Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Jackie Earl Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Billy Cudrup and Malin Akerman
Oh Watchmen, Watchmen... what will I ever do with you? After a long screening of a full 163 minutes, Alan Moore's masterpiece has been translated, finally on screen. We have finally seen the unfilmmable film. And what is the consensus? Frustratingly delighted.
While I will not go so far as to call the film a success, it is by no means a disaster either. The fact of the matter is, the film is one of highly polarizing ingredients. But one thing for sure, is that it is by no means a normal superhero movie, just as the Dark Knight was not and just as the original Graphic Novel was not.
Fanboys may be a bit warmer to the film than anyone who had not read it before. It's clear, since in the cinema I watched it in, most of the people stood up to leave before the credits even rolled. It's not an indication of a bad film, it's simply an indication of wrong expectations. Do not come in expecting an action-packed (though it does have its fair shair of guns and brawls). Instead, Zack Snyder follows a complex narrative that follows so fervently the panels of the graphic novel, so much to a fault. What results is an overly complex, indulgent and saturated story that manages to drag somewhat in the middle section.
This is perhaps Snyder's greatest fault, his refusal to stray from the comic page. The graphic novel was full of flashbacks and cutscenes. It had hundreds of little nuances and effects that only a graphic novel can execute, and Snyder attempts so fevershly to translate it all on screen. I can't help but feel that the movie would have fared much better had Snyder taken some artistic liberties and allowed the film to flow more naturally in a coherrent timeline. One of the greatest moments of the film was one in which Snyder took full artistic responsibilites, the opening sequence and credits, which follows a montage of gorgeus scenes depicting an America gone wrong. These scenes were absent completely from the graphic novel, but were envisioned so perfectly and exectuded so beuatifully, it makes for one of the best opening scenes in quite a while. I can't help but imagine just how better a film Watchmen would be had Snyder employed the same bravado in the latter areas.
I don't care too much also for some of the music chosen for the film. Zack Snyder seems to have put together a variety of old songs that range from brilliantly fitting to simply awkward. This showed even in the trailers in which the first featured a spine-chilling rendition of Smashing Pumpkins' "The End is the Beginning of the End" while the second trailer simply seemed poorly placed to the tune.
Then there's the actors, some of which are terribly miscart. Adrian Veidt, the world's smartest man, is now also the most cynical. A far cry from the gentle, peace-loving philosopher of the novel. Akerman certainly plays well the role of on-screen whore, and while her sexuality is evident, her acting still leaves much to be desired.
Still, some give an admirable performance, from an sad, sexually insecure Wilson as Niteowl to a tragic yet hate-filled turn from Morgan as the Comedian. Yet it is Haley as Rorsharch that steals the show. He is essentially to this movie what Joker was to The Dark Knight, a driving force of the narrative, a scene chewer and the backbone of the haunting message Watchmen delivers in a tour-de-force of depressing emotions. He ranges from frightening, a psycopathic vigilante and is basicall Batman gone wrong. Yet he can turn from lunatic to a broken soul in an instant, and his scenes are definitely among the most powerful moments of the film.
Then there's the story, driven together by Snyder's trademark visuals that are visually striking and haunting. While in its essence, the film lacks much of the punch of the graphic novel, aesthetically it is a beautifully engineered carbon copy. And that is a very good thing.
Still, when it comes to the story, it lacks, as I said, much of the punch. Perhaps its due to the flawed narrative, or the changed ending, or simply the acting of some of the characters, but in the end, Watchmen comes across as an indulgent film on the verge of fanaticism in terms of its fathfulness to the source material. If ever there was the case of a film being TOO faithful to its source, its Watchmen, because in the transition, it loses much of the subtler emotions the spring across, and the final, dark message in the climatic finale is much blunted. Make no mistake, it was a powerful experience, and my body was numb in what was perhaps the film's greatest moment. But even as I sat in awe at the finale, I can't help but feel that it lacked a certain key ingredient, and it was only later that I discovered what it was: meaning. The film attempts to be so much more than what it is, and instead falls so much shorter.
In the end, Watchmen is by no means a disaster. In fact, I'm pretty sure I loved it. But it is not the ultimate Watchmen film we have been waiting for, though its a pretty damn good effort. It would have been a great film had it not been hampered down by such prominent flaws. Still, I have to give props to Zack Snyder. He may have been erratic and fanatic in his execution, which led both the film's greath highlights and shortcomings, but at the very least his ambitious undertaking and rigorous faith in the source material is highly admirable. And in that case, this what the end result is: a highly admirable film that falls short but delivers just enough great moments that it wants to make me watch it again and again just for the experience.
7.5 out of 10
By the way, recently released are THREE brand new spanking trailers! Harry Potter 6, Up and Star Trek! Give em all a looksie!
Harry Potter 6
Up
Star Trek
