Should you watch The Watchmen? (Watchmen (DVD))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Watchmen (DVD)
Date:	18/03/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very well adapted, good characters

Disadvantages: Some sub-plots inevitably lost, may be confusing if you've not read the book

So, after a tortuous journey, The Watchmen finally makes it into cinemas. The big question is: was it worth the wait?

With a few minor reservations, I'm happy to be able to answer with a resounding YES. Watchmen is excellent in its own right and about as faithful an adaptation could be hoped for.

Watchmen is set in 1985, in a world on the brink of nuclear war. The murder of a former masked hero, The Comedian, brings his colleagues out of retirement to investigate something which turns out to be more sinister than a simple murder.

The Watchmen comic is stunningly complex in its plotting and a short summary can't hope to do it justice. This was a concern for the film too - that all the complex bits would be removed to leave a standard "hero" tale. Thankfully, Director Zack Snyder has resisted, leaving the spirit of the comic in tact.

Of course, there changes and simplifications. Sub-plots have been cut, so the overall storyline is not quite so deep and textured; the ending been changed, which will no doubt irk purists. For all its flaws, though, the script retains the key elements of the comic, capturing its essence well.

The film gets off to a great start, thanks to some genuinely impressive opening credits. Set against the perfect soundtrack (Bob Dylan's "The Times they are a-changin'"), they give plenty of background information to set the scene for the rest of the film, instantly drawing you into a credible, recognisable world.

As you might expect from Zack Snyder, Watchmen is visually stunning. New York is suitably grimy and dirty, costumes impressive and the visual effects generally stunning. Dr Manhattan is particularly impressive - instantly banishing the nightmare of Jar Jar Binks as the standard bearer for CGI characters... although, of course, Dr Manhattan, crucially, is still played by an actor.

My biggest concern about Watchmen was that Zack Snyder would over spoil it with unnecessary special effects. The initial sequences seem to confirm this fear. The murder of The Comedian is shown in glorious Snyder-O-Vision, with lots of unnecessary stylistic flourishes. Thankfully, for the rest of the film, he mostly restrains himself, settling down to allow the actors, sets and atmosphere to dictate the visual style. There are still occasions, when Snyder succumbs to his flashier instincts (including one of the cheesiest sex scenes ever) and these do aggravate slightly, but they are, at least, bearable.

Amongst the cast, Patrick Wilson is excellent as Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II, a Batman-esque hero, drifting along without purpose. He perfectly captures Dreiberg's confusion at the world in which he now finds himself. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a good Comedian, capturing his swagger, attitude and arrogance, whilst still making him more than just the one-dimensional "bad boy". Billy Crudup might be hiding behind layers of CGI, but his Dr Manhattan is a very real character who brings much of the emotion to the film, as a slightly tragic and lonely figure.

My main concern surrounded the casting of Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, who didn't convince me in the publicity shots I'd seen. I'm happy to report I was wrong. Goode captures Veidt's slightly superior, ultra-intelligent, ultra-rich and ultra-athletic character well and those initial fears soon evaporate.

The real stand-out is Rorschach, in many ways the key character. Get Rorschach wrong and the whole film fails. Initial impressions were not too positive. Jackie Earle Haley seems unsure of himself, looking and feeling a tentative and nervous, lacking the unstoppable certainty and drive needed for the character. His voice seems a little clichéd: - essentially just the gravelly voice used by vigilante characters the world over. As the film progresses, though, Rorschach grows. Ironically, what kick starts this development is when his mask is removed and you can see his face. Being able to see and be seen seems to give Earle Haley greater confidence. From this point Rorschach becomes an angry, snarling, dangerous menace, reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in his Dirty Harry phase.

So, what of those flaws that I mentioned? Well, for a start, Zack Snyder has tried to produce a film which will appeal to long-standing Watchmen fans and newcomers alike. He's not always successful. If the comic has passed you by, you are likely to spend much of the film wondering what on earth is going on. Certainly, you will miss out on many things. Although you could go into it cold, I would strongly recommend you read the book first.

On the other hand, fans will rail against changes made to their precious source material, particularly the axing of sub-plots and the significant pruning of others. They will (with some justification) argue that it lacks some of the subtlety of the book. Some of the texture and depth of the book is lost, key character elements are played down and the overall complexity is affected by the need to produce a multiplex friendly film. Watchmen is almost three hours long (though it never feels too long); to pick up on all the nuances of the book would have required a film approaching twice that , so inevitably some of the more peripheral parts suffer. This will simultaneously annoy the purists but confuse the newcomer. (Incidentally, Snyder has said that at least some of the axed sub-plots will be incorporated into the DVD release, so it will be interesting to compare the two versions).

You certainly need to have some idea of what to expect from Watchmen and I would strongly recommend you read the book before you see it. If you go expecting a comic book movie along the lines of Batman or Spiderman, you will emerge severely disappointed. The pace will be too slow, the lack of action boring and the plot stupid. You might dismiss Watchmen as a confused and dull film, which would be a shame. It might not be perfect, but it's better than we had any right to expect.

Watchmen has been worth the wait. Alan Moore may have disowned it before filming even began and it never totally captures his incredible vision. Don't just dismiss it just because it's not as good as the book, though. This is not a cynical Hollywood cash-in. It's been brought to the big screen with as much love and affection as possible.

Basic Information
-------------------------
Watchmen
2009
Director: Zack Snyder
Running time: approx. 162 minutes
Certificate: 18

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: Better than could ever have been hoped for.