From the moviehouse that brought you the awesomeness of last summer's The Dark Knight, and from the mind of British graphic novel writer Alan Moore (V For Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) comes a film of vivid color and sound, Warner Brother's latest unimaginable feat of cinematic wonder, Watchmen!!!
Okay, so perhaps that was a bit too strong of an opener, but let us be honest, right now one has to be on a desert island, not to have heard of the tale of Watchmen, the most celebrated of graphic novels, to be published in the latter half of the 20th century.
Watchmen Brief Synopsis
It is 1985, the Cold War still rages on, Richard Nixon is on his fourth term, and the Doomsday Clock is at about five minutes to midnight. The setting is New York City, and superheroics has been outlawed by presidential decree, via the Keene Act.
A retired crimefighter, a large, muscular, bitter man known as The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is murdered, savagely beaten by an unknown assailant, then thrown out the window of his 30th floor high-rise apartment.
As the police suspects a botched robbery, one of The Comedian's old teammates, a vigilante known as Rorschach (Oscar nominee Jackie Earl Haley, Little Children) suspects much worse: someone is knocking off ex-superheroes, one by one.
As he seeks out more clues, from both old archnemeses and former colleagues, Rorschach unravels a much more dangerous conspiracy at hand, one which might change the world --- or destroy it. It is up to him and his fellow ex-teammates to solve this mystery before it's too late to save a world that has resented those who would save them...
Watchmen Overall Analysis
Seriously...where to start? Well, for one thing, Zack Snyder's third go at the director's chair shows him to be not only a capable filmmaker, but an adept adapter of published works, in the celluloid flesh.
Having successfully remade a classic horror film (Dawn of the Dead) and then launched a full fledged visual attack on graphic novelist Frank Miller's visceral Spartan epic 300, it was highly debatable as to whether such a young sophomoric director would succeed, where so many other, more seasoned filmmakers previously failed to translate this seemingly 'unfilmable' project.
Well, suffice to say that Zack Snyder's reputation as a capable helmer has just been cemented ten feet deep. Not only does he faithfully follow the 1986 comic book's 12-issue series down to a tee (with some slight changes for better story flow, including a forgivable tweak to the ending, all for the best), he manages to make the viewer forget, at least for the considerable (but all the more entertaining) 2 hour and 41 minute running time, that he/she is watching a comic book adaptation (err...the accepted term nowadays is graphic novel, Gentle Readers).
Starring a cast of relatively low-key actors, Watchmen efficaciously conveys the sense of duty possessed by each character's alter ego, in a world going slowly mad in the face of nuclear armaggeddon.
In addition to the aforementioned Comedian and Rorschach, other members of the old Watchmen team also include Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), daughter of a previous crime fighter known as Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino); Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), another successor to a previous crime fighter of the same name (though no relation exists there other than friendship); Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), a self-made billionaire dubbed "The Smartest Man on Earth"; finally, Jon Osterman, aka Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a 1950's U.S. military scientist, who is reborn into a blue hued super being of near omnipotent potential, after having been disintegrated by an "intrinsic field" device.
Clever Direction From Zack Snyder
Lost yet? Worry not, Zack Snyder's clever direction, along with clever editing and flashbacks (not to mention one of the most informative opening montages in recent times), easily and effortlessly brings non-believers up to speed, ensuring that a bloody good crime fighting time is had by all.
Readers take note: this film's 'R' rating is much deserved, and therefore children should not see this movie for the foreseeable future, as it contains considerable graphic violence, some implied nudity, and the usual coarse language associated with violent films. Just because some of the good guys wear capes, doesn't mean they're not above breaking limbs and pulverizing villains into blood stains on the wall.
That being said, mature viewers should enjoy the excellent result of much labor, and forget themselves in this, one of the most escapist pieces of fiction in recent times. Come for the bang and explosions, stay for the inspired soundtrack, courtesy of some of the biggest names in 60's, 70's, and 80's music.
The next feat of strength will be to see what Snyder's next project will be. Having conquered this untamable Hollywood sci-fi beast, who knows what superpowers this filmmaker will display next.
9 out of 10, for knocking this one out of the ballpark, both visually and audibly, and by remaining faithful to the source material, thus cajoling millions upon millions of loyal fans. A bona fide blockbuster.
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