smug-- but I guess self-doubt coming from a man who is normally so arrogant can be very jarring and even heartbreaking when done well. Maybe that's why I prefer GN Veidt? I should revisit the character and reread those parts. Definitely! As fans, we are bound to react differently to these new interpretations. And making Watchmen into a movie seems incredibly difficult. I respect and appreciate the result. Snyder is a brave man. Haha. Good ol' Squidy.
