Watchmen - What I liked, What I didn't
Saw the Watchmen at the Imax. Pretty good, tho I am still mulling things over. This is a comic (not graphic novel, but mini-series of comics) that I bought off the shelf, one issue at a time, back in the late 80's. It was a particular tough time in my life, and Watchmen and Frank Miller's Daredevil: Born Again, kept me going. I've reread the story at least once a year since then. So yes, this comic means a lot to me.
What I liked:
This movie was made for people who read the comic. Except still an attempt was made to provide some sense to people who hadn't read it. In way, that detracted. Ultimately, what I like about Alan Moore as a writer is that he writes for an intelligent audience. He expects you to pay attention. He hides Easter eggs, jewels, and little morsels for the reader to discover through careful examination of the text. That kind of writing is magic to me. It inspires so much of my style of writing. It tickles my brain and makes me smile. All of that was scrubbed out of the movie. For a mainstream pop culture movie, yeah, you gotta hit people over the head with things (literally in this case). And there's no time for delicious details. And to that, I just shrug and sigh. Alan's text is there for me to enjoy. So I think I'll reread it again tonight.
What I liked:
- Deviation from the story, especially the latter half, was actually a good thing.
- Actors did a great job, in many ways taking characters I thought were already full-fleshed a step farther.
- Great special effects - matching pitch-perfect with the visuals from the comic, even the fantastic stuff
- Chopping out of the minor characters (moving some to the Black Freighter DVD) I didn't miss them and they kept the focus back where I did care.
- The music was hit and miss. Mostly miss. It was one of those cases where it broke the magic and I could feel the director trying to manhandle my emotions.
- Short-cuts and characters verbally providing the exposition. Maybe unavoidable, maybe not. Still distract.
- Lack of explanations for things (where did Nite Owls gadgets come from? Why so many airships?) In the comic, those were clearly explained, but the plot piece that fueled it was re-arranged in the story.
- Abbreviated origin stories for Rorschach and Ozymandias. I wanted more.
- Overly long sex and violence scenes. Yes, I am getting old, but in the comic they were shorter but I guess that's not good enough for Hollywood.
This movie was made for people who read the comic. Except still an attempt was made to provide some sense to people who hadn't read it. In way, that detracted. Ultimately, what I like about Alan Moore as a writer is that he writes for an intelligent audience. He expects you to pay attention. He hides Easter eggs, jewels, and little morsels for the reader to discover through careful examination of the text. That kind of writing is magic to me. It inspires so much of my style of writing. It tickles my brain and makes me smile. All of that was scrubbed out of the movie. For a mainstream pop culture movie, yeah, you gotta hit people over the head with things (literally in this case). And there's no time for delicious details. And to that, I just shrug and sigh. Alan's text is there for me to enjoy. So I think I'll reread it again tonight.