The Watchmen

[JTFC]

Hello everyone! I would like to throw out a general question for the movie called the Watchmen. If you have seen the movie or read the graphic novel, what did you think of it? Did it open your eyes to what is going on in the world. Did it change any of your existing views after seeing the movie or reading the novel?

I would love to hear any comments that anyone has.
I thought that this was a real eye-opener of a movie. It gets you thinking about the reality we live in and the certain "what ifs" that also get you thinking about our world today.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Actually, it's more of a window into the world as it was in the mid-80s rather than current events and it was written by a Brit whos idea of the American dream isn't necessarily the same as what Americans think it is.

Great movie and graphic novel though, I really enjoyed them both.

 

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, the comic is a reflection of the Reagan/Thatcher/Soviet Union mid-80s and are intrinsically linked to that imminent fear of nuclear war. Watchmen is my favorite, and the most interesting, Alan Moore work in my mind, partly because it was the last major work of his he did while still an atheist. His musings on free will, the mechanistic workings of the universe, and morality are at their most profound in Watchmen and From Hell. I can't help but think he was strongest when doing those projects and weakest after his conversion with the abyssmal Promethea. Just my humble view though.

And the movie****************SPOILERS***************






Am I the only one baffled by the silly action scenes? The masks are regular folks, some a bit more trained than others, but not paranormal super powered vigilantes! I mean they're leaping around and knocking people back like they're Spider-Man! Not to mention when Silk' and Dreiberg kick the knottops arses in the alley. They murder these guys! I mean she broke a guys neck and stabbed another in the throat!?!?!? These people aren't killers- that's why Rorschach is such a controversial figure. He's the last mask that refuses to give up and he's essentially a serial killer. This and the action scenes really removed me from the film and made it far less immersive than it could have been. But I did expect the film to dumb down a lot and I wasn't surprised when they did.

 

[Random]

Both the graphic novel and the movie were very good, even with the (significant but) slightly different endings.

 

[3.14]

loved that people actualy died instead of one of those wimpy movie's



spoiler
like when he shot the woman who cut his face and blue did nothing (or when blue starts killing people off)

 

[Panda]

The movie was ok. Nothing special at all. It tended to waffle and had some of the worst acting I have ever seen in a movie. I mean when Rorschach died the owl dudes reaction was appalulingly bad not to the mention the unbeliavable cornyness of the sex scenes. However it did have some awesome music and when it wasn't wafling there were some really good scenes.
I would give it a 6/10

 

[MidnightSun]

I'm in love with the movie.
My brother just bought the graphic novel and I haven't read it yet.
The movie was the most epic movie ever.
I'm so happy I got to see it.
I'd give it.....9/10.
I think the blood should have looked more realistic.
Oh and Desolation Row. Bob Dylan cover...It was such a great cover. I'm probably one of the biggest My Chemical Romance fans..

~cheMicAL aNgEL.

 

[Ralph C.]

Whenever I go to see a movie that adapts a character/characters or a book to the big screen, I hope that the essence of the character or book is captured in the movie. When you adapt something to the big screen, there are always going to be changes, modifications and such, because of the difference between the storytelling in books and comics and movies, however slightly one might think of the differences. The first "Spider-Man" film, for example, captured the essence of that character very well, though the movie wasn't a complete literal translation of the comic book character.

I saw the movie Thursday night with my girlfriend. I thought the "Watchmen" movie captured the essence of the graphic novel. I enjoyed the film, thought the acting was well-done, the story coherent, and the visual experience arresting, at times.

I tried to watch it with two sets of eyes-- one set seeing how well it adapted the novel, the other set trying to see it as someone who never read the novel. My girlfriend is someone who had never read the novel. I asked her afterwards if she enjoyed it, was able to follow the story, were there any plot holes, questions of that nature. She told me she liked it a lot and was able to follow the story, explaining to me what it was about, demostrating that she was able to follow it. We did this as the credits rolled. When I like a movie, I stay in the theater until the credits and such run out, to show my appreciation of the effort the filmmakers made. This is an unseen appreciation, to be sure, for the filmmakers will never know I was there until the very, very end of the movie.

So, based on our viewpoints, I think "Watchmen" accomplished that rare feat of pleasing both types of audiences: readers and non-readers of the graphic novel.

The secondary effect of how well the movie was done: I want to read "Watchmen" again.

The desired secondary effect of the creators, financers and distributors of the film: I want to see it again.

The wishful effect for the secondary market for the film: I can't wait for it to come out on DVD (I'm not a Blue-Ray'er at this time).

Now if DC can fix Superman and Batman....

 

[thefilmwall]

I got see your movie . this movies is really good so i did decide.i will see your movie next time.....

 

[Zephyr]

Eh, the movie was alright. Of course it ain't perfect, but both my fiancee (who has never read the comic) and I enjoyed it, though when Rorshach was wrecking up the prison she had some pretty epic cringing.






----------------SPOILER--------------------











I'm pretty conflicted about the lack of squid.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

I'm pretty conflicted about the lack of squid.

I was fine with it because I didn't like the squid in the first place. It was the only part of the book that didn't gel with me.

 

[cardero]

I was fine with it because I didn't like the squid in the first place. It was the only part of the book that didn't gel with me.

This was probably due to a product of the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iDmaB5BxzA

In the 80’s, the conspiracists thought that if there was a UFO government cover-up, they would have steered the UFO phenomenon to unfold or play out towards a New World Order scenario. Alan Moore must have capitalized on this idea and applied it to the Adrian Viedt character.


The squid wouldn't have really worked that well in this millenium generation.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

This was probably due to a product of the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iDmaB5BxzA

In the 80’s, the conspiracists thought that if there was a UFO government cover-up, they would have steered the UFO phenomenon to unfold or play out towards a New World Order scenario. Alan Moore must have capitalized on this idea and applied it to the Adrian Viedt character.


The squid wouldn't have really worked that well in this millenium generation.

It just seemed weak to me and I read it when in the 80s when it first came out. Plus it was a single event rather than multiple instances and it was hard to imagine that much momentum being generated by a single event. Still, it wasn't the important part of the story so it was a minor annoyance.

 

[Nepenthe]

See, I loved the squid! I thought it captured the whole tenor of the 80s and the paranoia over Soviet invasion and nuclear war, and contrasted that with the absurdity of an extradimensional invasion. I always assumed Moore used the squid idea as a satirical nod to Reagan's obssession with alien invasions:

"I couldn't help but say to Gorbachev, just think how easy his task and mine might be...if suddenly there was a threat to this world from some other species from another planet outside in the universe. We'd forget all the little local differences ....between our countries....and find out once and for all that we really are all human."
December 4th, 1985

Not to mention the similarity to the Outer Limits episode "Architects of Fear", though Moore has always denied seeing it until he and Gibbons were working on issue 10 of Watchmen and the whole story had been plotted out long before that.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

See, I loved the squid! I thought it captured the whole tenor of the 80s

Did you think that after reading the book now and looking back on the 80s or did you read it in the 80s and think that?

 

[Nepenthe]

Did you think that after reading the book now and looking back on the 80s or did you read it in the 80s and think that?

I read the trade in '91ish I think, so I did have a little hindsight I suppose.

 

[eugenius]

I just saw it on Sunday night, it was excellent, loved every minute of it. Fantastic story and script, great graphics and images, photography was amazing, can't wait to buy it!