Watchmen

Mar. 8th, 2009 09:31 pm
tommo: (Default)
[personal profile] tommo
Just a quick post to say I really liked it. A few dot points follow, cut for some light spoilers:

- I thought the casting was fantastic. I was genuinely amazed that there wasn't a single dud choice. In most adaptations, you're lucky to get one or two casting choices that make you go "Yes! That is a perfect fit!" For me, this movie had about half-a-dozen of them.

- I think the film's makers did an admirable job of translating the comic to the big screen, with some potentially controversial storyline changes that I think were made for the best.

- On that note, I really liked the ending. I think it was a smart way to retain the essence of the comic's ending via a more streamlined, easier-to-fit-into-160-mins approach that tied neatly back into the existing storyline, and was probably a little easier to digest for the average movie goer than the whole squid monster dealie. To be totally honest, I think I like the movie ending even more than the book ending, and from assorted messageboards and lj posts I've read, it seems I'm far from alone on that one.

- Unlike [livejournal.com profile] ataxi, I really liked the soundtrack, and found it did what they were obviously aiming for - it provided a sense of firmly tying the fiction to the alternate "real-life" history, which I totally bought into and thoroughly enjoyed, particularly the Bob Dylan backed opening sequence. That being said, I haven't seen Forrest Gump in its entirety, so perhaps the lack of that association is what saved it for me.

- I enjoyed the look of the film in general. It had that dulled, retro, noirish look that made it feel like you were watching pictures from old newspaper articles in live motion.

- [obligatory blue wang reference]

I need to re-read the book. Over the years my information retention from reading has improved from "fucking terrible" to "kinda bad but not too bad", and I last read it about 5 or 6 years ago, so other than major plot points I couldn't actually remember much. It did make watching the movie kind of interesting, though, having vague recollections reignited every 10 minutes or so.

Date: 2009-03-08 12:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] greteldragon.livejournal.com
- [obligatory blue wang reference]

I was about to worry, before I saw that line.

As a side note, when your grandma asks you about a movie you've watched, telling her 'it had a penis in it, that's about all I got out of it' is not a good response. I don't think she's going to go watch it now.

Date: 2009-03-08 01:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] marnielouise.livejournal.com
I read the graphic novel a couple of weeks ago and saw the movie yesterday. I thought it was fantastic, and I agree that the casting was spot on. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Date: 2009-03-08 01:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gemfyre.livejournal.com
I found myself listening to the Forrest Gump soundtrack today because the music in Watchmen reminded me of it. Similar stuff, similar eras. Great music.

About the only song that didn't fit was the end credits.

Date: 2009-03-08 02:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] greyreviews.livejournal.com
Nothing worthwhile to add since we seem to agree on everything there.

However, I discovered this on the net and it gave me some chuckles.

"Why would I save a world I no longer have any steak in?"
"Do it for meat."

Oh and incase you havent seen it, this is awesome:

http://gorillamask.net/gm_media.php?show_page=video&page_id=22238

Date: 2009-03-09 12:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tommmo.livejournal.com
I had already seen the Saturday Morning Watchmen thingy and it is indeed brilliant.

Date: 2009-03-08 02:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] angriest.livejournal.com
I hated it, and just posted some thoughts on my LJ.

I really hated (and this didn't make it into my post) the guy who played Veidt. He was terrible.

Date: 2009-03-09 12:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tommmo.livejournal.com
Hmmm, your post raises some fair points. I agree that Veidt's purple tiger was totally superfluous, but then again, having it there didn't really detract from the story at all, it was just a random addition. I guess we can consider it a gift to the fans that's mildly baffling to everyone else.

I was also a bit disappointed that they played up the "violence enjoyment" for Night Owl and Silk Spectre. They should indeed be the more restrained, boy-scouty characters to offset the rest of the cast's "whatever it takes" attitude.

And yes, that sex scene was kind of ridiculous. Although I'm still not entirely sure what kind of vibe they were going for. With the "flame thrower money-shot" at the end, it all felt awfully tongue-in-cheek.

Despite the handful of flaws, the film left me feeling immensely satisfied. I was constantly engaged by what was happening, and found that the movie flew by really quickly (it didn't feel like it was anywhere near 160 minutes long). I left the cinema feeling excited about what I'd just seen, and that's always a big plus for me.

I loved the guy who played Veidt. I was wary for the first couple of minutes he had on screen, but he won me over very quickly. I thought he played the part well. What didn't you like about him? The only way in which he felt especially different to the comic character to me was that they made him more obviously effeminate.

Date: 2009-03-09 12:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] angriest.livejournal.com
I am very interested in the film, because it's provoking very different reactions from different people. I found the first half excruciatingly slow and dull, for example, and a lot of the flashbacks didn't need to be there.

The guy playing Veidt just felt very wooden and flat to me. I always got the impression the guy was supposed to be overflowing with charisma, and I didn't get that from the movie version.

The sex scene is just horribly inconsistent in tone. The use of "Hallelujah" implies slow, serious heartfelt lovemaking, whereas the sex itself is relatively vigorous and kinky, and then the "money shot" is deliberate hilarity. It's like they couldn't decide with out of three approaches to take with the scene, and settled on all three in a row.

It's like shooting an action scene involving PG-rated Indiana Jones-style punch-ups, following by a guy getting his arm graphically shoved in a meat grinder on-screen, culminating in the hero slipping on a banana peel.

Date: 2009-03-09 01:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tommmo.livejournal.com
You've just described the best fight scene ever ;)

Date: 2009-03-11 02:12 pm (UTC)
ext_54569: starbuck (Default)
From: [identity profile] purrdence.livejournal.com
Metatron: God? Lonely. But funny. He's got a great sense of humor. Take sex for example. There's nothing funnier than the ridiculous faces you people make mid-coitus.

Date: 2009-03-09 01:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ataxi.livejournal.com
I've just developed a real problem with works that feature a proximity of stuff about Vietnam and foreboding 60s music, whether it be (as I think I mentioned elsewhere) All Along The Watchtower, or that fucking Buffalo Springfield song (there's something happening here / what it is ain't exactly clear). The Vietnam War was not about your fucking 60s music, idiots.

Other than that, basically liked the film as noted. Except that the violence was crap, both the general aesthetic and in places the way it played to the gaze of the audience, which was inappropriate to the overall moral tone. Don't agree with [livejournal.com profile] angriest's complaints about the screenplay not being adequately smooth and three-act etc., it seemed fine to me. A deservedly long film: around an hour in I took a moment to worry that the second half would be hopelessly abridged to fit the whole into two hours, but that fortunately wasn't the case.

Date: 2009-03-09 01:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tommmo.livejournal.com
That's a very fair point about Vietnam/60s music. Depending on the historical event being depicted onscreen, it's an admittedly cheap way of tying the fiction to the reality, but I think for the average movie goer it's a very effective and powerful one.

I was fine with the style of the violence (although it was very confronting), I just wish they'd made Night Owl and Silk Spectre more restrained - disabling or knocking out criminals rather than tearing them to ribbons, and doing with with just a little more effort required and not reveling in it quite so much.

I recall you saying in your post that by the end of the film you felt like any one of them could catch a bullet if they wanted to, and that's a good point.
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