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northwind · 08-03-09, 05:36 PM

Or, who watches the Watchmen

I went and saw it last night, I love the comic so naturally kind of expected to hate the film, as these things usualyl work out, but I loved it...

It manages to be loyal to the comic without being just a film of the comic, if you see what I mean... that's a good way to make a rubbish film since what works for one never works for the other, but it pretty much nails it. I guess it could be very confusing if you don't know the background- the opening montage has to fill in far too much background and doesn't quite work- but it's just right apart from that. The feel of it is spot on.

I'm kind of stunned

Alan Moore's an idiot, there's never going to be a better adaptation of any comic than this, it's not just a comic-as-a-film like 300 and V for Vendetta. And the plot changes actually make more sense than the original, it's loyal but they weren't afraid to improve it where they could, so not slavish as some adaptations are. Some things just don't work in the cinema (let's hear it for the decision not to include the Inexplicable Pirate Crap)

Worst things I can say is that the soundtrack is intrusive and OTT, and that they amped up the fight scenes past the point of credibility- half the point is that the watchmen aren't superheroes at all, they're just "masked vigilantes" so how come they're punching through walls all of a sudden? The Batman films tend to nail this, you can be larger than life and absolutely hard as nails without ever being superhuman. Oh, and tooooooo muuuuuuuch slooooooow moooootion.

Oh, and Rorschach... If there was one thing that had to be right, it was him, and Jackie Earle Haley just nails it 100%. He even looks right. Perfect. No compromise, even in the face of armageddon.

Oh, but I'm slightly disappointed by one thing... Over the credits is a cover version of Desolation Row, and I sat in the cinema loving it, thinking "Fantastic, need to find out who did this cover, it's awesome... Must be some 70s band I've never heard of since everything else in the move is period". Nope, it's My Chemical Romance

08-03-09, 05:36 PM	#1
northwind Moderator Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In the garage where I belong Posts: 17,083	Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Or, who watches the Watchmen I went and saw it last night, I love the comic so naturally kind of expected to hate the film, as these things usualyl work out, but I loved it... It manages to be loyal to the comic without being just a film of the comic, if you see what I mean... that's a good way to make a rubbish film since what works for one never works for the other, but it pretty much nails it. I guess it could be very confusing if you don't know the background- the opening montage has to fill in far too much background and doesn't quite work- but it's just right apart from that. The feel of it is spot on. I'm kind of stunned Alan Moore's an idiot, there's never going to be a better adaptation of any comic than this, it's not just a comic-as-a-film like 300 and V for Vendetta. And the plot changes actually make more sense than the original, it's loyal but they weren't afraid to improve it where they could, so not slavish as some adaptations are. Some things just don't work in the cinema (let's hear it for the decision not to include the Inexplicable Pirate Crap) Worst things I can say is that the soundtrack is intrusive and OTT, and that they amped up the fight scenes past the point of credibility- half the point is that the watchmen aren't superheroes at all, they're just "masked vigilantes" so how come they're punching through walls all of a sudden? The Batman films tend to nail this, you can be larger than life and absolutely hard as nails without ever being superhuman. Oh, and tooooooo muuuuuuuch slooooooow moooootion. Oh, and Rorschach... If there was one thing that had to be right, it was him, and Jackie Earle Haley just nails it 100%. He even looks right. Perfect. No compromise, even in the face of armageddon. Oh, but I'm slightly disappointed by one thing... Over the credits is a cover version of Desolation Row, and I sat in the cinema loving it, thinking "Fantastic, need to find out who did this cover, it's awesome... Must be some 70s band I've never heard of since everything else in the move is period". Nope, it's My Chemical Romance __________________ "We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day We like what we like, we hate what we hate But we're oh so easily swayed" Last edited by northwind; 08-03-09 at 05:40 PM.