REVIEW: Watchmen
I've never been into comic books, I didn't dress up like a superhero when I was little. I didn't think that Superman was that big of a deal. My older cousin J cried when he saw the first Spiderman movie, I thought it was good but there was no need to cry. No matter how true it supposedly was to the comic books, which I never read.
Still, there's something about a superhero movie, something about a movie based on a comic book that has me at the edge of my seat dying to go. This movie was no different.
First of all, the trailers for the new Terminator, one of (or two of) my favorite movies when I was little (my best friend, little Bryan and I would watch them on a near continuous loop), and the new Star Trek were awesome. I'm not normally a Trekkie, and I've had a long-standing opinion that William Shatner is as big of a dork as the majority of his fans, but this new installment (made by bad ass Alias and Lost creator JJ Abrams) looks awesome, and the newer and 'young' version of James T Kirk (played by hottie Chris Pine) gives me something to look forward to. Not to mention that Harold (from Harold and Kumar, and I know he has a real name, but I like to call him Harold) and Sylar (from Heroes, who is the new/young Spock) are in it. Then there's the new Terminator movie, with Christian Bale as John Connor (YES!!) and now Governator in sight! I'm so excited for the May Movies!
Okay, back to the movie at hand... There will be spoilers ahead, so if you haven't seen it or read the graphic novel and you don't want to go know then don't continue.
The rumors are true, the opening credits/titles are beautifully done, art. They tell the story of the first group of Watchmen, the Minute Men (which historically were the militia, the front line, especially in the American Revolution. The Minute Men were everyday citizens that became warriors when needed). During the credits Bob Dylan's "Times They Are A Changin" plays as you watch a rundown of the history of the Watchmen, as they become heroes and slowly fall apart. It shows how one is murdered for being a lesbian, one is committed to an insane asylum, one retires (when she becomes pregnant) and it eventually progresses into a montage of the newer generation and how they kind of fell apart as well, how their family/home lives lead them to the place where they became midnight vigilantes.
The Silk Spectre (played by Carla Guigino, who I've loved since Son-in-Law) get knocked up and eventually gives birth do The Silk Spectre II, Laurie (played by Malin Ackerman) who eventually joins the ranks of super heroes with Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Rorschach and Dr Manhattan. She's probably the most prominent character in the whole film. Her and Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley).
It starts out with the death of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the first non-likable character that he plays) who turns out to be not all that funny, he's bitter and a little bit of a villain himself. He's killed by Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), of course you don't find that out until the end, and his death is investigated by Rorschach. The movie flirts with socialism, communism and the theory that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It takes place in 1987 New York, except for the flashbacks that start in the forties. As it moves through the story there are character flashbacks that are either provided by a story being told, memory flashbacks or a vision given to them by Dr Manhattan, or Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup), a renowned physicist who gets trapped in an experiment and becomes... well, a blue dude that is basically a nuclear weapon. He becomes detached from humanity with his only link being Silk Spectre II. When she leaves him he freaks out and leaves Earth.
The culmination of the movie takes place in Anartica when supposed pacifist Ozymandias decides that if he kills 15million people and make it look like Dr. Manhattan did it then it will save the rest of the world from the brink of nuclear war that seems more and more iminent, especially considering Dr Manhattan is basically a nuclear weapon (maybe worse) and an American. This causes the Russians to horde nuclear bombs just in case they decide to use their superhero against them. Eventually the pacifist (hah) decides that taking the lives of millions is for the greater good when it saves billions. Dr Manhattan agrees and leaves the planet, and his love, due to the fact that he has no connection there and that the entire world is looking to destroy him after what "he did". Rorschach, who cannot compromise, takes death openly from Manhattan when he threatens to tell the world what really happened. He cannot compromise his strict (if majorly skewed) moral code that deals solely in black and white, he's not prepared to deal with the rather gray situation caused by Ozymandias' reasoning.
As superheroes, Watchmen of humanity, they are left unchecked and without boundaries. Vigilantes take matters of justice in their own hands, and punishment and the way the criminals are dealt with is left solely to their personal moral code which may air on the side of murder. Also, in the movie, Richard Nixon is in the middle of his fifth presidential term. The presence of superheroes, of heroes, has created a problem. Their existance has thrown the world off balance.
I liked it, there was a lot of graphic shots, which made Liz squirm, she didn't enjoy the graphic scenes and some things about it (like Rorschach flashback to when he decided that he wouldn't leave the criminals alive anymore). While I don't think that its a film anyone under the age of 18 should see, these things didn't bother me (I can always remind myself that the movie isn't real... except possession movies, those freak my shit out). It was badass, there were exlosions, fights, and while there wasn't a car chase, there was a spaceship-esque thingy. Although it was funny to see some of the faux-tech that was designed for the 1980's feel.
