The All-Purpose Watchmen Thread *SPOILERS*

[Thatz]

TOO faithful? That's the stupidest fucking critique ever.

Not really. Film and comics are two different mediums, what works well in one doesn't necessarily work well in the other.

[tristy]

Alot of the things in the movie were changed to simplify it, dumb it down or just plain cut down the running time. The conversation on Mars wasn't as long as it was in the book and Manhattan just comes out and says that the Comedian was Laurie's father (running time/simplify), Rorschach gets his costume and mask back from the psychologist instead of getting a spare costume like in the book (running time), etc. Just little things, really, that I noticed. I read the book atleast 3 times in the past few months, so I was noticing alot of things, but the attention to detail is amazing. When Adrian was watching all the TVs at once, I was probably the only one that noticed in the far right hand side on a monitor was the "Where's the Beef?!" commerical from the 80s.

I didn't like the ending at first, to be completely honest. But, I didn't really like the ending in the book either. The giant squid was never going to work for American audiences, but I think the way they manuevered this original ending into the story worked pretty well. It gives a legitimate reason for Manhattan to leave Earth and create his own human life, and they tied it all back together in a full circle by showing his freak out at the Face to Face program and kinda used it as proof that he held ill will towards all of us. I like it now.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Tristof

[the machine]

Dan = Nite Owl

= man who fucked Kate Winslet in Little Children

No...

Rorschach is the one who fucked Kate Winslet in Little Children.

Nite Owl was tortured by Ellen Page in Hard Candy. Get it straight!

[DFF]

I freaking loved the film. They all captured the characters spot on. I was never bored, and thought the film was perfectly lengthed. Hell, I'm looking forward to the director's cut which will apparently make the film over 3hrs long.

The guy who played Rorschach (my favourite comic book character of all time) was perfect.

Nite Owl II was very good. Silk Spectre II wasn't bad (I cared more for her and Manhatten in the film than I did in the book).

Ozymandias was slightly too Hollywood villainy. In the comic he's ever so slightly more 'grey area' than in the film.

There were many, many excellently realised scenes. Anything with Rorschach in was gold. Though one of my absolute favourite scenes was where Dr. Manhatten explained how he lives his life as a constant - viewing the past, present and future simultaneously. I thought it did really well to get across why he wouldn't care much for 'life' when he was in fact so much more.

Some great lines in there too:

"You don't seem to get it. I'm not locked in here with you - you're locked in here with me!"

[NobBe Nobbs]

Four words:

I can die happy.

[Kyle_]

I wasn't expecting all the gore, sex, and Manhattan's flaccid penis constantly on the screen (), but overall a very good movie. I think they could have made this into 2 or even 3 movies with some more stuff thrown in and made a lot more money, but I understand why they did it this way.

[zero]

I think they could have made this into 2 or even 3 movies with some more stuff thrown in and made a lot more money, but I understand why they did it this way.

Hence the two direct-to-DVD animated features, the re-issue of the graphic novel, the merchandising, etc.

[Captain Eo]

I think the reason this was kept one film instead of a 3 part series was because after viewing film number one most people would have been turned off by the amount of gore. I know it's rated R, but a lot of idiot parents don't do research and just assume superhero film equals fun for tots. There was a family behind us that screamed WHAT!? when The Comedian did his deed.

[SeanDMan]

"Hey look! That guy has a cape! Honey, get the kids, there's a new superhero movie in theatres!"

[Jimmy]

It's an 18 in the UK, which I can tell you, is just shit. I mean, I understand why, but I haven't looked forward to a film this much since The Dark Knight. I loved the graphic novel, my parents have no problem taking my whatsoever, it's just an 18. Doesn't an R Rating tranfer to a 15, anyway?

[MalaCloudy Black]

18 sounds closer to an R rating, R = no one under 17 without parents or an adult 21 or older. It's rarely even adhered to most of the time though.

[marksbros6]

There was a family behind us that screamed WHAT!? when The Comedian did his deed.

Lol at that! Do some research Mums and Dads!

Anyway I thought it was fantastically realised. I think the ending was well thought out, it replaced the 'tentacled alien menace' with fear of another otherworldly force that united the warring nations. And we still got 'I put my plan into action 30 minuted ago', one of the best lines from the book IMO.

I liked the graphic fight scenes. Especially when Owl and Spectre get caught by the gang in their civvies, and dismantle them. That was very realistic, and how any trained fighter would respond to that situation, disabling and injuring anything that came towards them, putting them out of the fight.

By contrast it did get a bit flashier when they put their costumes on, but some good fight scenes throughout.

One area I didn't give much thought to prior to watching it was the music. I did like the soundtrack, 'Ride of the Valkries' when Dr Manhattan is dismantling Viet Cong was a nice touch, '99 Red Ballons' anchored the film in the 80's quite nicely for me and any film that shoehorns 'All Along the Watchtower' into it gets a thumbs-up in my book.

Gonna find an excuse for a second viewing I think.

Oh and my Bro read a description of Dr Manhattan in Total Film I think it was as a 'Willy-Waving Super-Hero.' And was using it as much as he could when describing the film. He suggested a drinking game when it comes out on DVD, whenever the big blue helmet is on screen you take a shot!

[Kwanzabot]

18 sounds closer to an R rating, R = no one under 17 without parents or an adult 21 or older. It's rarely even adhered to most of the time though.

Yeah but the difference there is that if I went with my dad, I still wouldn't be able to get in because I'm a year shy of 18.

[zero]

Yeah, "18" is closer to our rarely used NC-17 rating where no one 17 and under is allowed in the theater, regardless of if a parent is with them.

Edited March 7, 2009 by Zero

[Jimmy]

Yeah, I was confident that Watchmen would be a 15 at the most, which worked nicely for me as I turned 15 a few months ago. Yet, it's an 18. I guess I'll just have to wait for the DVD. But it was film that I really think would be made all the better by being in the cinema.

[DMN in the House]

I guess I'm the odd man out here, then. I was disappointed. I couldn't even tell you why, it was a good movie, maybe even a great movie, there were characters that were spot on, including Rorschach, who is probably the most important to get perfect, and, yet, it left me flat.

Fuck if I could tell you why, though. Just... disappointed.

Rorschach was perfect, though. I can't stress that enough. Oh, and I've seen enough blue penis to fill my quota for the rest of my life. The opening with the action shots leading into the pictures was great, now if I could just remember the lesbian chicks name

[zero]

Yeah, Jackie Earl Haley was phenomenal. If they have to reboot the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, I really hope they go with him as Krueger.

[Captain Eo]

I kinda feel the same way. You're sitting in the theater watching this film knowing it' probably one of the best works of it's kinds in history. The characters are gripping, their flaws are so realistic that you finally for once see a superhero whose alterego is actually an alterego and not just the hero without his mask on. That's my problem with Batman, Superman,and the rest of the "typical superheroes." They're always the same character, with or without the mask.

[DMN in the House]

Thats kinda the point with Batman and Superman, though. Batman is the man, Bruce Wayne is the mask, and Superman is Superman, he can't be anything but, even as Clark Kent, because he's not human, and never really can be. I think you just about picked the two worst people to make your point.

Oh, and I have to say it. Dark Knight was superior to Watchmen, and I WANTED to like Watchmen more.

[zero]

Well, if Dark Knight is going to be the standard we hold all comic book movies to from now on, I suspect many disappointments.