Sick, Email Updates and Watchmen

[etimodnar]

Having a cold sucks man. But not too badly. I noticed it coming on late Saturday night, but didn't think much of the gicky-throat feeling. Sunday morning was a bit different however. I managed to sleep through my alarm and when 10am came by (when church starts) I woke up, thought hard about whether I could actually get out of bed, decided against

Comments

[nicwhite86]

Yep, there's lots of violence and a fair bit of sex. So what?

[etimodnar]

I know it's not something you worry about, but a big goal in my life is to be more godly and please God in what I do. Many times the things I do are neutral towards that goal, but I don't know if this is neutral or negative. It certainly doesn't sound positive. All the positive things I could have gotten from the film seem fulfilled in reading the graphic novel - which I've done! All this would add is more violence and sex running around in my head after the film has ended.

David and Margaret gave this film very good reviews, but I don't know if seeing an excellent film for gratuitous and graphic sex and violence is a reasonable payoff for me.

[nicwhite86]

It's fun, though. That's the point in seeing it. You can't get the same experience from a graphic novel. It's not supposed to enrich your life, just provide some entertainment. Don't overthink it.

[etimodnar]

It entertainment worth it? Should I go through life ignorant and apathetic about the consequences my decisions have by choosing to not "over"think it? What experience am I seeking by watching the film as opposed to reading the novel?

Why shouldn't all we do serve to enrich our lives? Would it be better if I were just a pawn to the entertainment industry?
If it is not enriching me, then I am paying them money for a couple of hours of my life to be used by them for no good purpose. I am being used by them. If I choose to do something for my enrichment, then I am using them for my purposes, which is much better in my estimation.

Is the pursuit of fun worth it?

[nicwhite86]

Why watch any movie then? Or do any activity that's not somehow constructive? Entertainment is an end in itself - a visual pleasure, escapism, cheap thrills, whatever. There's no consequence to watching a film other than that you're a little bit poorer. Don't make it more than it is. Just enjoy your life and try not to hurt people unnecessarily.

[etimodnar]

Indeed, why do them at all? You and I may do exactly the same activity but come away from it different because of the purpose we've given them and the attitudes we have towards them.

When I see a film, read a book, I want to think critically about it and consider what it means, both for me and others. Given I've done that with the graphic novel, I might have been able to go into the film expecting that to be reinforced in interesting ways, or consider the dynamic it now has, or perhaps to reflect on the differences between book and film. But if there are negative things in that film that will affect me adversely, is it really worth seeing? Will it hurt me unnecessarily?

I'm not trying to make it more than it is for you, but explain how it is for me.

[etimodnar]

was it graphic sex and violence? That's what concerns me the most. Dr Manhatten's nudity is treated normally throughout the novel and interestingly, he wears less the years progress. I'm encouraged that women are treated politely though.

[etimodnar]

what are "adult films"? Ones with a high rating or porn?

Reading a couple of sources makes me very concerned, especially this: But the book looks positively demure compared to the film's butchery.

In the book, Rorschach dispatches a pedophile killer by chaining him inside his house and then burning it to the ground, with readers only seeing Rorschach walking slowly out the door. In the movie, Rorschach chains the pedophile up-then buries a meat cleaver in the evildoer's skull. Repeatedly.

In the book, Dr. Manhattan blows up a criminal's head, a cloud covering the carnage. In the movie, Manhattan blows up several criminals simultaneously: Blood coats bystanders; gore hangs from the ceiling.

Furthermore, when reading a graphic novel, you don't need to sit awkwardly in a cinema next to your boyfriend for a good two minutes watching people on screen have simulated sex.

[nicwhite86]

The exploding bodies thing is surprisingly tame. There is a lot of blood, but it just looks like standard gore and isn't overly unsettling. It's a bit like that scene in Tropic Thunder, if you've seen that, where the director steps on the land mine.

The bit with the meat cleaver is basically just a sillouette, you don't see a lot of detail so it's not very gory at all.

[nicwhite86]

There's one attempted rape scene, but it's fairly mild and there's no real undressing - it gets broken up pretty early. The actual sex you barely see anything, and it's dark.

The violence is probably on par with The Dark Knight or Sin City in graphicness, though not quite as frequent. It's not like Saw or something.