Watchmen

scoot · 03-06-2009, 02:06 AM

I got back not that long ago, overall it was a terrific, well executed, and faithful translation of the novel. The color and camera work are both spot on. There are points where you catch snapshots that are directly off the pages. That said, I think the change to the end was unnecessary. The new ending worked really well, maybe even better than the original, and didn't really change anything as far as the resolution of the story, but I would have rather seen it the way Moore had written it. Other than that there were a few things I would have like to see included that weren't but those are just small things like lines that were omitted or small details that were changed.

03-06-2009, 07:48 AM

Saw it last night and all I can say is WOW. The movie is beautiful, the beginning credits did an amazing job of explain this alternate universe to the people who have not read the GN. There was a large chunk of the movie that you could have turned page by page the GN and matched it up exactly. The cast was very good, when they first announced who was playing Dan/Nighthawk 2 I was worried because he didn't look like the pudgy middle aged whiner that Dan did in the GN but man did he pull it off. Speaking of pulling it off holy crap, Jackie Earle Haley IS Rorschach. He finds a way to take the strange sentence structure that Rorschach used in the GN and make it work in spoken word. He was my favorite character in the GN and he lived up to it on the big screen. For the person who asked about the violence and the T&A your wife would probably walk out of this. This movie is a hard "R". Attempted rape, topless woman, insane violence, full frontal male nudity for large parts of the movie (lol no pun intended). I don't consider this a good one for the younger kids who can normally handle some of the other mild "R" movies.

The only downsides for me was it ran a bit long, or it felt like it at points and the guy who played Nixon was a way over the top characture of him. It made me take the scenes with him and Kissinger a lot less seriously.

The End is Nigh... so go grab your tickets and enjoy.

hotreds · 03-06-2009, 08:02 AM

Thanks, Jason! I guess this one I'll hafta see with my male buddies, not my wife!

Starscream · 03-06-2009, 08:38 AM

The commercials make me want to read the graphic novel. They do not make me want to see the film. The previews look like it's going to be a movie about a bunch of superheroes who whine all the time. Tell me this is not the case.

ActionAndy · 03-06-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andysutherland

The commercials make me want to read the graphic novel. They do not make me want to see the film. The previews look like it's going to be a movie about a bunch of superheroes who whine all the time. Tell me this is not the case.

There's not much whining, it's pretty pessimistic though.

jquirit · 03-06-2009, 01:52 PM

After having a few hours to sit around and process the movie, I have to say this:

I believe the movie did a good job in attempting to bring the comics to the screen.

I found it odd yet understandable that the main characters that would seen to be the most insane are the ones I empathize with the most since they see the world for what it is, not what they want it to be. It may been how the movie was directed, the current world situation, or my own personal situation (or a combination of all the above) but that's just how I felt.

My only gripes with the movie is the pacing in a few scenes as well. When you hear nervous laughter in the theater, you know a scene has gone on for too long. Also, I will not fault Snyder for changing the ending (it does make it a bit cleaner) as it still achieves the same goal in the end. Purists will gripe, and I can see their point of view as well.

I'll need to get the DVD of it when it comes out to catch all the little details in the movie that you only notice on subsequent play-through (like all of the murals, billboards, etc). However, with all said and done, I enjoyed myself watching the movie. It's definitely something I am glad I spent staying up all night long to watching it and not getting home till 4AM.

03-07-2009, 03:29 PM

Good flick. I loved it.

However, I loved the GN more.

SmokeyJoe · 03-12-2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotreds

Thanks, Jason! I guess this one I'll hafta see with my male buddies, not my wife!

Sounds like a guys night out...

If only you could smoke stogies in a theater.

thebiglebowski · 03-15-2009, 01:11 PM

being a comic book collector for most of my life and having waited about 20 years for this movie to get made, i have to say i was pretty impressed with the film. the change to the ending notwithstanding, it was one of the most faithful comic book adaptations ever made. and i have to say, i liked the 'new' ending better than the comic. i always thought the 'event' that brought resolution to the conflict was a little forced and rather silly.

at any rate - it was a bit long, but very well executed i thought. although, now that i think about it, the change made to the scene that 'created' rorshach (the kidnapper of the little girl) was unnecessary and a bit gratuitous. and yeah, jackie earl haley absolutely nailed the rorschach character.

blugill · 03-06-2009, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoot

I got back not that long ago, overall it was a terrific, well executed, and faithful translation of the novel. The color and camera work are both spot on. There are points where you catch snapshots that are directly off the pages. That said, I think the change to the end was unnecessary. The new ending worked really well, maybe even better than the original, and didn't really change anything as far as the resolution of the story, but I would have rather seen it the way Moore had written it. Other than that there were a few things I would have like to see included that weren't but those are just small things like lines that were omitted or small details that were changed.

I read an interview with Snyder on why the ending was changed.

