DISQUS

postprandial_sx · 8 months ago

It was definitely a great movie for style, mood, effects and how close it stuck to the original material. I'm not quite sure it worked as a movie though, too much in one sitting and missing detail the film needs. I think Gilliam had it right when he said it should be done in a series.

I did prefer the alternate ending, I'm not sure how the one from the comic would have come across on film.

tower · 8 months ago

overall the film was great; the visual effects were great, the story was great, the angle of the shots were great, the sex was great, lol, my point? The movie was great.
Rorschach was the effin man although I would have wanted to see him *SPOILER* kill more people at the jail
Can't answer the second question because the fact is I haven't read the graphic novel but the guy above me says it does despite the change of ending? But with that I can answer the last question people who haven't read the graphic novel can enjoy the movie like I did without reading a single page of the Novel but they need to go in to have a great story told and not go in expecting a popcorn flick
The grade I give is an A because of an amazing story well told and amazing effects
-Tower

Kangaroo Be Stoned · 8 months ago

I'm not a fan of the comic's ending at all. I should be seeing the film tonight, so I'll reserve judgement on the film's ending until then.

Film School · 8 months ago

I'll be back tonight with my reviews..but am sure its going to be kick ass

Josh_Radde · 8 months ago

The original soundtrack was good, but there is no excuse for how horrible those song selections were and at what moments they popped up. Along the Watchtower heading into the final showdown...really? The pace was so slow and the actors were so monotoned that it just became hard to not laugh at how seriously they took themselves. Where was the energy? Cinematography and special effects were brilliant, but Snyder could benefit from actually telling a STORY as opposed to just showing us small vignettes that build to a disappointing climax. That's all for now. But I was heartily disappointed, and if you want to have an intelligent debate about it, let me know.

Neil Miller · 8 months ago

You thought the pace was slow? Interesting. I thought the exact opposite. It was incredibly well paced for such a heavy, meaty film.

Also, I will agree on some of the music selection -- there were some moments that didn't feel right. The only other thing that bothered me a bit was the understatement of the 'world in peril', which was a byproduct of the removal of a lot of the sub-stories (news stand, etc). Other than that I thought it was incredibly well done.

Josh_Radde · 8 months ago

But that's what I mean. There seemed to be no stakes. I never once thought that any of the heroes were in any real danger. Also, it's inexcusably long. Do we need every character's background to know this is why they are the way they are? I thought the movie had little touches of brilliance, but I think the overall story lacked clarity and the fault for that lies with Snyder. Tonally, the movie was all over the place, taking itself way too seriously at some points and not seriously enough at others. The whole jail sequence was ridiculous--what did we learn about Rorshack or anyone else for that matter? Compounded by the fact that this sequence takes place 2 hours into the film, yet it's only a small diversion standing in the protagonist's way.

I have a degree of respect for a director who wants to bring a graphic novel so many people love to life--and in doing so transcribes some amazing art work into some pretty compelling visuals--but what's "heavy" or "meaty" about it? I understand the themes, but the story itself was very uninteresting. This was very much like Sin City in that it was pleasing to the eyes but ultimately pretty shallow.

And 25+ shots of Dr. Manhattan's cock? After awhile everyone in the audience just started laughing, especially when he was meditating, hovering with his ass cheeks spread wide. And that takes you out of the movie, especially during scenes when it's supposed to be serious. Manhattan's cock was the cinematic equivalent of Bale's grizzled Batman voice...it works on paper, but in translation to film it does not make sense.

RobertFure · 8 months ago

All Along the Watchtower is in the Graphic Novel and used pretty much the same way, if I recall, so that one is a gripe against Alan Moore. Whether or not you liked how they fit into the movie, you've got to admit its an awesome mix tape.

RPaine · 8 months ago

I'm a watchmen poser by FSR definition (I only read the first 20 pages or so of the comic book), and I found this movie to be incredibly enjoyable. Every character was portrayed with care, and every shot had something visually striking about it that sent shivers up my spine. I also loved how it spared no expenses; it was gritty, bloody and downright dark all throughout. I will definitely being seeing this again, despite the length...probably today.

codeBLUE · 8 months ago

I think the review on this site puts it best: "This is the best Watchmen movie there could ever be." Not that it's flawless or perfect, but no other director could have achieved anything close to this besides Zack Snyder.

