Watchmen

I have been debating on whether or not to see Watchmen, since well before it came out last week. I'll admit I have not read the graphic novel yet, but i do plan to in the near future if i have time. I did consider reading it before the movie came out, but I knew if I did that I would probably just end up complaining about how it wasn't like the book, so I opted not to. Ultimately I saw this trailer for Watchmen last week while at the theatre seeing the new Friday The 13th and I was sold. I'm a sucker for a great movie trailer, no lie.


Well I went to see Watchmen last night and I have to say I verrrrrry much enjoyed it. Now I'm not gonna go into a full length review of it, since the story has sooo many layers and what not, it would take me too long, and I'm much to lazy on sundays to do that. I will say though that it had a fresh and interesting story, that kept me completely engaged. Now since I don't want to write a normal review, I'm just gonna write some random thoughts about the movie.

1. Zack Snyder gets called a "hack" very often, especially on the imdb message boards. I will say though that the guy deserves credit for actually getting the thing made. They've been trying to turn the graphic novel into a film for the past 20years, with most claiming it was "unfilmable". Also the guy did an enjoyable remake of Dawn Of The Dead, which I never thought could done.

2. This movie has one of the best (if not the best) opening credits sequence ever. It shows the evolution of super heros in America and the influence they have in the Watchmen universe on important historical events in the 20th century. It's also accompanyed by Bob Dylan's Times They Are A Changin.

3. They used the wrong version of Hallejuah in my opinion during the movie's main sex scene. Jeff Buckley's and John Cale's versions of the song contain alternate, more sexually suggestive lyrics. Plus they used the least sexually suggestive verses of Leonard Cohen's original version in the movie. Oh well, its a small annoyance that doesnt really affect my overall opinion of the movie.

4. Another comment about the music, My Chemical Romance's cover of Desolation Row is awful.

5. Something unique that struck me after I left the theatre was that not one actor in the film was familiar to me, except for the midget, sorry little person, from Seinfeld. None of the major characters were played by well known actors, which was a pleasent surprise for me. Usually studios want well known actors for a big budget movie such as this. This helps though in ignoring the fact these are actors and focus more on the characters they are playing. That said, the actors cast were perfect for their roles, and I can't imagine anyone else in these roles. My favorites were Jackie Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Morgan as The Comedian.

6. Some guy brought his 10 year old kids to see this. WTF, i bet he was regretting that one later.

7. This is not a very upbeat movie. It is incredibly dark and nihilistic in tone, not what you would expect from the average super hero movie. If you thought Christian Bale's Batman had problems, then you better get ready for The Comedian, who is described as "practically a nazi" by his comrades. A pretty accurate description. I actually really like the tone of the movie, and I'm finally glad studios are moving away from the campyier super hero movies, and shooting for something much more real.

hmm I might come back and update this with more thoughts in the future, as the movie has been on my mind a lot today. Can't wait for the dvd.