Spoiler Alert!!!!

The studio execs thought that in a post 9-11 world that the GN ending was way too graphic and had reservations spending 100 million on it.

Snyder agreed and honestly the GN ending is what I really wanted to see but I can understand the alternative point of view.

03-06-2009, 02:06 AM	#1
scoot Still Watching My Back Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Pat Location: Philadelphia Posts: 142 Trading: (0)	Re: Watchmen I got back not that long ago, overall it was a terrific, well executed, and faithful translation of the novel. The color and camera work are both spot on. There are points where you catch snapshots that are directly off the pages. That said, I think the change to the end was unnecessary. The new ending worked really well, maybe even better than the original, and didn't really change anything as far as the resolution of the story, but I would have rather seen it the way Moore had written it. Other than that there were a few things I would have like to see included that weren't but those are just small things like lines that were omitted or small details that were changed.

03-06-2009, 07:48 AM	#2
JasonI Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Watchmen Saw it last night and all I can say is WOW. The movie is beautiful, the beginning credits did an amazing job of explain this alternate universe to the people who have not read the GN. There was a large chunk of the movie that you could have turned page by page the GN and matched it up exactly. The cast was very good, when they first announced who was playing Dan/Nighthawk 2 I was worried because he didn't look like the pudgy middle aged whiner that Dan did in the GN but man did he pull it off. Speaking of pulling it off holy crap, Jackie Earle Haley IS Rorschach. He finds a way to take the strange sentence structure that Rorschach used in the GN and make it work in spoken word. He was my favorite character in the GN and he lived up to it on the big screen. For the person who asked about the violence and the T&A your wife would probably walk out of this. This movie is a hard "R". Attempted rape, topless woman, insane violence, full frontal male nudity for large parts of the movie (lol no pun intended). I don't consider this a good one for the younger kids who can normally handle some of the other mild "R" movies. The only downsides for me was it ran a bit long, or it felt like it at points and the guy who played Nixon was a way over the top characture of him. It made me take the scenes with him and Kissinger a lot less seriously. The End is Nigh... so go grab your tickets and enjoy.

03-06-2009, 08:02 AM	#3
hotreds Ephesians 2:8 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5 miles past "Resume Speed" Posts: 11,674 Trading: (63)	Re: Watchmen Thanks, Jason! I guess this one I'll hafta see with my male buddies, not my wife! __________________ God loves you so much, that he made you read this, just to let you know.

03-06-2009, 08:38 AM	#4
Starscream Knowhutimean, Vern? Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Andy Location: In a little town somewhere in the USA Posts: 10,237 Trading: (4)	Re: Watchmen The commercials make me want to read the graphic novel. They do not make me want to see the film. The previews look like it's going to be a movie about a bunch of superheroes who whine all the time. Tell me this is not the case. __________________ Insert quote here.

03-06-2009, 01:52 PM	#6
jquirit Angry Asian Dwarf Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: State of Confusion Posts: 426 Trading: (3)	Re: Watchmen After having a few hours to sit around and process the movie, I have to say this: I believe the movie did a good job in attempting to bring the comics to the screen. I found it odd yet understandable that the main characters that would seen to be the most insane are the ones I empathize with the most since they see the world for what it is, not what they want it to be. It may been how the movie was directed, the current world situation, or my own personal situation (or a combination of all the above) but that's just how I felt. My only gripes with the movie is the pacing in a few scenes as well. When you hear nervous laughter in the theater, you know a scene has gone on for too long. Also, I will not fault Snyder for changing the ending (it does make it a bit cleaner) as it still achieves the same goal in the end. Purists will gripe, and I can see their point of view as well. I'll need to get the DVD of it when it comes out to catch all the little details in the movie that you only notice on subsequent play-through (like all of the murals, billboards, etc). However, with all said and done, I enjoyed myself watching the movie. It's definitely something I am glad I spent staying up all night long to watching it and not getting home till 4AM. __________________ S: 220/C: 209/G: 180

03-07-2009, 03:29 PM	#7
Darrell Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Watchmen Good flick. I loved it. However, I loved the GN more.

03-15-2009, 01:11 PM	#9
thebiglebowski Jack White's Roadie... Join Date: Nov 2008 First Name: larry Location: music city, USA Posts: 665 Trading: (0)	Re: Watchmen being a comic book collector for most of my life and having waited about 20 years for this movie to get made, i have to say i was pretty impressed with the film. the change to the ending notwithstanding, it was one of the most faithful comic book adaptations ever made. and i have to say, i liked the 'new' ending better than the comic. i always thought the 'event' that brought resolution to the conflict was a little forced and rather silly. at any rate - it was a bit long, but very well executed i thought. although, now that i think about it, the change made to the scene that 'created' rorshach (the kidnapper of the little girl) was unnecessary and a bit gratuitous. and yeah, jackie earl haley absolutely nailed the rorschach character.