FA+
Shop
Watchmen ***Spoilers***
16 years ago
Saw Watchmen... it was pretty faithful but it couldn't help, well, being a movie. Not a bad thing honestly. But yeah, it can't be the comic cause simply making it a film changes things.
I recommend that if you think you would like to see it then you should probably see it. It's worth it. I have rather mixed feeling on it but I still suggest giving it a shot.
Cough... um Spoilers some thoughts I had. I don't think I could write a real review so you get some random "I liked this" and "I didn't like that" stuff.
*
*SPOLIERS*
*
The opening slow motion photo/history montage was really awesome.
I liked the music in the movie.
I didn't like the placement of the music in the movie. Music leaped out and barraged you like it was trying to mug you rather then just setting the tone.
I am just not moved by slow motion violence. I like violence that's sharp and quick; creepy in it's sudden cruelty. Watchmen was not that. It was like watching a movie set in the 80's but made with the gore film sensibilities of the 2000's. Lovingly slowing down the motion to lingeringly display the violence doesn't make it more extreme.
Pacing was weird. I'm guessing they cut out a lot of stuff and well the movie has an odd feel. I may be too sensitive though, grain of salt.
I liked seeing them show the normal superhero guys doing super things in believable ways. The scenes at the beginning with Rorschach were really good at doing that.
Dr. Manhattan's voice works really well. It makes him much more creepy to have a soft voice rather than a deep powerful one or a weird god like voice.
Rorschach's voice didn't work that well for me... I think to new Batman has killed the "I'm affecting a deep voice that I can't really pull off" thing. I got use to it as the movie went on but I didn't even really comprehend the opening monologue of Rorschach's because of the voice.
They changed the ending, which I didn't like that much and I felt shifted the theme... to something rather different.
They still blow up New York, which was awesome.
They tried very hard to keep things looking the way they did in the comic. I respect that a lot.
It sort of doesn't feel like the 80's though. I think they updated some of the costumes a little and I kept think Jim Lee was drawing the main girls outfit which put my mind squarely in the 90's... don't know.
I didn't buy several emotion scenes at all... because they made no logical sense with how they got changed. They shifted some of them around slightly and I don't know, the pacing wasn't helping. The movie reads as flat. All shiny exterior with a luke warm core but oh it's very pretty.
I like the Rorschach of blood in the snow at the end...
The sex scenes were really long and bad. Sorry.
Dr. Manhattan's dick was hanging out... and boy was he nude. It was awesome Heh. I is twelve. =D
*
*
*
There's more sort of nit picky things but well it's a film of a comic. I still think it's worth watching if only cause all the other people in my group liked it and apparently I have a heart made of stone and stuff. HA! Whatever. =D
I recommend that if you think you would like to see it then you should probably see it. It's worth it. I have rather mixed feeling on it but I still suggest giving it a shot.
Cough... um Spoilers some thoughts I had. I don't think I could write a real review so you get some random "I liked this" and "I didn't like that" stuff.
*
*SPOLIERS*
*
The opening slow motion photo/history montage was really awesome.
I liked the music in the movie.
I didn't like the placement of the music in the movie. Music leaped out and barraged you like it was trying to mug you rather then just setting the tone.
I am just not moved by slow motion violence. I like violence that's sharp and quick; creepy in it's sudden cruelty. Watchmen was not that. It was like watching a movie set in the 80's but made with the gore film sensibilities of the 2000's. Lovingly slowing down the motion to lingeringly display the violence doesn't make it more extreme.
Pacing was weird. I'm guessing they cut out a lot of stuff and well the movie has an odd feel. I may be too sensitive though, grain of salt.
I liked seeing them show the normal superhero guys doing super things in believable ways. The scenes at the beginning with Rorschach were really good at doing that.
Dr. Manhattan's voice works really well. It makes him much more creepy to have a soft voice rather than a deep powerful one or a weird god like voice.
Rorschach's voice didn't work that well for me... I think to new Batman has killed the "I'm affecting a deep voice that I can't really pull off" thing. I got use to it as the movie went on but I didn't even really comprehend the opening monologue of Rorschach's because of the voice.
They changed the ending, which I didn't like that much and I felt shifted the theme... to something rather different.
They still blow up New York, which was awesome.
They tried very hard to keep things looking the way they did in the comic. I respect that a lot.
It sort of doesn't feel like the 80's though. I think they updated some of the costumes a little and I kept think Jim Lee was drawing the main girls outfit which put my mind squarely in the 90's... don't know.
I didn't buy several emotion scenes at all... because they made no logical sense with how they got changed. They shifted some of them around slightly and I don't know, the pacing wasn't helping. The movie reads as flat. All shiny exterior with a luke warm core but oh it's very pretty.
I like the Rorschach of blood in the snow at the end...
The sex scenes were really long and bad. Sorry.
Dr. Manhattan's dick was hanging out... and boy was he nude. It was awesome Heh. I is twelve. =D
*
*
*
There's more sort of nit picky things but well it's a film of a comic. I still think it's worth watching if only cause all the other people in my group liked it and apparently I have a heart made of stone and stuff. HA! Whatever. =D
'Bout everything you said is similar to my perceptions of it.... But I liked it. Felt cuts though. Very interested in that Director's Cut... about 50 more minutes of footage. Wow.
