It's been a while since the film came out, but I feel I need to write a review about Watchmen.My expectations were high, unbelievably high, astronomically high, indescribly high! My favorite Graphic novel, favorite book, favorite story is finally a film! Being someone who appriciates the craft and art it takes to turn a novel into a film, this was by far one of the more exciting moments in my life as a movie buff. Over a year before the release of Watchmen, I was already jumping up and down like a little boy who just got his first ten speed bicycle for Christmas from Santa Clause. I couldn't get the film off my mind due to my excitment. I'll admit it, I was obsessed with this movie coming out!
Now, excited I was, but reservations I had. The most common question you'd hear from Watcmen fans would be, "How can you make a movie from a book as complicated and jam packed as Watchmen?" it's a valid question really, Watcmen is completely jam packed with with storyline that it is literally impossible to make a movie from the graphic novel and keep every detail of it's fantasically written story by the briliant Alan moore. And further more, how does one make a film from this Graphic novel and keep the all of the themes that Alan Moore intended for his story to have? Zach Synder, Director of Watchmen and the famous film 300, really put on himself one of the most difficult film making tasks that any director has ever atempted with the exception of Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings series. However, even with all of the reservations I had about the film, I was still more excited about it then I was with The Dark Knight. So with all of the questions of how compatible the book is on the big screen I decided to not worry about it and wait until I saw the film at least once before I decide if the film is good or not. (Like most people were doing.)
I sat with alot of my friends in the theatre opening night. We were wowed right from the start. The opening credits were amazing, in a nut shell it gives us a little history of the story that is to follow. The film moved on and opened up with an exceptionally faithful opener, Rorshach walking down the street at night reciting his very poetic entries from his journal. The as the film rolled on, I became more and more thrilled about how faithful the film was staying to the Graphic novel. It was as if they used the Graphic novel as their story boards while filming! Absolute perfection in accuracy! However, one thing did worry me...There was nothing in the film about the missing artist and the pirate comic! It stay pretty incredibly faitful, but without the story of the missing artist and the pirate comic, how in the world will the ending in the graphic novel make sense on film? Only one thing came to mind...The ending had to be changed. And as it got closer and closer to the finale, I still couldn't figure out how it was going to happen! But I knew an ending change was in the midst.
And finally, it came. And I was right, the ending was changed. And at first I was disapointed. The ending in the Graphic novel is so good. But after thinking about it (and seeing the film 3 more times) I came to the conclusion that the ending works quite well. Knowing how Dr. Manhatten thinks, and how everyone else in the story would think, it makes sense. The ending worked. For the Watchmen fan, it probably is a disapointing ending. I know it was for me at first. But for the audience member who hasn't read the graphic novel, it helps to bring the story to a good conclusion.
I think Synder did an excellent job at making Watchmen into a great theatrical success. My only true gripe with the film is that it pumped through the storyline at 100 miles per hour. So it just continually jumps from one scene to the next without giving the audience any real time to soke in the story. There truly is no room to breathe in this film. You'll feel like the movie ended, and you'll come out not sure what happen. It is quite an entertaining film. I would recommend it to any who enjoy sci/fi, and to those who have a strong stomach...it does get fairly violent and bloody.
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