Watchmen

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Watchmen

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Watchmen

Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode

When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorshach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.

Id: 10938316

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Watchmen Recent Reviews
  • magnum32004
    April 11, 2009
    magnum32004
    Truly a powerful superhero movie that's darker than "The Dark Knight" and more thrilling than any other superhero movie in recent memory.
  • AgentLexi2132
    January 5, 2010
    AgentLexi2132
    "Watchmen. One of us died tonight. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows."

    When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorschach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.

    Malin Akerman: Laurie J

    ...( read more)upiter / Silk Spectre II

    Zack Snyder's Watchmen is not your average graphic novel adaptation. Unlike with 300, which was short and sharp and shallow and easy to adapt, the original Watchmen is incredibly dense and, as written, un-filmable. So Snyder did something very clever - he didn't even try. What he did instead was to take the world of Watchmen and rebuild it in a way which made a virtue of this new medium (film) rather than try to cram the graphic novel into a cinematic form.

    Nowhere is this approach more obvious than in the film's title sequence. A wonderfully composed collage of images depicts scenes from the universe of Watchmen in a way which is only possible in the movies. In this way, we are subconsciously introduced to a world where costumed heroes are a part of everyday culture and brought, in a stylish and fluid way, from the original days of the Minutemen to those of the Watchmen. This introduction is perfectly executed, and is indicative of the heights which the Watchmen movie is perfectly capable of achieving but not quite capable of sustaining.

    "The only person with whom I felt any kinship with died three hundred years before the birth of Christ. Alexander of Macedonia, or Alexander the Great, as you know him."

    Watchmen is a brave film for a major studio to make and without a doubt it would not exist in its present form without the success of 300. It is incredibly dark (both in tone as well as shooting style) with events that would be anathema to any other superhero story. The less you know about the story, the better, so there will be no spoilers here but suffice to say Watchmen's version of a happy ending is a far cry from the Hollywood norm.

    Snyder's brings his unique approach to action to bear on Watchmen, expanding on the action scenes in the comic without making it feel too redundant. His efforts are ably supported by the incredibly game cast, excellent cinematography and near perfect visual effects - this film is incredible to look at but also manages to create an entire world in a way which most superhero stories never do. The attention to detail in even the smallest scenes is commendable and the dense flashback structure means the same attention is paid to the presentation of full and complex characters.

    "Rorschach's Journal: November 12th 1985. Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!' And I'll whisper 'no'."

    Snyder has made a film which is gorgeous to look at, agreeably violent, well written, wonderfully designed and features some of the best small scale action sequences ever committed to celluloid. But, naturally, not everything is perfect. Most of the performances are excellent, with a cast of relative unknowns who manage to distinguish themselves despite constantly competing with overbearing effects and design. Patrick Wilson, in particular, does great work with a difficult role as Nite Owl, while Jackie Earle Hayley is blistering as Rorschach. Unfortunately in a film which could have done with a strong female presence, neither Carla Gugino nor Malin Ackerman make much of an impression, despite having quite a lot of screen time. Synder's musical cues are another bone of contention - often pushing the tone of the film into the realm of parody. And the ending... well let's just say it cheapens the experience in search of the lowest common denominator and the whole package suffers. On a related note, neither of the stories major revelations are handled that well. These moments were genuinely shocking in the graphic novel but are almost glossed over in the film.

    Don't get the wrong impression, Watchmen is a good film, sometimes a great film. Snyder has managed to make a movie which is a terrifically well balanced compromise between accessibility and fidelity. That anyone can sit down in the cinema and experience a distillation of the Watchmen universe in just 163 minutes is a marvel. It does not deliver the depth of feeling and connection of the novel but that is more a matter of the differences in the media than a failure on the part of the film.

    On its own merits, Zack Synder's Watchmen is a dark and twisted tale peopled with complex characters whose motivations are not obvious even to themselves. It is a solid film, sometimes rising into the extraordinary, and deserves to be successful. This is not Alan Moore's Watchmen but it is a competent extension of the universe into another medium and a worthy cinema-going experience.

    "It doesn't take a genius to see the world has problems."
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    January 1, 2010
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    This is arguably my favorite film based on a comic or graphic novel to date. A masterpiece, and an early contender for best film of 2009.





    *extensive review coming soon.
  • ironclad1609
    December 28, 2009
    ironclad1609
    The long anticipated movie version of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel is nothing less than a new reference work about how close and true to the source a movie can be. I dunno how people who haven't read the graphic novel will digest all this, but having read it almost two year...( read more)s ago, I remembered it rather well and hardly missed anything from the comic. A lot of love went into the making of this film: The costumes, the set ups, the casting, it all felt as if I was browsing through the pages again. The actors were well picked and gave great performances, especially Haley is the perfect Rorschach.
    There is nudity, there is violence on the Sin City level (with the difference that this here feels like the real world and is accordingly more shocking), it feels as if the studio didn't interfere at all, and I can't remember when I ever thought that about a movie. I absolutely loved the choice of music, the title sequence was one of the greatest of movie history. Sure, there isn't much action in the first half, the movie takes its time introducing the characters, their situations and relationships, especially in the extended cut. But that's true to the book, too. That may make the movie a little slow at times, so everyone should realize this is for grown ups who like characters, not a random superhero action flick. But everyone who thought The Dark Knight was deep (well, I agree), check the depth of this and get lost in it. I can't think of one negative thing to say about the film. As far as adult comic adaptations go, this is a masterpiece of epic proportions.
  • vierasesine
    December 27, 2009
    vierasesine
    I was not half as impressed by this film as I felt I should have been. The first hour or so was too incoherent and anyway I think there was enough material to turn this into two separate films instead of this one huge chunk of a movie.
  • koolestshuffle
    January 6, 2010
    koolestshuffle
    Decent superhero movie, great effects and costume. True to the graphic novel - I was impressed.
  • manishboy
    January 6, 2010
    manishboy
    Say what you will about this one. I liked it!
  • Wanicola
    January 5, 2010
    Wanicola
    Da un grande fumetto un grandissimo film che mette in risalto il lato umano dei super eroi
  • QuietRebel33
    January 5, 2010
    QuietRebel33
    Great superhero film. i have to give it a 4 because it was very dragged out. Amazing visual effects.
  • earindis
    January 5, 2010
    earindis
    Great one! Simply enjoyed it form the beginning to the end :)
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