Watchmen - Good or Bad? Pick your side!

[Gizmo-5]

Personally, i loved it, wouldnt want to see it again for a while though, but there are some beautiful sections (for those who never read the book pay attention to the "bob dylan" intro as it will make understanding the film easier) characters were interesting even if parts of the soundtrack and some of the backing actors got a bit hammy.

It does however make 300 look like a romantic comedy, Though action is not pushed in your face (and for good measure) it certainly is brutal in new and disgustingly head turning away cruelty.

I think this was a good call on their part as it makes the film less exhausting and more surprising.

A good take on the book (which i never finished) but it could have helped with a bit more... outside information, more examples of the world, and why people were so mad about superheroes. Allan Moore has said it is unfilmable, to which i agree that it would be very hard to squish into a film. The events and their, nerve touching reality, along with their disturbing cruelty need time to Sink in for full effect, which is something you can pull off with a weekly series. It also allows you to "feel" real change in the world, and notice the subtle changes in the unwashed masses, which i think is very important to the story, and is an objective that is just not achievable realistically in 2:40.

A good, although more severe comparison could be the golden compass, it felt like the characters were RUSHING everywhere, there was so much happening at once, you didnt have time to take stock of what was really going on, and for that matter, to enjoy it.

Opinions then:

Bits of the soundtrack were epic, others felt a bit clunky

Visually beautiful

My first child will be called Rorschach

Some of the poinyance is lost since the CCCP collapsed (20?) years ago now

 

[waterproofbob]

Finishing the book an hour before I went to see it made me love it even more.
Rorscach was brilliant in both book and film form.
Overall I thought the film was awesome. I agree that some of the sound track was brilliantly picked and other tracks were terrible. The only things I would have changed would be to make the costumed heroes a little less super. The fight scenes were ott compared to the book which I felt had a better balance and made the superness of Jon more awesome and overshadowing. The main thing that really bugged me was the sex scene. It was terrible. He did the exact same thing in 300 dancing a very thin line with porn. It was too long and unnecessarily graphic.

I thought the starting montage was executed very well indeed. Also lots of little things I appreciated having read the book. The transition from the book was very well handeld and there were many char that you only see briefly in the film that play bigger roles in the book. But they made sure most of them were there in some form however briefly and even in non-spoken roles.

I had very high expectations and although it was never going to be as epic as the book I thought it went a good way to get there.

Oh yeah and Rorschach is awesome.



Errr Also I want to choose 3 of the poll options please. It was pants changingly awesome a little flawed and not as good as the book.

 

[Ronin Storm]

I supposed it is inevitable that my favourite character of the graphic novel is Rorschach and I had high hopes for the film. And they were met. I could not have asked for a better rendition. He was violent, uncompromising, and yet ultimately human.

The rest of the film was just a beautiful setting for Rorschach to exist in, for me. Which is not to say that it wasn't good; just that I found what I went to see in just one character.

I'm pleased they twisted on the graphic novel script rather than took it verbatim. Graphic novels aren't films just as books aren't and the different media require different touches to make them successful. The major components were all there, though, in recognisable form. Even the Doctor in the prison, albeit as part of a briefer story line.

The violence was graphic and that felt absolutely right. Watchmen is not a pretty story and to dress it down would do it a disservice. Similarly, if you're going in for graphic then I also have no problem with ramping the sex up to soft porn. Really, nothing was visible that isn't already thrust into your face if you visit the wrong web site with javascript left on. There again, I like other things in the same sort of vein where the violence feels appropriate and not trivialised nor turned horrific rather than merely bloody.

I liked the soundtrack too; I grew up listening to a lot of these songs as they were played at me by my Dad. There were a couple I could have left out for not liking them, particular Leonard Cohen, but all in all a striking and well placed set. I particularly liked All Along The Watchtower; somehow I think Hendrix might have approved of that place as a stage.

Excellent. I could gush.

 

[waterproofbob]

It's a dark story and I was expecting the violence to be stepped up a little from the book, thus essentially making the costumed heroes more super than I would have perhaps liked. A few too many broken bones where an alternative more human method of disposing of a bad guy would have been more appropriate in my mind. But all in all I could deal with that not a major thing and it was exactly what I was expecting.

I hated the sex scene in the same way I hated the sex scene in 300. It was gratuitous unneccesary and all in all was my only real sour point in the film. It lasted too long. In the book you get a glorious sense of renewal and come back as Dreiberg and Laurie come together back in their uniforms and it seems just and right. It is the moment that they realise that the costume is part of what makes them whole. In the film it felt gaudy and cheap. The rendition of hallelujah was in my opinion awful and as a piece of music has been massively over used, it was originally going to be Allison Crowe's version which would have at least been an improvement.

I adored the film but Snyder shouldn't be allowed to direct sex scenes ever.

 

[Gidean]

Coming from a big Marvel fan i knew next to nothing about this film above it beind about super heroes and from the makers of 300..i found it as a stand alone film compeling and well made. The only point i would make is that certain scenes i felt came very close to the mark and made me really awkward... most of all the attempted rape scene with the comedian..but i dont fault the film for that simply wasnt expecting it i guess.

4 stars from the Gidmeister.

 

[Gizmo-5]

Linky to my favourite scene

cookie for the first person to spot a davinci reference

 

[oobermybeer]

blue penis... carry on

[responsible edit] :

loved how the characters where ll flawed, noe where im a superhero pew pew, loves the art style, love the story, ginger was awesome, but the sex was unnecessary, if i want to see sex in movies i can go online and download something creepy and from the 80's

 

[Traxata]

blue penis... carry on

[responsible edit] :

loved how the characters where ll flawed, noe where im a superhero pew pew, loves the art style, love the story, ginger was awesome, but the sex was unnecessary, if i want to see sex in movies i can go online and download something creepy and from the 80's

Or you could accidentally start walking through the backstreets of SoHo like I may have managed to do trying to walk from Trafalgar Square, to London Bridge......

 

[oobermybeer]

as gizmo will testify, we have a lady of the night at the end of our road, she has propositoned us many times, when gunboatdiplomat and i passed her she said want any buisness, and he looks at her apologetically and says, in a perfect british accsent, im sorry iv left my buisness portfolio at home, please excuse me.....

 

[Skcornnelg]

I thought it was tough going in parts, mostly the first hour. Some people left the cinema about halfway in :/ I think very few people I know would enjoy it, especially casual movie-goer's.

Really enjoyed the story and how they kept it in an alternative 80's. Never read the original. Rorschach was the stand out character (and actor) for me.

Realised fairly early that the actress that plays Silk Spectre (the younger) was in The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller so found it a bit hard to take her seriously.

Anyway, 3/5.

There were a couple I could have left out for not liking them, particular Leonard Cohen, but all in all a striking and well placed set.

I really dislike this version and I also thought it felt completely out of place.

 

[waterproofbob]

Having watched it again yesterday I had 2 thoughts. The first was that the sex scene is in fact the most out of place scene of any film ever. The second was that the sound track other than the sex scene was actually awesome. The issue was that they were taking a lot of 20 second bursts of tracks were orchestral filler would have been more appropriate. Awesome music just some not picked at the right times in the film.

I did actually enjoy it more this time as I was able to sleep through the sex scene and enjoy everything else even more.

Rorschach is still awesome in so many ways.