RobertFure · 8 months ago

There is a little bit of a difference between a funky tiger and 1200 foot tall squid. I think the squid would have looked out of place and required more exposition explaining that Veidt was doing all sorts of genetic manipulation and was faking an alien invasion.

_Christopher_M · 8 months ago

I guess so still the tiger felt out of place just as much as the squid would have...I heard a few people actually laugh when it was on screen

Adam_Sweeney · 8 months ago

I think not using the squid is a great move on Snyder's part. It effectively ties Dr. Manhattan into the scheme of things and maintains a thread of reality, which is crucial for this film.

_Christopher_M · 8 months ago

oh I'm not saying the squid should have been in...it was just odd that the tiger was

Tenika · 8 months ago

So I knew nothing about the graphic novel beforehand (sorry) but now I absolutely want to read it. I thought the film was visually stunning and some of the effects were amazing, but I gotta go with Josh up top. I don't know if it was because I went to the midnight showing and had to get up for work the next morning but I thought the movie was a bit too long. That said I really enjoyed the movie and will definitely see it again. Oh and Rorschach will definitely be the name of my first born son. He fucking rocks!

DMuff · 8 months ago

Well I just got done seeing it. It was a great film, I haven't read the graphic novel but I was able to easily keep up with all the events. Obviously I want to get a second view on it and more so in IMAX.

Josh_Radde · 8 months ago

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears playing in Veidt's office? "Sounds of Silence" at the funeral? "Hallelujah" during a sex scene? Bob Dylan's "The Time's They Are-a Changin'" to illustrate how....well you get it. Very distracting and Snyder should've known that the songs would elicit a shift in the tone.

Adam_Sweeney · 8 months ago

I agree. I hated the soundtrack. 99 Red Balloons? Yeah, I get the whole paranoia theme. I feel that a musical score like The Dark Knight had, one that contained recurring themes for each character, would have been better suited.

Fure, Moore used the lyrics to songs at the end of each chapter if I recall correctly. "All Along the Watchtower was cool."The butchering of "Hallelujah"? No, sir.

Matt · 8 months ago

I totally agree. I can swallow down 'The Times Are A Changin' but Hallelujah? Im starting to think Robert Fure's review was inaccurate when he said 'This is the best Watchmen film anyone could have made' Because I was alittle more disappointed than please with this.

nicky_cavella · 8 months ago

in the graphic novel when ROARSHACH had his mask off his voice was differ you cant tell by the bubble text but when he puts it on its all raspy in the film it was raspy even without his mask.

i would give it a B- for source material and an A- for the film.

Matt · 8 months ago

Funny. I woulda given it a A- for source material and a B- for the film.

_Christopher_M · 8 months ago

I felt the pace moved well....it was as faithful as it could be..although I don't understand why there couldn't be a squid if Ozzy's purple tiger made it in the movie...I don't think they even explain where it came from....Akerman wasn't as bad as people are making her out to be...everyone did a great job overall...it's true though it's hard to take everything with just one viewing...hopefully I'll be able to find a theater with better seats next time so I'm not distracted by being uncomfortable ....Haley was the perfect Rorschach and couldn't have been done better....I really hope they don't try to make a sequel

tower · 8 months ago

how could you tell his voice sounds different or not if it's just a bunch of text wouldn't that be up the the reader unless states otherwise in the novel

Ps I have never read the novel I'm just asking

Juanitothegreat · 8 months ago

I had way too much to say about this movie.

