Watchmen
First, Watchmen is NOT a novel. Watchmen is also NOT a graphic novel. It is either a comic book or a trade paperback. I have seen far too many fools making this mistake, and this atrocity must cease NOW! It's okay to like Watchmen, since it is a good read, but, please, refrain from calling it something it is not. People who pretend to be uber into comics and call things by the WRONG NAME inFURiate me! If you want to sound educated in the world of comics please LEARN the JARGON! It's not hard! ARRRGGHHH!!
Andyhoo, another atrocity is being done to Watchmen, and that is, it is being turned into a movie.
There is a reason Alan Moore did not want his name anywhere on V for Vendetta, and that is because the movie version sucked. Alan Moore is doing the same thing with Watchmen. In fact, he refuses to have his name attached to any movie production of something he has written. I love this man. Is there any POSSIBLE way that this comic, which has pretty much changed the shape of comics since it was published, can adequately be portrayed as a 2 hour movie? I say thee nay!
Some people see differently. I am currently reading a pro/con article on why Watchmen should be a movie. (http://comicbrain.com/2006/12/20/top-10-reasons-why-watchmen-should-be-made-into-a-movie/) So far the pros are pretty light. I shall now belittle and refute them.
10. "Comic movies suck and sometimes they don't." So we still have a 50/50 chance that this movie will suck. Plus, this is a horrible reason to make a movie. Sometimes eating peanut butter gives me a heart attack and sometimes it doesn't, so I should just go ahead and do it, right? (also, I am not allergic to peanuts) "Hollywood is just starting to figure out how to make good superhero movies." Which is exactly why we have such gems as Daredevil, the Hulk, Electra, Catwoman... need I go on? (Also, new Superman? Yeah... a rip off of old real Superman)
9. "CGI makes the fantasy elements possible. Comic book are filled with imagery." This is true. And it might be cool if this comic was set in, oh, somewhere imaginative. But it's set in a CITY! You don't need to CGI a BUILDING!! You can just SHOOT THERE! Yes, I know there's some scenes on Mars. But we should be able to shoot on Mars, too.
8. "Popular interest in super heroes is at an all time high and Watchmen could help keep that up." Unless the movie sucks, in which case no one will want to read it. "I can’t remember a better time to be a fan of the super hero genre." I can. It's called the 1960s, and THAT is when comics actually WERE popular. Today? Please. "A story of Watchmen’s caliber could kick us into a full fledged super hero renaissance." Super... hero... renaissance. Those two words (since superhero should be one word, not two) should never be used together. Yes... can you see a renaissance as long as we have Kyle Raynar as GL? 7342923874 Xmen of useless powers? No. This is false. Comics are way cool, but there will never be a "renaissance" that is apparent to the world outside of comics.
7. "The story has done so much for growing the comic medium; maybe it can do the same for movies." SERIOUSLY??? This is a REASON?? People make up sweet sweet movies on their own, if movies were going to have CHANGED based on AWESOME-NESS, the PUNISHER (with da hot that is Tom Jane) would have already DONE that!
6. "If cast correctly, Rorschach would become a pop culture icon." A sketchy dude who doesn't mind going around threatening and killing. Hmm... I can actually see that... Batman is pretty famous, and children these days are all brats and shite-heads. It could work. But I still don't see why one cool dude means a movie HAS to be made. (lets exclude Wolverine, who still sucks) We still have two crappy Bat-flicks out there.
5. "The story is too good to keep from the masses." Then give a friend your copy and have them read it. There is NO WAY the huge comic can fit into a movie, so by WATCHING the movie the uninitiated is still MISSING OUT.
4. "If done well, it could really help promote the comics industry." True. But chances of this happening? I'm giving slim over none. Also, mass murderers could really help the knife industry. Just a thought. "The comic book medium is still struggling for legitimacy and to bring in new fans." This statement alone refutes some of your above claims of why it SHOULD be made into a movie.
3. "There are many fans who really want to see this story on the big screen." There are lots of people who want to see Pamela Anderson roll around naked, should that be made into a movie? Wait... I think it already has. But you get my point.
2. "It would get the message out that the super hero genre is incredibly rich and more than just action." I agree with this comment, unfortunately, however I still believe Watchmen will suck so bad that any good that could come from it will be negated. Let's see what reason #1 is.
1. "Lord of the Rings." I can do this too. Donkey poo. Hats on Fire. Cats without tails. We're just saying random crap, right? "I openly declared that the movies were doomed to suck since no one could translate those books into film." Hmm... three books were turned into three movies. Maybe if they turned Watchmen into more than one movie, too, I could hold out hope. ....
