I have no qualms with admitting that I'm a geek. And you must therefore understand that I had set in my mind that I would see The Watchmen sometime during opening weekend.
No, I did not see it opening night. For those of you familiar with my spending habits, you know that $20 for 2 tickets seems ridiculously rich for my blood type. Instead, Joseph and I ventured to Renton's Landing for a glimpse at the cinematized graphic novel on Saturday afternoon for a mere $8 per ticket.
Before I venture into my review of the film, I shall attempt to explain the significance - from a very high level - of The Watchmen to you who have attempted to ignore the hype. (By the way, if you have, congrats.)
The Watchmen is a graphic novel created by Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins.
Graphic novel: a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex story line similar to those of novels.
In short, this graphic novel deconstructed the superhero archetype by analyzing superheroes' respective impacts in the 1940's and 1960's. Moore, in his alternate history, went so far as to consider how superheroes - had they actually existed in the history of the United States - might have affected World War II and the Cold War, especially Vietnam. The result is a sometimes gritty and altogether fascinating look into the psyches of people who don't quite seem like a superheroes from day to day but who somehow have that ability - if they so choose - to emerge from their own depths to become forces with which to be reckoned.
Enough with the synopsis, how did the unfilmable movie fare?
Let me first say that the hype did it no favors. As with the sequels to The Matrix I think it is fair to say this fell somewhat flat (though certainly not as flat as those sequels). It is, after all, rated R and deals with a dark and complex subject at a time when people don't necessarily want to see dark and complex movies. In addition, it is a geek's movie poorly garbed as a blockbuster. Not to denigrate the geeks that spent a combined $55 million to see it this weekend, mind you, but The Watchmen has never been a mainstream phenomenon. In fact, it seems rather paradoxical that the people who tried to bring this graphic novel - a study in being a complete outcast - to cinema would even attempt to make it a blockbuster. Instead, I think it might have lent itself much better to independent film making. But then it would have been unfilmable because there would have been no budget. Irony of ironies.
That said, I personally enjoyed this film similarly to the way I enjoyed - not surprisingly - V for Vendetta (another Alan Moore comic). As with V there is a layer beneath the daily lives we live. A layer - almost prayerful - asking each of us how we live and why. And I think this movie captured that sentiment. It also interwove the story lines rather well, though did not - as I've been told - do justice to the novel. Does a movie ever really?
The acting?
Billy Crudup in his generated - fully nude - Dr. Manhattan body was somewhat bland. Though expected of the character, it just seemed as though another could have betrayed the emotion a tad better.
Patrick Wilson did Nite Owl justice; I enjoyed watching a 'superhero' who seemed afraid of his own shadow.
Matthew Goode - Ozymandias - was dull and trite. The development of his character seemed rather choppy and even, at times, disconnected.
Malin Akerman - the Silk Spectre - came off too much like a confused prostitute in her black and yellow latex.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - The Comedian - played his part well. A sad and sordid character, he was able to convey The Comedian's love and hate for the world. A perfect clown, if you take my meaning.
And finally, Rorshach - played by Jackie Earle Haley (of The Bad News Bears fame) - blew everyone else away. I suppose it's easier to play a character that does not compromise, that remains rather static from beginning to end. But he did. And he did it well.
Overall, the movie proved a bit choppy. So much exposition. Necessary since we don't know these characters nearly as well as Batman, Superman, Spiderman, or the X-Men. Also necessary since the graphic novel deals more with their thoughts and development than their actions. But too much for a mainstream audience.
Worth watching? From my perspective, yes. For the special effects, go see a matinee. If special effects don't mean as much to you, wait for the DVD. And then, if you're a geek like me, buy it and watch it over and over again to understand the nuances. If you're not a geek like me, rent it through Netflix, determine whether you're a closet geek, and move forward with your life.
Until next I write...
"No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise."
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