3 posts tagged “watchmen”

Copy of SecondWatchmenteaser

I've decided to give this review a couple days to let myself think about the movie. I saw the film on Friday, but I needed to get my thoughts in order. And I have decided I am totally bipolar about this movie.

As a comic fan, how can I not be impressed by the faithfulness of the film? Yet, as a movie fan, I found it lacking. It's a movie that what it got right, it got so perfectly right, that I can never hate it. But it's flaws are so damning that I can't love it.

Let's start with the good. The movie is not 100% faithful to the book. There's stuff added, stuff left out, and things changed. But this is as close to an exact copy we are going to get outside of the motion comic. Lines of dialog are taken directly from Alan Moore script, and scenes look like they stepped out of Dave Gibbons artwork.

You can see love and care in these moments. They almost glorify the original work, and the film does well capturing the mood of the graphic novel at these times.

The acting, with one major exception, is amazing, especially Jackie Earle Haley. He does an excellent job acting, both inside and out of the mask. He captures Rorschach perfectly.

Also great are Billy Crudup and Patrick Wilson as Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan and Dan Dreiberg respectively. They have a tough job, as they are the most subdued roles in the film, but they bring humanity and consistency to the portrayals. They might not get as much attention as the showier parts, but the excelled in what they did.

It should come as a surprise to no one that the ending was changed. However, and I might be going out on a limb here, I think the film ending works better than the comic version. It's the same style of Deus Ex Machina, but it makes more sense from a plot perspective. It is more tied into the narrative and makes more sense. The only qualm I have in it is who they use as a scapegoat, but even that makes a certain amount of sense.

Of course, since the ending is changed,, there needed to be scenes added to set up this new ending. This is where my criticisms come in. While they took such great care in transferring Moore's words to the screen, they didn't take as much care in making sure the new scenes matched in style, tone or timbre. The result is a jarring break from the action, it's like someone putting product placement in Hamlet.

HAMLET: Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He...

HORATIO: Yo, Hamslice, you gonna be long? I gots me a hankerin to make a run for the border!

HAMLET: Yo quiero Taco Bell?

HORATIO: Yo definitely quiero Taco Bell. You up for it?

HAMLET: Mos def!

Cut to interior if the Elsinore Taco Bell.

HAMLET: These Cheesy Gorditas are off the hook!. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, Yorick. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times...

The only way they could have made the fact it was added more glaringly obvious is if they used a siren and a red flashing light to alert us.

But the difference in tone isn't the only thing that is jarring. You can see the hands of studio executives. who, after reading the graphic novel, were disappointed in the minimal level of sex and violence. They got  a hold of Snyder and made him amp both up.

The result is what was a scuffle in the book became an all-out fight scene in the movie. And what was a fight scene became a festival of bloody, slow motion bone-breaking where even the non-powered cast members had the ability to atomize bricks by just punching them.

And the gore quotient is raised considerably. This is not a film for the squemish. Dr. Manhattan, who's comic book move was exploding people's heads, just wasn't gross enough, I guess. Now he explodes the entire body, leaving the people next to the victim, and the walls, and the ceiling, covered in blood and offal.

And then there's the sex scene, where the movie exchanges reels with its soft core porn ripoff, "Crotchmen". The scene goes on too long, and is an uncomfortably awkward break in the narrative. I'm no prude, but the scene just didn't work from a character perspective. And a note to Snyder, the scene in the comic when the couple accidentally hits the flame thrower is meant to be a metaphor for the orgasm. It becomes pointless when you show Malik Ackerman going through the throws of the orgasm right before it.

These breaks make the Watchmen, purely as a film, kind of bad. Add to that the only back story Ozymandias gets is a 20 minute monologue (which, we all know, if exposition or a character motivation is delivered in a 20 minute monologue, that's bad writing) and that Malin Ackerman is woefully miscast and completely one note throughout the movie (meaning her acting stays the same whether she is angry, sad, happy, flirtatious, or bored), and you have some seriously negative strikes against it as a movie.

But the good part were so good, it acted as a balance to the bad. It could have been much better, great even, but as it is, it is only good--and lucky to be considered that.

Ombudsman,-header

Another collection of random news stories from around the web.

