Rating of
3.5/4
Are we all doomed?
Movies - wrote on 03/08/09
Zack Synder's Watchmen is a film that adds to the flow of adaptations that have been legitimizing the superhero genre. While Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man appealed mostly to the wide masses, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and now Watchmen are comic book adaptions that grind themselves into a dark and grim filled reality. This is a far cry from the happy-go-lucky tale we saw in Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie crafted over 30 years ago. Also, this as been widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel of all time. The rule of thumb when it comes to books and movies is that the source material will almost always dominate its film adaptation counterpart. This is why I chose to go into this film somewhat blind and reserve reading the praised graphic novel from Alan Moore. Whether it's seeing a naked blue guy, Nixon's big nose, a prolonged sex scene, or some campy fun sequences, Zack Snyder's Watchmen film has garnered a lot of mixed feelings from the movie world. It's a near three hour superhero epic and I could only imagine how much more was embedded in the graphic novel.
The story's foundational backbone is immediately thrown onto our laps with the death of The Comedian. Who did this and why? Rorschach seems to be the only one who cares, a retired superhero who hides his face with a sock mask resembling the Rorschach inkblot test that psychologists use to analyze their patients. Narrating from his personal journal, the masked vigilante begins to suspect a plot to eliminate all heroes that embody this alternate 1985 time line. Nixon's the President, the U.S is on the brink of nuclear war with the Russians, and the world itself looks and feels like a doomed and troubled place. With the help of his fellow Watchmen companions that consist of; Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, and Ozymandias, Rorschach goes on a detective like hunt to track down who killed his ex-partner, and why. As the film progressed we begin to identify with many of these characters. Each individual represents a different aspect or perspective on human nature, and what their respected limits are when stretching that fine line between hero, and villain. Utilizing flashbacks and origin stories while simultaneously interweaving the significance of the Comedian's death is why Snyder manages to succeed. Each character gets his or her time to shine and we begin to slowly realize why they're doing what they're doing, and the deep faults embedded in each individual who hides behind their dark and mysterious mask.
Rorshach is inevitably going to be dubbed a fan favorite in the comic book movie realm. Jackie Earle Haley is absolutely fantastic in his portrayal. Resembling a Christian Bale-esque Batman voice while styling a psychotic mask over his face with a fedora to suit gave this character a lot of likable traits. My favorite aspect about this troubled hero was his mask. To my interpretation, this was a satire on the psychological founded Rorschach inkblot test. The best example of this is when the actual ink blot tests are held to his face, only to recollect the dark and haunting past of his childhood. While the audience and the world Moore created see this person as a psycho of sorts, he's actually more humane than, well, the normal citizen walking about in this alternative world. He's damaged, troubled, hurt, confused, and anxious to uncover this sinister plot that has unfolded. Perhaps the message here is that we are all insane in some shape or form, and to rely on a test filled with random ink blots and psychotic subtext is somewhat ridiculous.
Billy Crudup of Almost Famous is sublime as Dr. Manhattan. This blue glowing, god-like creature is a sight to behold. Speaking very formally and intelligently, Manhattan see's human's merely as an inferior race. More and more, the film carefully depicts his tainted experience and detachment with humanity. Why help humans then? Well, why not? He seems to care for Silk Spectre II who is undeniably a human being and his ex-colleagues in who he fought many battles with. Manhattan might be the most troubled of all the characters. He no longer feels fear, or any real type of human emotion. This is a heavy burden to carry with you for the rest of your (eternal?) life. A being with so much weight on his hands, with the U.S/Russia nuclear war conflict being his biggest earthly issue, you can't help but wonder what goes on inside that profound cognition of his. I think Nite Owl II said it best when he declared to Silk Spectre II, "If he's pretending, that means he cares."
Another shining aspect here is Snyder's ability as a filmmaker to capture this alternate 1985 time setting perfectly. He grinds this fable in reality, and really gives you a clear picture on what the world would be like if their were superheroes bringing "justice" to the world. Every riot, Nixon speech, and newspaper tabloid is a really nice touch to bring this time era to life. Nixon's gigantic nose is a mere satire as far as I'm concerned, and couldn't have had it any other way. The lack of action may put off or might bore the regular everyday movie-goer, but I appreciated Snyder's respect for Moore's novel. No, I haven't read it, but a novel with that much praise and critical respect must be story driven and not an action filled comic filled with lackluster development and cheap plot ploys to entertain the masses. However, when the action does come it's greatly appreciated.
As the film flashed back to develop its story, the death destined Comedian is heavily used to fill the empty gaps apparent in our present narrative plot. This is a superhero like nothing we have seen before. His behavior towards humans and everything around him is a haunting observation to make. His flashbacks beckon the theme regarding the self inflicting aspect of human nature. This is also apparent in Nite Owl II. Here's a person that completely threw away his costume being to fit into society's "well to do" stereotype that has swallowed many of the regular human's mentality. Troubled by the loneliness and longing for love with Silk Spectre II, it's no wonder why his special gadget is to be able to see in the dark. Perhaps the world surrounding him is just one dark place and this is his only way to cope with the terms of being human. Again, Watchmen is consistent in maintaining characters and hero's that refuse to conform to the regular masked vigilantes we usually see on our screens.
As Snyder's film hurdles to its conclusion you'll probably feel overwhelmed by the large amount of information and mythology that has just been presented to you. I know I was. The conclusion is really quite perfect I believe, as it effectively brings the story's themes and motifs full circle into one fully fledged motion picture experience. It's by no means a perfect film, but a film that is undeniably likable. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for almost all of these heroes, and yes even the Comedian. While school work and papers cloud my free time I will eventually get around to reading the graphic novel. I'm actually pleased that I opted to not read the Alan Moore work as I feared it would taint my overall movie experience. Luckily, the fifteen dollars I payed to see this other worldly epic on the IMAX screen was well worth it. Watchmen is as much a superhero tragedy as it is a human one. Humans kill each other everyday, and for what? They ask to be saved, you do it, and their are still many that will hate you. The Watchmen hide behind their masks not only to cover their identities, but to hide their most embarrassing characteristic..being human