There is Watchmen on IMDB. I'd suggest seeing it if you can handle the graphic nature of the film and complex storyline. Another reason not to take a minor, the graphic sex scene in the spaceshippy thing.
Still, there's something about a superhero movie, something about a movie based on a comic book that has me at the edge of my seat dying to go. This movie was no different.
First of all, the trailers for the new Terminator, one of (or two of) my favorite movies when I was little (my best friend, little Bryan and I would watch them on a near continuous loop), and the new Star Trek were awesome. I'm not normally a Trekkie, and I've had a long-standing opinion that William Shatner is as big of a dork as the majority of his fans, but this new installment (made by bad ass Alias and Lost creator JJ Abrams) looks awesome, and the newer and 'young' version of James T Kirk (played by hottie Chris Pine) gives me something to look forward to. Not to mention that Harold (from Harold and Kumar, and I know he has a real name, but I like to call him Harold) and Sylar (from Heroes, who is the new/young Spock) are in it. Then there's the new Terminator movie, with Christian Bale as John Connor (YES!!) and now Governator in sight! I'm so excited for the May Movies!
Okay, back to the movie at hand... There will be spoilers ahead, so if you haven't seen it or read the graphic novel and you don't want to go know then don't continue.
The rumors are true, the opening credits/titles are beautifully done, art. They tell the story of the first group of Watchmen, the Minute Men (which historically were the militia, the front line, especially in the American Revolution. The Minute Men were everyday citizens that became warriors when needed). During the credits Bob Dylan's "Times They Are A Changin" plays as you watch a rundown of the history of the Watchmen, as they become heroes and slowly fall apart. It shows how one is murdered for being a lesbian, one is committed to an insane asylum, one retires (when she becomes pregnant) and it eventually progresses into a montage of the newer generation and how they kind of fell apart as well, how their family/home lives lead them to the place where they became midnight vigilantes.
The Silk Spectre (played by Carla Guigino, who I've loved since Son-in-Law) get knocked up and eventually gives birth do The Silk Spectre II, Laurie (played by Malin Ackerman) who eventually joins the ranks of super heroes with Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Rorschach and Dr Manhattan. She's probably the most prominent character in the whole film. Her and Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley).
It starts out with the death of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the first non-likable character that he plays) who turns out to be not all that funny, he's bitter and a little bit of a villain himself. He's killed by Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), of course you don't find that out until the end, and his death is investigated by Rorschach. The movie flirts with socialism, communism and the theory that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It takes place in 1987 New York, except for the flashbacks that start in the forties. As it moves through the story there are character flashbacks that are either provided by a story being told, memory flashbacks or a vision given to them by Dr Manhattan, or Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup), a renowned physicist who gets trapped in an experiment and becomes... well, a blue dude that is basically a nuclear weapon. He becomes detached from humanity with his only link being Silk Spectre II. When she leaves him he freaks out and leaves Earth.
The culmination of the movie takes place in Anartica when supposed pacifist Ozymandias decides that if he kills 15million people and make it look like Dr. Manhattan did it then it will save the rest of the world from the brink of nuclear war that seems more and more iminent, especially considering Dr Manhattan is basically a nuclear weapon (maybe worse) and an American. This causes the Russians to horde nuclear bombs just in case they decide to use their superhero against them. Eventually the pacifist (hah) decides that taking the lives of millions is for the greater good when it saves billions. Dr Manhattan agrees and leaves the planet, and his love, due to the fact that he has no connection there and that the entire world is looking to destroy him after what "he did". Rorschach, who cannot compromise, takes death openly from Manhattan when he threatens to tell the world what really happened. He cannot compromise his strict (if majorly skewed) moral code that deals solely in black and white, he's not prepared to deal with the rather gray situation caused by Ozymandias' reasoning.
As superheroes, Watchmen of humanity, they are left unchecked and without boundaries. Vigilantes take matters of justice in their own hands, and punishment and the way the criminals are dealt with is left solely to their personal moral code which may air on the side of murder. Also, in the movie, Richard Nixon is in the middle of his fifth presidential term. The presence of superheroes, of heroes, has created a problem. Their existance has thrown the world off balance.
I liked it, there was a lot of graphic shots, which made Liz squirm, she didn't enjoy the graphic scenes and some things about it (like Rorschach flashback to when he decided that he wouldn't leave the criminals alive anymore). While I don't think that its a film anyone under the age of 18 should see, these things didn't bother me (I can always remind myself that the movie isn't real... except possession movies, those freak my shit out). It was badass, there were exlosions, fights, and while there wasn't a car chase, there was a spaceship-esque thingy. Although it was funny to see some of the faux-tech that was designed for the 1980's feel.
There is Watchmen on IMDB. I'd suggest seeing it if you can handle the graphic nature of the film and complex storyline. Another reason not to take a minor, the graphic sex scene in the spaceshippy thing.