Very few words about Watchmen

[r_lex]

When you have a story which relies heavily on the idea of superheroes in a realistic setting (visually and politically and socially) and then stylize that setting to an insane degree, do you lose some of the power inherent in that idea?

I say yes.

I also say however that you end up with a pretty entertaining movie that is a lot of fun to look at. I

Comments

[twisted_mentat]

I thought it was pretty good. I love how they went to people who looked like the characters over getting famous people in it. I mean, the most famous people in the film were Matt Frewer and Carla Gig...gur...the mom from spy kids. Rorschach was spot on. Also nice they didn't try to hide the glowing blue dinger too. It's just there. Also, the Comedian was great, though he clearly looked way too old in the Minutemen era.

The complaints i'm seeing are often pretty funny, and its also amusing how it's all stuff that is in the GN. Biggest one is the flame thrower climax. It's in the frigging book. Other stuff includes no sugar cubes, Silk Specter 1's hair is wrong, The Comedian is too much of a dick and shouldn't be a hero etc.

Within the context of the film, the ending works. It's thematically the same, even though what happens isn't.

[contrasoma]

It's thematically the same, even though what happens isn't.

Alright, alright, I'll open a can of worms by playing Devil's Advocate. I'd heard that the squid wasn't in it and was perfectly fine with that. Framing Doc is a simple and effective cover for the explosions (I can't remember if there was any cover story for the squid apart from "horrible Lovecraftian THING just pushed its way through by sheer dumb luck") and likely works better on film.

HOWEVER...As I was walking home from the theatre last night it occurred to me that Dan's "things'll be okay as long as people think Jon's watching us" give an odd religious/peace-through-fear tone to the ending that I don't remember ever being in the book, and which seems markedly different than the "peace through empathy for NY" tone in the book. I mean, the net result is the same (peace, uncertainty on Veidt's part, the survivors having to conspire to keep the truth a secret), but I can't help but think that the fact that the film's peace is won through fear of a demigod's wrath

[studio_verite]

I thought that was in the book... the impression I got was that they made peace through fear that another thing might come through, something that might survive the next trip.

[jsangspar]

Yeah, the book was completely about the US and the USSR working together to defend against extradimensional attacks. Same sort of peace-through-fear concept, perfect trapping for a villain.

[twisted_mentat]

Found this.

Pretty effin' hillarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3VSw1XBOo