• New Guiding Lines Column up: This week, I cover Logan #1, The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1, Justice League: The New Frontier Special, Dead Space #1, DC Special: Raven #1, New Dynamix #1, Cable #1, and All-New Atom #21. Check it out.
• First Watchmen publicity photos released: The internet reaction has been mockery with faint praise, mockery, quasi-mockery, and generally positive reaction. My two cents: Did they really need to change Nite-Owl's and Ozymandeus' outfits that much? I thought that they could be translated to film pretty much the way they are. (For a side by side comparison, click here.) Maybe they are saving some money by recycling some old Batman suits from the first four movies. And, really Warners, nipples? Really? Hire someone to read the Internet, would you? People are still mocking Shumacher's addition of those to the Bat uniform and it happened over a decade ago.
• Patrick Swayze diagnosed with pancreatic cancer: The odds aren't good, but I wish him the best. If it wasn't for him, Roadhouse would just be a bad movie, and not campy fun.
• Latest Buffy issue causes a stir:  Covered by the New York Times no less! Also by ABC News, who calls Buffy's female on female fling with another Slayer a "marketing ploy". I am so happy that comics have grown to such a level that they can actually have marketing ploys.

I got this from Rotten Tomatoes, but the list has been around:

Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jeremy Irons...Is This the "Watchmen" Cast List? Posted by Scott Weinberg on Thursday, Jun. 28, 2007, 09:00 AM Scott Weinberg writes: "As we wait and wonder about what Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" will end up like, we have a big juicy casting report to share. It might not be 100% finished just yet, but it's still fun to look through anyway. According to Film ick, here's what one scooper is calling the "Watchmen" cast. Some (or all) of the names are subject to change, but someone sure seems to think this is the real deal: Kate Winslet as Silk Spectre Patrick Wilson as Night Owl Jason Patric as Dr. Manhattan Jude Law as Ozymandias Thomas Jane as The Comedian Jeremy Irons as Moloch Virginia Madsen as Sally Jupiter Jonah Hill as Seymour Henry Gibson as Mr. Figure William Fichtner as Detective Fine Noah Emmerich as Captain Metropolis Gretchen Mol as Janey Slater Additionally, IGN Movies mentions that Jackie Earle Haley might be playing the character of "Rorschach." That'd be three "Little Children" alumni in "Watchmen." Someone please find a spot for Jennifer Connelly too! So what say the Alan Moore fans? Does this sound like a serviceable cast list? I haven't read the book, but there's a lot of cool actors on that list... Source: Film ick, IGN Movies"

What do I think of the list? Well, the last time I tried to cast the Watchmen movie was back when I was 13 in a letter to Amazing Heroes magazine and they laughed me off the page. Of course, I did suggest Kelly LeBrock as Silk Spectre, so they were not totally out of line.

I will go through the cast list above, give my opinion on who, if anyone,  I think will do the job better. Be gentle with me.

Silk Spectre: I love Kate Winslet. Love her love her love her! And I think she could make a great Silk Spectre. That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing Winona Ryder or Angelina Jolie there either.

Nite-Owl: While Patrick Wilson might be a fine actor and flavor of the moment, John Cusack has stated in interviews that he wants in on this film. And he would make a kick ass Nite Owl. If Zach Snyder or any of the producers are reading this, (yeah right) pick Cusack over Wilson. Don't forget, Cusack just headlined a movie that almost recaptured its budget back in one week! 

Dr. Manhattan: So, is Jason Patric the go to guy for any movie Keanu passes on? Can't wait to see him in Constantine 2. I believe the convential wisdom was once to have a body builder type in the role (Arnold was bandied about in the day). If they are going this route, Patric is a fine actor. Can't really think of anyone else of the similar generation right off the bat.

Ozymandias: Jude Law supposedly has a Rorshach tattoo on his person somewhere. I think he would have made a good Rorshach. I think he could do well as Ozy too.

The Comedian: If Jane does it, and Cusack comes on board, they'll have quite the array of comic/Watchmen fans on board. Jane is a better actor than the Punisher would indicate. I also could see Viggo Mortensen, Hugh Jackman or even Bruce Willis in the role.

Moloch: Irons would be perfect for it.

Sally Jupiter: Again, Madsen is a good pick. I guess they are going with one actor to play both the current and 1940's version of the character.

Seymour: Can say I actually remember who Seymour is. I like Jonah Hill though.

Mr. Figure: Henry Gibson certainly looks the part.

Detective Fine: Fitchtner is good, I guess.But it seems like typecasting.

Captain Metropolis: I only know Emmerich from the Truman Show. He certainly looks the part.

Janey Slater: Gretchen Mol is another actress I love. She was great in the Notorious Betty Page.

Rorschach: The fact that there are three actors from "Little Children" in the proposed cast makes me believe some of these names are just rumors or wishful thinking. I'm not sold on Haley as Rorshach. I wouldn't mind seeing Eric Stoltz or even Hugh Laurie in the role.

Anybody else have comments/ideas?