I just saw Watchmen ...

[almeda]

... and man, am I impressed. It's a striking movie, and also -- to my recollection; I've not read it in years, though I intend to again soon -- incredibly faithful to the source material. Especially for an Alan Moore movie (most of which seem, to put it mildly, cursed

Comments

"Watchmen" was the one comic that we didn't buy in college.

[robin_june]

I was impressed at the post-911 resonances they found in the original; it hadn't occurred to me that they'd feel like that, filmed, and shown now.

I detected them too, and yet, in the background of the "Ground Zero" blastpit scene near the end of the movie, I thought that I saw the Twin Towers standing on the skyline.

The songs were totally evocative for me. I sat there in the theater and successfully sang from memory the harmony part to "Sound of Silence" that I'd learned in middle school Vocal Ensemble.

[batyatoon]

The Twin Towers were indeed there, behind the blastpit. And throughout the movie.

That hurt, but in a good way.

[thatcrazycajun]

I just saw the film too, and it didn't look to me like Dan and Laurie actually killed the thugs so much as left them severely injured and in some cases unconscious.

I sort of missed all the subplots Moore and Gibbons had in the original (the newsstand vendor and his diesel-dyke customer, the shrink's scenes at home with his wife, etc.), but I know there's only so much you can get into even a nearly-three-hour film from a 12-issue comic that dense. And they apparently did make "The Black Freighter" into an animated companion film to be released on DVD this week.

[the_dark_snack]

Happy Birthday!

[mbumby]

Other reviews I've (only) skimmed over (to avoid reading spoilers) indicate that the ending has been changed. I remember so little (other than the fact that I _loved_ it, that there was a mystery (and some of the nature of the mystery, although not the answer to the question), and the flavor of the ending) that I figure I'll need to find my copy and re-read it before I do the movie. But I'm looking forward to that. I do thank you for the "gore" warning. Seeing gore in previews has kept me from several movies I would otherwise have wanted to see.

[almeda]

The ending changed in that the specific [spoiler] that happens at the very end is different; it's exactly the same in that the leadup and plot machinations are pretty much unchanged.

Everything I loved about the ending is still the same, including some great lines.

[sarekofvulcan]

I _really_ didn't like Dan's last (I think) line to Adrian, but that was about the only problem I had with that scene.

(Ah, rats, just remembered the "informing Laurie 5 minutes ago" line -- didn't realize at the time it was left out.)

I also didn't like the fight in the alley. I suppose it was a conscious choice on the filmmakers' part, but I expected more whack/sock/kapow and less gore. The good guys are supposed to act like it, you know?

[almeda]

matociquala pointed out something that I agree is true, but I didn't notice it in the theaters: each major character has their own STYLE of violence, both in what they do and in how it's filmed.

Ozymandias is whack/sock/kapow, with swirling capes and telegraphed roundhouse blows -- superhero-y. And anyone who's fighting with him is sucked into his metaphor.

The Comedian is cinema-verite ugliness -- think Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now. Realistic, but unflinchingly ugly.

Rorshach is splatterpunk -- like Ichi the Killer (to pick a weird Japanese example), or what is implied to happen offscreen in the Saw flicks.

Nite Owl and Laurie fight in a sort of Hong-Kong-buddy-flick style: over the top and stagey, but filmed up close and personal and watching the icky bits.