It's been over twenty years since Hollywood first decided it wanted to adapt Watchmen into a film. Widely considered not only the best comic book but a work of supreme art and fiction, Watchmen confounded many of the best writers and directors the studios had to offer. Terry Gilliam deemed it 'unfilmable', and the likes of Paul Greengrass and Darren Aronofsky also failed in renewed attempts.
It seemed as though Watchmen would never make it to the silver screen, much to the delight of its creator, Alan Moore, who's already seen Hollywood butcher the likes of V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Then, in 2006, Warner Bros announced Zack Snyder, director of another comic-book turned film 300, would be directing Watchmen, working off a script penned by David Hayter. Watchmen was finally in production. All the fans could do now, was wait.
The Story of Watchmen
The Watchmen is set in 1980s America. The Cold War never ended and the prospect of nuclear war with the U.S.S.R seems inevitable. The story revolves around the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a masked vigilante who was part of a group known as the Watchmen, which is now disbanded. Another former member of the Watchmen, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), sets out to discover who killed The Comedian, and for what purpose.
There's a lot more to the Watchmen's story than that, but Rorschach's investigation of The Comedian's death is the focus of the film, anchoring it amidst all the other plot points. The story takes a detour to explain the origins of Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup), and for Daniel Dreiburg (Patrick Wilson) and Laurie Jupiter (Malin Akerman) to add a requisite love triangle. Many believed it to be impossible for a film based on the Watchmen to encompass all the comic book had to offer, and they were both right and wrong.
Is The Watchmen Film A Good Adaptation?
The Watchmen film is a faithful adaptation, loyal to the source material and desperate to include every major event. What this ends up doing is making some scenes less impactful than they were in the comic.
Rorschach's stint in prison is excellent, but his interview with a psychologist is nowhere near as compelling as it could have been. In the comic, Rorschach strips away the psychologist's idealism with his raw, cynical perspective on the world. In the film, he merely scares him.
But there's a lot to love about this film. It might just be the most violent comic film ever made. Bones snap through flesh, heads are smashed through kitchen surfaces, and bodies are splattered into a bloody mix of entrails and liquid flesh.
Snyder directs the action with a classy touch, imbuing each and every blow with a thunderous note and a dramatic angle. He's obviously a huge fan of the comic, and has gone to great lengths to make this film work. Some scenes are ripped straight from the comic, panel for panel, and there's something exhilirating about seeing it up on a huge screen, moving and talking.
The Actors Portraying The Watchmen
One difficulty film makers face when adapting a comic book is the high expectations its fans hold, especially towards the characters. Essentially, these fans have already given them voices and mannerisms, building on the still and silent frames.
The Watchmen characters, in particular, are well-liked and well-developed. They're deep, layered individuals with their own agendas, neither good nor bad in some cases, but lurking in the grey areas in-between.
Simply put, the casting choices for the likes of Rorschach, Dr Manhattan and Daniel Dreiburg are as near to perfect as any fan could hope for. Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorschach should help put him officially back on the map. (His Oscar nomination for Little Children didn't hurt, either). With a voice as gravelly as Christian Bale in the morning, he both delights and terrifies in equal measure. Billy Crudup, as Dr Manhattan, manages to imbue the 'superman' with an other-worldly personality, blank and seemingly benign, yet possessing god-like powers. He looks the part, too; the SFX team should be applauded for their work. Patrick Wilson's performance is more subtle, though no less excellent.
The other performances are a mixed bag. Malin Akerman does her job as Laurie Jupiter, but that's about it. Matthew Goode neither looks nor acts the part of Ozymandias very well, but his limited screen time means it has less of a detrimental effect on the film. The only problem with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's performance as The Comedian is that we don't get to see enough of him!
The Review of the Watchmen Film
It's been a long time coming, but the Watchmen film is finally a reality. It is neither a colossal failure nor a huge success, but is a faithful, enjoyable film in its own right. The fact is, so many have failed where Snyder and his crew have almost succeeded. They've taken some liberties, especially with the ending, but have exceeded most people's expectations, and for that they should be applauded.
8/10
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