The Watchmen

T

TaylorTRoom

1,000+ Posts
In a summer where Hollywood seems to have finally figured out the comoc book movie formula, I'm still apprehensive about this one. It's supposed to come out in March, 2009, which indicates that the studio is not expecting a blockbuster. However, it is directed by Snyder, and doesn't use big name actors, and maybe (like "300") wasn't that expensive to make and thus doesn't need to be a blockbuster to be a financial success.

The main problem will be condensing the story to a 2 hour format. It seems like comic book movies do best when the story involves just a few characters and themes. The Watchmen story goes deeply into several characters' stories, and has several layers of themes. I do understand that they intend to deal with some of the back story elements with the release of a complementary DVD that will star Gerard Butler in "Tales of the Black Freighter", among other things.

Another problem is that the original artwork is imaginative, but not very expressive. Hopefully Snyder will have a good vision for it.
 
Trailer was just leaked. Empire Online screwed up and let the cat out of the bag early, then took the trailer back down, but not before someone managed to capture it and put it on YouTube. Aintitcool.com has embedded it here. Of course, if you're seeing "The Dark Knight" this weekend, you'll see this trailer in its full glory, anyway, and I'm sure it'll be hitting apple.com--in HD--before long, as well.

EDIT: Never mind, Warner Bros. hit YouTube with a cease and desist. Empireonline.com should have it at 5am GMT tomorrow (or 11pm CST tonight), though.

Trailer looks great. They seem to have nailed all of the major characters; Rorschach and the Comedian, in particular, look really well done. January is too long to wait.
 
Watchmen is easily my favorite graphic novel. Its detail is unmatched by almost everything I've read and it really touches on some great themes...

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't have high hopes for the movie just because I don't see how they can fit all the detail into a 2 hour format...

But I'll prolly end up seeing it opening day anyway.
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I read where currently it's around 3 hours, and they aren't optimistic about trimming it much more. Again, the March 2009 date makes me think they are not expecting a blockbuster (note- terrific movies can be released in March; it's just that the expected big crowd pleasers are slotted for Christmas and the summer).

One of the interesting things about the graphic novel is the way that the artist )Gibbon) would use the number of frames on a page to control the pace and tone of events. Lots of small frames tends to slow things down and moderate the intensity of the action, while fewer large frames accentuate it. That ends up giving the creators much more control of how you take the story. It will be interesting to see how that translates to film, and if Snyder can control the images as well using film techniques.
 
After watching it a few times in Quicktime HD, I have to say that my only real concerns are (1) the casting for Ozymandias. He looks like David Hyde Pierce in that trailer. *shudder* (2) I know it's nitpicky, but the CGI water effects when the Owlship flies out of the river look atrocious. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the effect is merely incomplete.

But DAMN, did they nail The Comedian and Dr. Manhattan, or what?

I have a feeling that this movie isn't going to be a big blockbuster, as I suspect the story will not be very approachable to those who aren't already familiar with the story, universe and mythos of "Watchmen." Which is a shame, because it's a hell of a good book.
 
ive heard about this movie for a while but dont actually know anything about the story or comic

could someone feel me in on the general idea
 
Wow. Based on the trailer, that looked to be about as faithful of a comic book adaptation as any I've ever seen. Pretty much every single detail looked like it was straight out of the comics.

In reply to:
Click to expand...
 
Trailer vs Comic Breakdown:The Link

Not only are most of the comparisons spot-on (and the ones which are different are arguably improved from the originals) but the shots of the Comedian in Vietnam are even more faithful to the comic than the article indicates. When you look at those exact two frames in the comic, they match up extremely well with the two shots in the trailer. The only real difference is the addition of Dr. Manhattan's legs in the background of the shot, which was actually a pretty nice addition.
 
A small amount of new footage recorded by someone with ****** camera skills:The Link

I liked the way the liquid in Rorschach’s mask shifts, just like in the comic.

Also, regarding the original trailer, I loved the shot of Dr. Manhattan's three versions merging into one. It was also funny to watch because it occurred to me that there is not a single person in the world who hasn't read the comic that would guess the context of that scene and guess why he had three versions of himself merging into one (of course now that I've said that, it's possible someone could figure it out).
 
I just finished the graphic novel (never read a comic before in my life) and I thought it was pretty good.

Looking forward to the movie.
 
Evidently, Alan Moore is unhappy that they are making it. He feels that Snyder is too reactionary in philosophy to do it justice. He may be right.

It's interesting how times have changed perspective on the story. When it was published in the mid-80s, Veidt's scheme seemed the only way out of impending doom brought upon by madman leaders who were pressing too close to the nuclear brink. Rohrshach, in this reading, was blinded by his Manichean worldview. 20 years later, with the Warsaw Pact collapsed, Veidt's plan looks ridiculously cruel and Rohrshach seems to be...more sane in his view of it. I wonder if Moore gets that.
 
There is actually a positive buzz around this. It does sound like they adhered to the story, which means it's long- 2 and 1/2 hours, with a 3 hour director's cut to come. It sounds like fans of the book will like it. The question may be how well it works for others.
 
I bought the graphic novel on Amazon after reading that Time Magazine selected it as one of the Top 100 works of fiction in the 20th century.

Enjoyed it. Had some issues with the ending, but so what? It's a good story told in an interesting medium and it's meant to spark discussion.

Rorschach is a truly great anti-hero.

I look forward to the movie with interest.
 
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