Who’s defending the Watchmen?

[Sean Novak]

Dense. That is the one common adjective heard from every reader of the Watchmen comic book series originally released in 1986. How can something so dense, descriptive, emotionally heavy and complex fit into a set of moving pictures which only lasts 2-3 hours?

Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, released over the weekend, is as good a try as we’re ever going to see.

A novel visually translates to a blank canvas in the reader’s mind. Words not only share different definitions to each individual, but how we interpret those words visually is also completely unique to each of us. Comics really aren’t much different. Make no mistake about it; even though visuals in the comic medium are laid out for us, we still interpret those images differently. Every reader plays those images in their head, putting them in motion like a film, conjuring up our own adaptation in the director’s chair of our minds.

Snyder’s Watchmen is exactly that. This is how Snyder sees the book. And I think his vision is a glorious, dark, violent, ambitious one.

As a reader, the first thing which struck me was the sheer joy of seeing the pages and characters come to life. Snyder mimicked a great majority of the panels in the book, both visually and in narrative. From the details to wide, effects shots, from small to large actions of characters - he shockingly kept more than I thought anyone would.

The opening scene in which we see the Comedian lounging around his penthouse to being brutally beaten to being tossed out his window all eerily set to the soundtrack of Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” is rough and unforgiving. Then one of the best opening title sequences I’ve ever seen follows and it drew the biggest smile across my face. The sequence introduces us to the first generation of vigilantes and their inception in the 1930’s set to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A’Changin” and was probably a bit lost on a first timer, but to readers it was heaven.

The story then commences, giving us background on each of the major characters. All have their origins, different hang-ups and reasons for dressing up in a souped up Halloween costume at night and doing what the cops can’t legally do. What I’m particularly impressed with is just how well the editors intertwined the different stories and flashbacks. The book was originally 12 separate chapters released over a year’s length, many of which had a different character as the subject in each. The film interweaves all of these chapters masterfully while making it easy for a first timer to comprehend and joyous for a reader. For instance, the Comedian’s history is covered during his funeral through memories had by those in attendance of how they knew him. His murder does start the film off, why should we care if he’s thrown 30 stories? He presents an interesting paradox and he’s played a bit more sympathetically by Jeffrey Dean Morgan than he is in the novel. Should we despise him or is it possible to see his point of view? He is written as a monster with strong convictions and no sympathy for human kind but someone who may see the bigger truth of it all, that maybe it really is all “one big joke”.

His funeral scene is carried by Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence” and its famous use in The Graduate couldn’t be more different visually than its use here, but the themes of detachment and contemplation are the same.

I’ve read many are unhappy about the music choices throughout the film, specifically the pop music. I felt they were refreshing and allowed the viewer to take a breath in all this exposition. They also served to break up the story just as the original source’s chapters did. When Laurie Jupiter (Malin Ackerman) enters a restaurant to meet Dan (Patrick Wilson) for a date, “99 Red Balloons” plays and while it’s goofy it plays up a lightness which the film very rarely showcases. Snyder’s choices here are unique, especially for a superhero film. Would you rather hear another brooding Elfman-esque Batman type score cue when Night Owl II and Rorschach are landing near the secret Antarctic enemy lair or would you rather hear Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”? You’d never hear these cues in a typical superhero film just as you’d never meet these characters in a typical comic book. Snyder is attempting to set apart Watchmen from the herd just as creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons did with the novel. Turning archetypes on their head is partially what Watchmen is about. New ideas always sound goofy at first. Next thing you know they’re changing a landscape.

Yet, I do have my problems with the film. By no means is it perfect.

The budget for the film was reportedly $120 million. I wish they'd spent a bit more on certain visual and special effects or at least used more practical effects. Particularly all the scenes on Mars and the cataclysmic conclusion in New York looked too flat and unrealistic. Somewhat of a doomsday occurs at the end of the film and we never really feel it. Apart from seeing a relatively small crowd incinerated by the blast, we see no other evidence of the destruction. And how many times do we have to put up with a large ball or blast of energy in comic adaptations? We’ve had it in so many from Spiderman 2, to Iron Man, to the recent The Day the Earth Stood Still remake. Big balls of energy are not scary and are obviously CG messes. They aren’t impressive to look at any longer and no one cares. Most of our view of this climactic event comes via a wall of television screens in a wildly austere, Egyptian influenced fortress in Antarctica. In the novel we see bodies stacked on top of each other like bails of hay. We see the streets flowing with blood. We feel the death and destruction in merely a few panels. In the film I felt as though a few blocks of abandoned buildings had been demolished, there was no human impact.

