By Jason Woods, News staff
‘Watchmen’ arrived in theatres a week ago after months of anticipation and fanfare from industry gawkers, comic aficionados and general audiences. Despite a $50 million-plus opening, the film debuted with more of a whimper than a bang, weighed down by unmet expectations and negative word-of-mouth.
Considered one of the best English language novels ever by TIME magazine, ‘Watchmen’ has long been considered the ‘unfilmable’ graphic novel. But for those familiar with the original source material, the movie is actually a faithful adaptation. Like he did with ‘300,’ director Zak Snyder has essentially filmed excerpts of the novel, with scenes and dialogue almost verbatim to the source.
Set in an alternate 1985, heroes really do run the Earth in ‘Watchmen.’ But not your traditional comic book superheros. Instead, they are powerless ‘- mostly just a bunch of losers trying to satisfy insecurity by dressing up in ridiculous costumes and pounding on ‘bad guys.’
There is one superhero however, the god-like Doctor Manhattan. Created in a lab explosion at the close of the ’50s, Manhattan is the ultimate deterrent to the Soviet Union. Here, the Cold War is still going on in ’85, but unlike contemporary history, the United States and Soviet Union are still involved in a strong detente, with nuclear war seemingly always on the verge.
A decade earlier, Manhattan used his vast powers to end the Vietnam War. Nixon used the ensuing wave of support (and the assassination of two intrepid reporters) to carry him into his current fifth term as president.
The film follows the few remaining costumed heroes investigating the murder of one of their own, as they uncover a vast conspiracy with far reaching implications.
Fans who have long waited for a faithful adaptation of ‘Watchmen’ got what they wanted. But this faithfulness, in fact, may hinder the film from reaching its potential. The opus is 12 long issues, full of narration and exposition. During the course of the series, which was published from 1985 to 1986, readers became invested in the characters and the events of the series. The same devotion and compassion is not felt for the film.
Audiences are presented with characters who seem to lack something. Aside from Rorshach, most of the characters don’t really evoke any emotion. As the film drags on, it eventually becomes hard to be concerned about the plot as well.
The film also suffers from two miscast characters, who corrupt the realism in what is otherwise an interesting narrative. The first is Matthew Goode, who’s interpretation of Ozymandias contrasts’ his portrayal in the comic books. Goode turns in a cold and aloof performance, as opposed to the charming intellectual of the comic books.
The second is Malin Akerman, who is beautiful, but it seems beauty is the only thing that casts her in film roles. Her voice is whiny, and her acting is the worst facet of the film.
Despite these problems, the film is still enjoyable, and does have redeemable qualities. The depiction of superheros and their raison d’etre is an interesting alternative to a post-‘Dark Knight’ film world. Though these themes of layered psyche and flawed morality speak more to the narrative weaved by Alan Moore, the writer of the Watchmen comic, the angst is still successfully translated to screen.
Finally, the ending, which was changed for the film, is superior to its comic counterpart. The original ending was the worst part of the comic book. It was confusing and too unrealistic, even for the comic book world. Snyder’s ending is more contemporary, and flows more smoothly with the world he’s created.
Ultimately Snyder has created a stylish noir film riddled with intense action and graphic scenes throughout that will entertain its primary audience. Sadly, it does little beyond that, and it won’t burden viewers long after viewing the film. The ‘Watchmen’ comic is considered by many to be the pinnacle achievement of the comic book medium, so we should have gotten a film that met the same standards for the comic book film. But that bar was set by ‘The Dark Knight,’ and ‘Watchmen’ falls very short.