When super heroes go bad.
This is the general theme behind Zach Snyder’s adaptation of the graphic novel Watchmen and it is pure genius.
From the get go, Watchmen is an intense assault on viewer’s senses while grounding the audience in thought-provoking dialogue and a completely original story.
The film’s name is derived from a group of super heroes in the late 1970’s who have banned to together in order to fight crime. The movie starts with the murder of one of the members of the Watchmen known as The Comedian played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
After his death Rorschach, another member of the super hero group, played by Jackie Earle Haley, begins to investigate The Comedian’s murder therefore involving other members of the Watchmen.
The movie then goes through a back-and-forth type of story telling which involves the events currently taking place in the movie and moments from the past used to give background information about all the characters.
Considering the movie features very few well-known actors it was easy to assume the level of acting was going to be sub-par. I was presently surprised.
Between Dr. Manhattan’s, played by Billy Crudup, gradual loss of humanity and Rorschach’s sociopathic quest for justice, this film is a well acted tapestry of talent and imagination.
The only real weak point in the cast is Malin Akerman’s rendition of the Silk Specter. Although attractive and fun to watch, Akerman comes across as more of a whiney brat then a super hero. The rest of the cast more then makes up for this small bit of acting deficiency.
The imagery in Watchmen is also astounding.
Starting with New York in a parallel future and ending with a hovering glass sphere on Mars, Watchmen succeeds in being a feast for the eyes as much as it is a quality film. The flick takes viewers all over and outside of this world exploring the possibilities of what it would be like to fight in Antarctica or walk across the face of another planet. This kind of filming is what makes movies great. It takes audiences to a place they could otherwise not go.
Lastly, there is the running time. At a time of 2 hours 43 minutes, Watchmen may seem daunting to some viewers but it’s worth it. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest this film win any Oscars like other movies comparable in length.
But the pure ingenuity and terrific story makes two-and-a-half hours just fly by. There are a few scenes, which could have been cut down or completely omitted, but even these manage not to bog the movie down to much.
All in all, Watchmen is a terrific movie with more to offer than face value. If anything it gives viewers a look at super heroes no other film can offer.