Yet another Watchmen blog post
It’s been couple of weeks since I went to see the Watchmen and it’s taken me this long to work out how I feel about it. As a bit of background I have read the comic, but only once, and I thought it was very good.
However this isn’t a review of the source material, but the movie that was made from it. I think that’s an important point about Watchmen – The Movie. It is not based on or inspired by the comic, it’s made from it. It has tried to so lovingly recreate the book that in many places it seems to have stifled the end product.
Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. I though that it was extremely well done, and as Nick says in his post, if they were going to make a movie of the comic, this was about the best movie you could make. However despite the obvious homage and great casting and respect held by the director and everyone involved it felt kind of souless to me. The fight scenes were fun but the under current of darkness and hopelessness that flowed through the comic just didn’t seem to be there for me. It also leads me to wondering why they had to make a movie of it in the first place. Comics by their nature often seem like very well actualised story boards, and in Watchmen it’s like they skipped that part of the movie making process and just used the comic (with the exception of a few scenes).
I’m also starting to kind of understand why Alan Moore might get so pissy about these movies mad from his comics. After all they don’t really add anything new, so why bother?
I also have to say that while I generally love comic book movies (even the bad ones) I am starting to get a little tired of the fan boy, wankfest sex scenes that always turn up. I’m just saying…
Despite that though I find myself wanting to see it again, though I might wait for the DVD. So I guess I didn’t hate it that much.
1 Comment to Yet another Watchmen blog post
I just saw it last night. I have not read the comic. I did really enjoy it as a movie. Few movies (let alone the usual comic book movie) provoke much thought on social-political themes. So I’d put Watchmen in the “good” category just for this.
I thought the movie’s treatment of women was over the top. I can see what they were going for and I realise the story is “dark”, but a little bit of this goes a long way. Maybe this was also true of the comic and the director felt he had to preserve it in the movie, but then I would have to say that this is a flaw of the comic as well and perhaps a statement about the writers. I’m on the fence here a bit.
It has made me want to find the comic and may re-kindle some comic nostalgia. I’ve always enjoyed them, but never to point of making me buy them. I guess I have too many “adult” things to do with my money.
Anyways… I thought it was a good movie. I probably will pick it up on DVD. The story will occupy some headspace for some time.
March 27, 2009