...
...
Hope held out that long. NOPE! Not gonna happen!
Watchmen is a sweet sweet COMIC, and should NOT in ANY WAY be turned into a movie!
Andyhoo, another atrocity is being done to Watchmen, and that is, it is being turned into a movie.
There is a reason Alan Moore did not want his name anywhere on V for Vendetta, and that is because the movie version sucked. Alan Moore is doing the same thing with Watchmen. In fact, he refuses to have his name attached to any movie production of something he has written. I love this man. Is there any POSSIBLE way that this comic, which has pretty much changed the shape of comics since it was published, can adequately be portrayed as a 2 hour movie? I say thee nay!
Some people see differently. I am currently reading a pro/con article on why Watchmen should be a movie. (http://comicbrain.com/2006/12/20/top-10-reasons-why-watchmen-should-be-made-into-a-movie/) So far the pros are pretty light. I shall now belittle and refute them.
10. "Comic movies suck and sometimes they don't." So we still have a 50/50 chance that this movie will suck. Plus, this is a horrible reason to make a movie. Sometimes eating peanut butter gives me a heart attack and sometimes it doesn't, so I should just go ahead and do it, right? (also, I am not allergic to peanuts) "Hollywood is just starting to figure out how to make good superhero movies." Which is exactly why we have such gems as Daredevil, the Hulk, Electra, Catwoman... need I go on? (Also, new Superman? Yeah... a rip off of old real Superman)
9. "CGI makes the fantasy elements possible. Comic book are filled with imagery." This is true. And it might be cool if this comic was set in, oh, somewhere imaginative. But it's set in a CITY! You don't need to CGI a BUILDING!! You can just SHOOT THERE! Yes, I know there's some scenes on Mars. But we should be able to shoot on Mars, too.
8. "Popular interest in super heroes is at an all time high and Watchmen could help keep that up." Unless the movie sucks, in which case no one will want to read it. "I can’t remember a better time to be a fan of the super hero genre." I can. It's called the 1960s, and THAT is when comics actually WERE popular. Today? Please. "A story of Watchmen’s caliber could kick us into a full fledged super hero renaissance." Super... hero... renaissance. Those two words (since superhero should be one word, not two) should never be used together. Yes... can you see a renaissance as long as we have Kyle Raynar as GL? 7342923874 Xmen of useless powers? No. This is false. Comics are way cool, but there will never be a "renaissance" that is apparent to the world outside of comics.
7. "The story has done so much for growing the comic medium; maybe it can do the same for movies." SERIOUSLY??? This is a REASON?? People make up sweet sweet movies on their own, if movies were going to have CHANGED based on AWESOME-NESS, the PUNISHER (with da hot that is Tom Jane) would have already DONE that!
6. "If cast correctly, Rorschach would become a pop culture icon." A sketchy dude who doesn't mind going around threatening and killing. Hmm... I can actually see that... Batman is pretty famous, and children these days are all brats and shite-heads. It could work. But I still don't see why one cool dude means a movie HAS to be made. (lets exclude Wolverine, who still sucks) We still have two crappy Bat-flicks out there.
5. "The story is too good to keep from the masses." Then give a friend your copy and have them read it. There is NO WAY the huge comic can fit into a movie, so by WATCHING the movie the uninitiated is still MISSING OUT.
4. "If done well, it could really help promote the comics industry." True. But chances of this happening? I'm giving slim over none. Also, mass murderers could really help the knife industry. Just a thought. "The comic book medium is still struggling for legitimacy and to bring in new fans." This statement alone refutes some of your above claims of why it SHOULD be made into a movie.
3. "There are many fans who really want to see this story on the big screen." There are lots of people who want to see Pamela Anderson roll around naked, should that be made into a movie? Wait... I think it already has. But you get my point.
2. "It would get the message out that the super hero genre is incredibly rich and more than just action." I agree with this comment, unfortunately, however I still believe Watchmen will suck so bad that any good that could come from it will be negated. Let's see what reason #1 is.
1. "Lord of the Rings." I can do this too. Donkey poo. Hats on Fire. Cats without tails. We're just saying random crap, right? "I openly declared that the movies were doomed to suck since no one could translate those books into film." Hmm... three books were turned into three movies. Maybe if they turned Watchmen into more than one movie, too, I could hold out hope. ....
...
...
Hope held out that long. NOPE! Not gonna happen!
Watchmen is a sweet sweet COMIC, and should NOT in ANY WAY be turned into a movie!