I'm not sure how the director's cut is going to go but I'll be interested in seeing what they do. I also hear there's going to be a even longer version then the director's cut version. =/
The Even longer one is about.. 5-ish minutes of the newsstand, as I understand, as well as putting in The Tales of the Black Freighter.
But.. I'm curious. I'm pretty sure that the extra footage in directors cut may solve some of those pacing issues, at least.
and the honda insight at the end was great
What I do like is the casting, because I believe that not only did they match everyone very well in the physical manner, but the actors pulled off their roles, heh, extremely well. John was spacey, bored and all knowing; Rorschach was grisly, short, and calculatingly malicious; Night Owl was a decently shy but well built geek; and the Comedian, oh the Comedian, fuck and a half that guy nailed the part.
"Wait, did they just insinuate that god is a lie cause Dr Manhattan is a like a god and it's a lie that he rained vengeance on our cities and now we must unite against a fake god that is fake vengeful... does that mean they are insinuating that religion is just a scam to keep us all in line????" My friends just stare and stare at me.
"Oh, so it's just me, eh?" Friends back away slowly.
I'm just saying... it changed the ending for me. =/
But, again, the movie industry has to pander to the attention span and intelligence of the majority.
Jon's voice completely threw me off at first, but looking back with your reasoning... yeah, it really kind of does fit his character. It seems to do so because it, well, doesn't fit at all.
And they took out one of my favorite lines, when Dan says it's hard to be Rorschach's friend :C
Not knowing anything about watchmen I didn't know what I was in for at all and if I had, I don't think I would have gone to see it.
I found the characters to be hard to like in their own ways, in the end I didn't care less wether they lived or died. The gore level was higher than I tolerate and I spent a good amount of the movie watching the wall instead of the screen. (I get nightmares easily)
Best part?
Floppy blue penis for the win!
LOL, yeah the blue penis was an amusing surprise. I was really amazed they had it on screen so much since I was sort of expecting them to wimp out on the nudity.
on the subject of rorschach's voice..yeeeeaa..i thought it was ok. Maybe not what i would expect since he was described as being a man "with no emotions what-so-ever" he certainly had alot of rage in his voice. He was probably one of the more interesting characters tho.
on the subject of dr.blue dong .....they did kinda limit his dongs screen time for the first half of the movie and when it did make its appearance it was mostly static. this made me giggle and also think maybe they choose not to animate it but sudden at the end of the movie he's walking and that thing just starts flopping around. I loled on the inside
/rant
(They cut so much of Jon's rambling about atoms and particles and stuff that it would have seemed kind of silly to bother with explaining why he chose his symbol, so I don't TERRIBLY mind that omission.)
And it was so terribly obvious that the sex scene was there only because they were still trying to sell the film as SHOCKING and CONTROVERSIAL while removing most of the canonical 'controversial' material such as the gay rights stuff, the newspapers firing back and forth about communism and the American Way, etc.
but i don't hate the people who made the film. They did good considering the fact they had to worry about those who NEVER HEARD OF WATCHMEN. It probably would've been too complicated or whatever. Not calling anyone stupid or anything >_>
But I still liked the movie alot. :) I usually don't squirm over superhero movie, but this one was different.
You're completely right about the sex scene though, and of course scoring it with a song we haven't seen on film since Shreck made it that much more uncomfortable.
Hearing everyone gasp or giggle every time Dr. Manhattan's glowing blue penis shifted a bit was very fun. I think that was something a lot of movie-goers weren't expecting. I delight how sensitive most people are to casual penis danglin'.
Also like how they (the makers of the film) envisioned the Comedian fighting off the "burglar"
I didn't really care for the sex scenes either
I also liked Dr. Manhattan's voice and how he was so calm and serene when he spoke. He was so indifferent, and the whole "Air turn into Gold" thing made me giggle and think "awww, Dr. Manhattan's being all sweet in a super genius godlike way"
Naked Blue Man FTW. "OMG Blue penis. oh noes" rofl Please, people grow up
My favorite music sequence was at the Comedian's funeral. Perfect song for it
Yes, Rorschach snow blood was cool.
The actors and actresses were visually perfect for the characters. Thank GOD they didn't pick any big shot actors and actresses, otherwise they'd face disappointment.
I didn't like the ending either. Seemed like too much "dramaticness" was put into it. They should've kept it short and not drag it on.
They did change some things around, but considering it they did good. I mean you gotta face a bigger group of people who never even HEARD of Watchmen before the film came out vs. those who read the comic and knows all about the characters and plot (like myself. I bought the comic last year after seeing the preview watching Dark Knight). What they changed bothered me, I noticed the changes so quick and it bugged the heck outta me while i was watching the film. But my bro and dad loved the film (they never heard of the comic), so it proves that they did a good job or whatever.
I thought Rorschach's voice was good, and not trying to attack you or anything. He was kickass, too :)
Sorry this is too long >_>