Watchmen (2009)
Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: David Hayter, Alex Tse
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
Language: English
Runtime: 163 Minutes approx.
Age Rating: 18
Genre: Fantasy, Crime, Action, Drama, Adventure
Reviewed by Ross Miller
There are two types of people who will see Watchmen; those who are fans of the original graphic novel upon which it's based, and those who are newcomers. I am most definitely in the latter group, having only heard of the name "Watchmen" when the movie adaptation was announced.
The trouble with adapting any material, whether it be book, comic, cartoon, or in this case, graphic novel, into a movie is trying to get the right balance of staying true to the source material (to please original fans) and changing it enough so that any newcomers (who will undoubtedly represent most who will see it) don't feel alienated.
And although here and there 300 director Zack Snyder falls to the temptation (because of his reputed love for the graphic novel) of keeping a bit too close to what was originally on the printed page, there's enough detail (and believe me, there's tons) and skillful moulding of it that it becomes a wholly enjoyable ride with as much gritty substance as there is spectacle.
Based on the revolutionary '80s graphic novel of the same name, Watchmen, set in an alternate 1980s America, tells the story of a group of masked superheroes who are forced to reunite (after previously being stopped by a passed law) when one of their own is murdered. One of the group members, the mysterious Rorschach, is the one to initiate the investigation but in doing so he, and the rest of the group, begin to uncover a deeper, more elaborate plot than they at first realised was at play.
One could be forgiven for thinking that Watchmen is just another comic-book superhero movie about people in costumes trying to save the world. But, like fans of the original graphic novel will so adamantly tell you, this is so much more than that. For a good chunk of this story it's less about costumes and superpowers (which, with the exception of one character, the group doesn't have any) and more about a hard-boiled, noir murder mystery that just happens to have some superhero-esque elements thrown in for good measure. Snyder is clearly a huge fan of the source material (which is one of the film's downfalls as it sticks too close to it some of the time) and his keen eye for spectacle and visually stunning images keeps Watchmen as awe-inspiring as this type of film is likely to get.
If the choice of which side of the fence was the film to lean a bit too far on - keeping true to the source material or radically changing everything - I would say the staying true mentality that Snyder has employed is the better option. Yes, it means a lot of the uninitiated audience members will end up a little distracted, perplexed, even frustrated, at some of the extended sequences (a lot of the time of just plain dialogue with little action) but it also means we get a heck of a lot of detail in there to gnaw and chew on, an amount of sheer detail that warrants multiple repeat viewings on DVD. It's one of those movies that has the best of both worlds; it's a stunning spectacle that simply has be taken in on the big-screen but it will also function very well on DVD as it allows dissection and investigation of every little detail.
The film will undoubtedly be compared with last year's mammoth hit and fan-favourite The Dark Knight, the other adult comic book movie. But where that movie triumphs easily over this one is it's ability to truly immerse you in it's world. It was a world you could relate to, believe in, and invest yourself in even when cars were exploding and maniacal villains were wrecking everything around. But here, and this is perhaps Watchmen's biggest flaw, is it never really immerses you in the world but rather keeps you at a certain distance simply watching what's going on instead of feeling a part of it. Perhaps that was indeed on purpose by Snyder, but just because it was intended doesn't make it work.
It's crucial for any comic-book movie for it's characters to be iconic. Lack of believability, empathy, or likeability can be forgiven in a heartbeat if they are iconic and cool to look at. Each of the Watchmen are exactly that, with each of them providing something unique for us to grasp onto. The performances aren't all top notch as one would hope, with some sticking out more than others, but this is covered up by the brilliantly choreographed fight sequences, the awe-inspiring spectacle and the stylistic look of the whole thing.
Without a doubt the most intriguing and interesting character is Rorschach, played absolutely wonderfully by Jackie Earle Haley (the paedophile from Little Children). He provides more humanity, empathy, and raw presence from behind a mask than most of those we can see plainly. His gruff, Batman-like voice-over suits the feel of the film perfectly (perhaps being the thing which sets that tone from the get-go) and his simple swanning in and out of scenes like an intrigued passer-by is probably the most relatable aspect of the entire movie.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who's character of The Comedian warranted much more screen-time than he ultimately got, is witty, sarcastic, and appealingly despicable (if there is such a thing). Patrick Wilson, playing the most conflicted and believable member of the group (the Night Owl), is as watchable as ever (seeing him in Little Children, Hard Candy and now this - he really is shaping up to have a very good career ahead of him). And of course there's Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan, the only member of the group that has anything even resembling superpowers (think how much that aspect goes against most other superhero movies); just watching his glowing blue figure changing from ordinary size to 100s of feet tall is a sight to behold.
However the two weak links in the acting chain here are Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II and Matthew Goode as Ozymandias. Not that they're necessarily bad in their roles, it's just that amongst the rest they are the two which stick out like sore thumbs. Akerman just doesn't convince about what she's supposed to be; beyond being pleasing on the eyes it's not clear why she was chosen to play the part - it's not exactly a role someone of better acting talent couldn't have filled. And Goode just feels completely out of place; he looks odd in his character's costume and he just isn't believable in the role.
The action in Watchmen confirms what was evident from 300: that Snyder has a flair for it. He makes every punch and kick, every body being thrown against the wall, and every explosion feel impacting and full of force. Make no mistake about it the high age rating isn't in vain; this is a bloody, violent, and often gory film that isn't for the fainthearted or for the whole family to enjoy.
Snyder employs the slowing up and speeding down technique we saw in 300, but here he uses it to much better effect. In 300 it was clear he was just having fun slowing everything down during the fight scenes, but it sometimes got to the point of overload. Here he has learned the errors of his ways, learned to control when and how he uses it and ultimately employs it at all the right moments to create a stunning effect.
Seeing Watchmen for the very first time it is, without a doubt, a lot to take in. Similar to the mentioned The Dark Knight, or even something like Zodiac, there's a ton of information thrown at the audience which requires you to keep your wits about you and your full attention on what's going on (this is not a film suited for bathroom breaks). At least a third of the 163-minute runtime (which is too long) is told through in-depth flashbacks to explain how and why we got to the present point. It works very well for the most part, but just sometimes it feels a bit too hefty in nature. A little trimming here and there would have very much sufficed and benefited Watchmen, not least because it would shave off a sufficient amount of the overly long runtime.
In spite of it's 18 (R in the US) rating and runtime, Watchmen is sure to be a hit. Even if there is a surprising, but pleasingly so, lack of action that one might expect from the advertisements, it still has enough in there to please any uninitiated cinema-goers who will undoubtedly to see the film in large numbers. But contrasting the slate of other comic-book movies, this is one which lacks the trademark super powers which usually populate the genre. This is more preoccupied with telling a good story, it feeling as if some old timer who's glory days are behind him, telling you a fantastical crime story of days past. Watchmen is a film of rarity in that it marries spectacle and jaw-dropping action with a gritty, detail-laden story. It's also one which gets better the more it's pondered; the sheer detail and technical wizardly applied throughout is something absolutely not to be missed.
