Sure, I'll watch them again.
Now 25% more Watchman-ier.
WATCHMEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT comes out on DVD tomorrow, but if you live in one of four markets you could have seen it over the last week at select theaters. Details here. I wanted to see it sooner, but deadlines being what they were and the southern command not being one of those four markets I had to wait until I returned to L.A.
The low-down: I am sorely tempted to make a joke about it being bigger, longer and uncut. However, Trey and Matt beat me to that a decade ago so I'll pass. The Director's Cut has about 25 minutes of additional footage. Most of this is extended versions of scenes you saw in the theatrical release, which I appreciated as it felt like it rounded out a few character pieces a little better. Some of it is stuff that was cut for a reason: it does nothing to advance plot or character. They are bits which attempt to add greater depth but felt to me like a little too much. One in particular is an entire sequence that doesn't really add anything and I don't even remember from the book.
(disclaimer: I haven't read the book in years.)
Oh, and it is gorier. The first two times I saw WATCHMEN in theaters, I thought Zach went a little too graphic with his portrayal of the violence. The Director's Cut demonstrates that Zach wanted to take it even further. In one sense, I get why. The entire point of the "Watchmen" comics was just how screwed up super-heroes would likely be if they existed in the real world, so showing just how horrific that violence really is does reinforce that "reality." What I don't know, having never performed such acts of brutality myself, is whether they are real or hyper-real.
Not that I want to go around exploding gangsters and VC with my mind just to find out, of course. I'm willing to consider this an academic question.
If you liked WATCHMEN and wanted a bit more time and gore in your experience, this is for you.
WATCHMEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT comes out on DVD tomorrow, but if you live in one of four markets you could have seen it over the last week at select theaters. Details here. I wanted to see it sooner, but deadlines being what they were and the southern command not being one of those four markets I had to wait until I returned to L.A.
The low-down: I am sorely tempted to make a joke about it being bigger, longer and uncut. However, Trey and Matt beat me to that a decade ago so I'll pass. The Director's Cut has about 25 minutes of additional footage. Most of this is extended versions of scenes you saw in the theatrical release, which I appreciated as it felt like it rounded out a few character pieces a little better. Some of it is stuff that was cut for a reason: it does nothing to advance plot or character. They are bits which attempt to add greater depth but felt to me like a little too much. One in particular is an entire sequence that doesn't really add anything and I don't even remember from the book.
(disclaimer: I haven't read the book in years.)
Oh, and it is gorier. The first two times I saw WATCHMEN in theaters, I thought Zach went a little too graphic with his portrayal of the violence. The Director's Cut demonstrates that Zach wanted to take it even further. In one sense, I get why. The entire point of the "Watchmen" comics was just how screwed up super-heroes would likely be if they existed in the real world, so showing just how horrific that violence really is does reinforce that "reality." What I don't know, having never performed such acts of brutality myself, is whether they are real or hyper-real.
Not that I want to go around exploding gangsters and VC with my mind just to find out, of course. I'm willing to consider this an academic question.
If you liked WATCHMEN and wanted a bit more time and gore in your experience, this is for you.