Movie Review: Watchmen

Over twenty years have passed since Alan Moore’s legendary comic book Watchmen first flew off the presses.  Since then, the series has come to be regarded as a milestone in the history of graphic novels.  Its effects spread across all demographics, creating as much of a stir in the comic world as it did in the literary world.   Was Director Zack Snyder able to pull off the unthinkable and create a powerful cinematic version of a worshipped series?  Or, would his film fall short and go the way of so many other comic-movie upsets (cough, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, cough)?

Let’s cut right to the heart of the matter, shall we?  Despite whatever flaws people may choose to pick and gnaw at, you cannot deny how faithful of an adaptation Watchmen is.  Most of the scenes and dialogue might as well have been copy and pasted directly from the source material itself.  As a fan of the original graphic novel, I was pleasantly surprised and quite relieved.  

Watchmen is a dense story that focuses more on the psychology and interpersonal relationships of the titular heroes than on actual romp and stomp action sequences.  Previously, I could not imagine a film version being made without it being butchered into some bastardized form of its former glory, but Snyder delivered.  

While not every scene is included in the final product, none that were left out compromise the plot.  Besides, at a meaty two hour and forty-three minute run-time, any more might have been too much for film audiences to bear.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the film will be received as well by audience members new to the title–at least not in one sitting.  The story is a lot to take in, even in written form.  Driven by the exchanged dialogues and internal monologues of its main characters, it may prove to be harder to digest without a second helping.  The film makes an adequate companion to the novel, but without the story already established in ones mind it might come off as a bit heavy handed.  Scenes shared between characters that may seem drawn out in the film are usually the most significant in unraveling who they are as people.

“But Mike, you discredit the general public” you interject.  ”Surely your average joe can manage to wrap his mind around this beautiful film.”

And you’re right, nameless review interrupter.  This isn’t some unapproachable literary goliath.  However, the average audience member going to see this movie will be going with the expectation of seeing an early-delivered summer blockbuster; a typical, American action movie that opens with an explosion and ends with an even bigger one (no doubt an intentional effort–just look at its marketing campaign and trailers).  This misconception will lead to feelings of confusion and betrayal as audience members are presented with a rich and well conceived deconstruction of the modern superhero, rather than an epic clash of super powers.

The graphics are beautiful.  Moore’s characters come to life with a bold vibrance that highlights them against the dark and grimy backdrop of a crime-ridden New York City.  The actors fit their roles perfectly.  Casting did an amazing job:  Patrick Wilson fits the bill as Dan Dryberg, and Jackie Haley couldn’t look and sound more like Walter Kovacs if he tried.

 I’m glad that Keanu Reeves didn’t make it into the cast as Dr. Manhattan, not because of Billy Crudup, whose portrayal of the pre-accident Dr. Manhattan was nothing special.  Having a single big name actor like Reeves would have simply thrown off the chemistry that the existing actors exuded so well.  

The show stealer for this piece is Jeffrey Dean Morgan in his role as The Comedian.  Undoubtedly the best performance in the film, Morgan brings a vitality and grim energy to the cast.  I can’t imagine anyone else creating a more accurate portrayal of the Comedian’s personality.

The soundtrack is a topic that I still find myself torn over.  The tracks used do a good job of creating a nostalgic feel through titles referenced in the comic itself like Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”.  At times though, the songs just did not click with the scene it was played over.  There were other moments of musical perfection.  Playing “The Times They Are A-changing” over the opening montage of the film worked like perfection.

Snyder stayed true to Moore’s vision, and I appreciate his efforts.   Still, I was a bit surprised at the decision to enhance certain aspects of the film.  Namely, a certain irradiated man’s irradiated junk.  If you’re offended by full frontal male nudity, you may want to prepare yourself to cover your eyes during certain scenes as Dr. Manhattan appears in the nude, and with “equipment” significantly larger than his comic book source.  It’s not a big deal, but one can’t help but wonder how the faces in the room looked when the designers got back the Dr. Manhattan concept art with a post-it note attached that read “He needs a bigger cock”.

Regardless, the nude shots do not dominate the film in any way, and aren’t over used.   Maybe it’s just the immature junior high schooler in me, but I had to fight off a chuckle whenever the Doc’s glowing, blue wang flopped its way into the shot.

In conclusion, if you’re a fan of Watchmen, go see the movie.  You will not be disappointed.  If you have no background with the series whatsoever, go see it.  Then go see it again after mulling it over a bit.  You’ll connect to the characters more and have an overall better experience.  And if you’re of easily offended sensibilities, you may want to pass this one over.  There’s no reason for you to go if you’re the type that walks out of movies because of sex scenes, gratuitous violence, sacrilegious uses of music (watch for the use of the song Hallelujah, it’s brilliant), or full on nudity.

As a satisfied Alan Moore fan, I give the film a full 5 floppy dicks out of 5.