On the other hand some of the effects are incredible. Doctor Manhattan is just as effective as Gollum in the LOTR trilogy and is played with a touch more humanity by Billy Crudup. The piece de resistance is Rorschach’s mask played pitch-perfectly by Jackie Earle Haley. His ink blots move with perfect fluidity like vinegar in oil and you can not tell that they’re computer generated.

Another huge concern I had was the fighting. It was too stylish and too far-fetched for these characters. Even the film addresses that no one has true super powers besides Dr. Manhattan so why are all of them throwing each other 20 feet through the air and jumping just as high? I understand you have to sensationalize certain things for a general audience but this story deserves normal people fighting like normal people. Maybe Snyder decided that super, Matrix-type fighting would appease those coming to the film for their action fix. The only actor who should have been on a wire for this film is Billy Crudup playing Manhattan.

I also felt Rorschach’s background portion of the film was a bit rushed. This is a particularly interesting chapter of the novel and it just didn’t hit as hard in the film. I wasn’t crazy about the attempted assassination on Adrian Veidt either. I felt it was a bit too over-the-top and the action felt out of place. Speaking of Adrian (Matthew Goode) I love that Snyder decided to keep his genetically engineered lynx, Bubastis in the film. The one-of-a-kind pet is unexplained in the film but god damn it was cool to see that freakish feline on screen, even if it served no purpose.

To further address the concerns of the all important fan boys commenting all over the world, no the use of Snyder’s trademark slo-mo (or speed ramping which is its technical title) was not irritating or over-used and yes this is gory. It’s actually a strange balance which Snyder chose for the violence. Certain scenes from the novel are gorier and vice-versa, certain scenes from the film are more gratuitous.

Of course, the conclusion of Watchmen is the most discordant it becomes toward the novel. Many many readers are vehemently upset about “the change” but I just find the anger unfounded. Doctor Manhattan is alienated throughout the entire story. Society does not see him as human any longer. The U.S. government did NOT create him and the U.S. would have no problem disassociating itself with him after he “performed” such an atrocity. The end gets to the same means as the book and makes much more sense for a screenplay. The original ending would have just confused viewers more and probably lost most of the audience in an already thick storyline.

In the end Watchmen is divisive and polarizing among viewers. I plan on seeing it again, only to take it all in again. I feel like my time spent in between showings is like taking a huge gulp of air before submerging back underwater. The film has stayed with me even three days later. It may not be the film I saw in my head, but it’s nice to swim around in someone else’s for awhile. And it’s nice to see they brought a few new ideas to the table.

[Sean Novak]

Keep in mind Snyder was following some of the cues in the books when he chose the music. Many of the lyrics quoted at the end of each chapter are Dylan tunes. But I can see how the music can be viewed as off-putting.

The story does make for a better book. It is just too rich with history and characters to fit into a feature length film. Maybe two films or an HBO-type mini series would have been a better fit?

Oh God, I didn't think about possible Watchmen parodies in the "Superhero/Epic/Craptastic Movies"! As the Comedian says, "God save us all".

[SimpsnsFan]

"Would you rather hear another brooding Elfman-esque Batman type score cue when Night Owl II and Rorschach are landing near the secret Antarctic enemy lair or would you rather hear Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”?"

I'm gonna say score.

Even though it seemed like Snyder only had access to songs that didn't quite make it to the Forrest Gump soundtrack, I thought the movie was pretty fantastic. About as great and direct of an adaptation as you could possibly make, considering the "dense" source material.

Having said that, I think the story made for a better book than a movie, and you've listed enough points to back that up. I definitely enjoyed it, but if I didn't know exactly where we were in the story at all times, I probably would have thought it was overlong and confusing.

Also, anyone complaining about "the change" is an idiot. It allowed the filmmakers to tell the story exactly as it originally played out (hence, not damaging their precious source material), and even managed to tie everything back to the opening conceit of Dr. Manhattan being just as dangerous as he was helpful.

In conclusion, great flick. Now we can all hold our breath until the big blue **** returns in whatever hilarious sequel to "Superhero Movie!" those geniuses dream up next.