Rating of
3.5/4
The titles of the night.
memento_mori - wrote on 12/02/13
'What happened to us?' a startled and confused Nite Owl II asks as he stands in the middle of the aftermath of the carnage that used to line the street. 'What happened to the American dream?'
Blake only chuckles, his mocking smile peering out from under his mask. 'The American dream? It came true! You're looking at it.'
Not all are admirers of Zack Snyder's work, but the ones that are rave about his supposed flawless visual style and method of storytelling in his visceral comic book film adaptations, which stay extremely close to the source material. And it seems I am having a good week, as I for the second time appreciate a film more after a second viewing.
What makes Watchmen fascinating is its devotion to the world it creates. It is directed (as I mentioned before) flawlessly by Snyder, from the mind-blowing slow-motion opening credits montage coupled with Bob Dylan's The Times Are Changin', to the very last credit in the end.
Every character works as a basic mark for the story to continue. By referring to them as retired super heroes, you get a more grounded and quiet tone that sets a course for the rest of the film, which some may describe as overly dark, but I just find magnificent.
The very mellow and melancholy atmosphere that the cinematography provides make it easy for the audience to breathe in and take in the full scope of this alternate world, that in many ways is appalling and in some ways better than our current one. And to basically underline the fact, popular songs from artists like Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, German artist Nena and an overall wonderful score of tracks is included to accentuate the mood.
Elements of the finale still confuse me and partially annoy me, for example the very sudden and random death, the location and the almost no-surprise twist, but when you have a film with a 215 minute running time, it's hard to keep your story intact all the way.
Although it does demand your full attention as well as patience and ignorance of some of its flaws, Watchmen engrosses you into a world full of damaged and inspiring characters, which aided by the director's talents and the great dialogue make for an all-round fantastic watch.