I just wrote a review on my blog. You can check it out if you are so inclined.

swisschez · 8 months ago

the biggest thing that upset me was the music/song choices. as was mentioned, i found them incredibly extraneous and annoying. they completely ruin the mood of each scene especially the "sounds of silence" track at the cemetary and "all along the watchtower" between niteowl 2/rorschach travelling to antarctica. i really think this movie couldve been better with some original scoring pieces that better fit the moods. other than that, another thing i was a bit disappointed in was the absence of Hollis Mason's murder....wonder why Snyder left it out....

other than out i thought it was quite a strong film but i think one must read the graphic novel beforehand to get the full effect. theres only so much the movie could cover without extending the run time any further. for those who havent seen it....find THE GRAPHIC NOVEL FIRST. you'll get more bang for your buck.

ajc19 · 8 months ago

i thought it was the best movie they could have made from the novel. a great film for fans of the book (like me) and a good one for those who haven't. i also think they chose well on which parts to leave out - eg. ozymandias life story.

i normally hate it when classics are messed around with, but like a lot of people, i actually preferred the ending in the film. it gave manhattan more of a reason to leave, which was originally a bit of a downer in the book, plus monster would of looked crap, needed boring explanation and woudn't of suited the rest of the movie.

best bit = rorschach "you're stuck in here with me!!"

fracaso · 8 months ago

the scene where hollis gets killed was taken out because they needed to shorten the movie a bit, and they felt that was the only scene that could be taken out without screwing up the rest of the story. It is, however, in the director's cut, which might get a theatrical release!

HarleyQ917 · 8 months ago

Great movie for any comic book fan. Can get lost if not paying enough attention. So much bouncing around from story to story. I never read the book but looking forward to reading it now. I thought the story was kind of strange , it pulls away from some parts. But over all, i enjoyed. Looking forward to the blu ray! Rorschach...Man You Rocked!

Libbie_Boyd · 8 months ago

It was interesting, one of my so-far favorite films of 2009, but watching it with your 45-year old mom and 13-year old brother can bring some awkwardness into the mix with the explicit sex and voice (but a bony arm hanging from a ceiling is still f**king awesome!)

The soundtrack was really good minus the awfully done cover of Desolation Row by My Chemical Romance.

The characters and cast was really good and Zack Snyder definitely gets 2 thumbs up from me.

juanitothegreat · 8 months ago

I had way too much to say about this movie. So, I just wrote my "Review" on my blog.

Long story short. It was great. Maybe only okay based on the source material, but a great movie.

http://juanitothegreat.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/w...

Jacob · 8 months ago

poser lol

Matt · 8 months ago

I watched Watchmen yesterday. Great movie. It was REALLY long though. But hey it was still awesome. Im happy that everyone agreed that Rorschach was totally badass. What did I see when Dr Manhattan made Rorschach into an actual Rorschach on the snow? Snow Angel. People said they changed the ending a bit but its exactly the same thing with the same result. But there is two major things I hated. The actress who played Sally Jupiter was HORRIBLE. She was God awful. I just cant believe she was in the movie. Whos crotch did she grind to get that part? But the actress who played Silk Spectre 2 was pretty good despite what some people are saying. And the music. I dont think Alan Moore was listening to Hallelujah or Hendrix while writing Watchmen. But they had some songs that fit in pretty nicely. Thats my review.

Meli · 8 months ago

I'm agreeing with the misplacement of Hallelujah and 99 Red Balloons the songs were terribly distracting and unnecessary, but I was fine with the others. All Along the Watch Tower felt too easy...another song or hm, just a good old fashion score piece would have worked better.

Meli · 8 months ago

I completely enjoyed the movie and didn't hate anything, but had some trouble with the music. Even the songs that fit alright with the scenes the volume was too loud, so it took me out of the movie just a little bit. I think its a fair adaptation of the movie but the comic is still loads better, which is to be expected.

Aleric · 8 months ago

I will add in my 5 cents here. Liked the movie a lot, especially Jackie Earle Haleys portrayal of Rorschach which in my opinon was dead on. Was surprised to see that they showed a lot of the big blue naked guy. Have to agree with most here that the music selections were distracting at times. Some fit but most were not right for the scene they were chosen.

I do beleive that the final scene with the squid should have been included and given 5 minutes of set up time to show Oz's genetic manipulations.

All in all the actors did a good job in the roles they were cast. Sorry to all the Malin haters out there but I found her acting up to par, not to mention she looked good in and out of her costume.