Year: 2009

Director: Zack Snyder

it seems like the place to start any discussion of Watchmen is to say whether or not you have read the graphic novel on which it is based. i have not. i know of it, but that is it. i have never read it, nor was i familiar with any of the characters/super heroes prior to seeing the film (although i did talk to some of my comic book nerd friends after seeing the film to ask them how the movie is similar, and not, to the original story... for those of you that don't know, i was told it is quite different.) anyway, on to the movie...

i was really looking forward to this film and after about 10-20 minutes in i was even more excited. the beginning of this movie is awesome. the opening scene is a visually stylized fight scene that gets things going right and then we move into the opening credits, which i have to say is one of the best opening credit sequences i have EVER seen. with bob dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changing" playing we get a good five minute or so opening credit sequence that takes us through a history of the watchmen and provides us with some basic info on who they are, and the historical and societal times in which they evolved and prospered and lost the faith and trust of the citizenry. unfortunately, it is all downhill from there.

sure the entire film looks great and plays with a visual style, but to be completely honest, the movie is long and kind of boring.

there are glimpses of a deep and intelligent story with large ideas and political and social commentary, but they fall to the wayside as the film drags along with its often corny and melodramatic dialogue and characters that we only get to know superficially, and don't really care that much about. the movie also feels like it gives in to basic expectations and turns into a generic superhero/action film, making all those interesting and intelligent glimpses seem even a little out of place.

i will say that the end, while very different from the graphic novel (so i have been told), was pretty good. the little twist on the whole good guy/villain thing and the idea of doing something bad for the greater good, were surprising and got me perked up a little. but the 2-2.5 hours it took us to get there were overall, not that interesting.

alan moore, who wrote the graphic novel, took his name off the project cause he knew there was no way they could transform his complex story into a movie, and unfortunately, he was quite right.