Watchmen: The Director's Cut
4/4
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Sexuality, Nudity and Language
"Watchmen" is a super adult version of Pixar's "The Incredibles." Admittedly, that's a gross understatement of what "Watchmen" accomplishes (not to bash Brad Bird's delightful feature), but the underlying concept is true. Both take a look at the trials and tribulations of what being a superhero is really like and what it means. "The Incredibles'" vision was light and fanciful. "Watchmen's" is considerably darker and more pensive.
The Watchmen are a group of superheroes that watch over New York City. Replacing the Minutemen, who guarded the city decades ago, The Watchmen were the guardians of the city until being a superhero was outlawed a few years back. All of them are doing their own things in the present (which is 1985 in the film): Dan Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl (Wilson) is living the simple life. Silk Spectre II aka Laurie Jupiter (Akerman) is having relationship issues with her former teammate, Dr. Manhattan (Crudup). Dr. Manhattan, who as the result of a scientific accident became so powerful that people call him a god, has lost all interest in humanity. Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias (Goode), has come out of the superhero closet and used his past (and his intelligence, as he is the smartest man in the world) to become a one-man business tycoon, and has employed Dr. Manhattan to find a renewable source of energy. There's also The Comedian, aka Edward Blake (Morgan), a holdover from the Minutemen who has used his skills for the US Government (as did Dr. Manhattan, who is still under their employment). And then there's Rorschach (Haley), who refuses to hang up the costume, a fact that has put him on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.
One night, The Comedian was attacked in his apartment and thrown out the window. Rorschach thinks that someone is picking off The Watchmen and takes his theory to Dan and Laurie, who dismiss him. but more evidence makes them thinks that he may be onto something.
Forget about the plot. That's just one aspect of this ambitious project, based on the celebrated graphic novel by Alan Moore. This is a rich and complex character study of three fascinating people (and a few others) and a meditation on human nature.
By far the most interesting characters are Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach. They are the most colorful so they're the ones that everyone will remember. Dr. Manhattan is all-powerful and as such can look at the past and future. He is fully aware of how his powers have changed him, and thus he feels completely disconnected to human beings. It should be said that the special effects that transformed Billy Crudup into the blue, heavily muscled Dr. Manhattan are incredible and never unconvincing. Rorschach is a sociopath who believes in justice at all costs. Even if the end justifies the means, Rorschach is dead-set on evening the score.
The performances are terrific across the board. From top to bottom, they're composed of character actors, which helps us see the character rather than big stars. Patrick Wilson is a good everyman; he's our window into the story. Ditto for Malin Akerman, who successfully handles the complexity of her relationship to Dr. Manhattan, and the love triangle that develops between them and Dan (which is very atypical). Billy Crudup is nothing short of brilliant as Dr. Manhattan. He plays the character as a soft-spoken, almost philosophical, alien. Dr. Manhattan is so much more than human, and Crudup conveys that in his performance. Jackie Earle Haley radiates intensity as Rorschach, but we understand what drives him. The rest of the cast provides excellent support, except for Matthew Goode, who is a little flat (surprising, after his brilliant performance in "Match Point").
This must have been an almost impossible project to make. It had been in development hell for years, and considering the dense and complex nature of the narrative, would have to be handled extremely delicately. Even more, Alan Moore's graphic novel is widely considered to be a classic (Time Magazine called it one of the Top 100 novels of the 20th Century).
Not only is the translation from book to film successful, it is in my opinion superior to the source material. I read the comic during college. I found it to be so dense and complicated that I had to flip back and forth because I kept getting lost. Zack Snyder excises much of the material dealing with the Minutmen and keeps them as supporting characters. In doing so, he streamlines the narrative and is able to cleanly address the philosophical issues raised in the story.
Snyder brings his trademark visual style to the film, which was fully on display in "300." This is a great looking film and Snyder makes the most of it. This is a beautiful film to experience, and the action scenes, of which there are many, pack adrenaline.
I have few nitpicks about the plot, but they're superficial. "Watchmen" really is an amazing movie.
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Sexuality, Nudity and Language
"Watchmen" is a super adult version of Pixar's "The Incredibles." Admittedly, that's a gross understatement of what "Watchmen" accomplishes (not to bash Brad Bird's delightful feature), but the underlying concept is true. Both take a look at the trials and tribulations of what being a superhero is really like and what it means. "The Incredibles'" vision was light and fanciful. "Watchmen's" is considerably darker and more pensive.
The Watchmen are a group of superheroes that watch over New York City. Replacing the Minutemen, who guarded the city decades ago, The Watchmen were the guardians of the city until being a superhero was outlawed a few years back. All of them are doing their own things in the present (which is 1985 in the film): Dan Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl (Wilson) is living the simple life. Silk Spectre II aka Laurie Jupiter (Akerman) is having relationship issues with her former teammate, Dr. Manhattan (Crudup). Dr. Manhattan, who as the result of a scientific accident became so powerful that people call him a god, has lost all interest in humanity. Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias (Goode), has come out of the superhero closet and used his past (and his intelligence, as he is the smartest man in the world) to become a one-man business tycoon, and has employed Dr. Manhattan to find a renewable source of energy. There's also The Comedian, aka Edward Blake (Morgan), a holdover from the Minutemen who has used his skills for the US Government (as did Dr. Manhattan, who is still under their employment). And then there's Rorschach (Haley), who refuses to hang up the costume, a fact that has put him on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.
One night, The Comedian was attacked in his apartment and thrown out the window. Rorschach thinks that someone is picking off The Watchmen and takes his theory to Dan and Laurie, who dismiss him. but more evidence makes them thinks that he may be onto something.
Forget about the plot. That's just one aspect of this ambitious project, based on the celebrated graphic novel by Alan Moore. This is a rich and complex character study of three fascinating people (and a few others) and a meditation on human nature.
By far the most interesting characters are Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach. They are the most colorful so they're the ones that everyone will remember. Dr. Manhattan is all-powerful and as such can look at the past and future. He is fully aware of how his powers have changed him, and thus he feels completely disconnected to human beings. It should be said that the special effects that transformed Billy Crudup into the blue, heavily muscled Dr. Manhattan are incredible and never unconvincing. Rorschach is a sociopath who believes in justice at all costs. Even if the end justifies the means, Rorschach is dead-set on evening the score.
The performances are terrific across the board. From top to bottom, they're composed of character actors, which helps us see the character rather than big stars. Patrick Wilson is a good everyman; he's our window into the story. Ditto for Malin Akerman, who successfully handles the complexity of her relationship to Dr. Manhattan, and the love triangle that develops between them and Dan (which is very atypical). Billy Crudup is nothing short of brilliant as Dr. Manhattan. He plays the character as a soft-spoken, almost philosophical, alien. Dr. Manhattan is so much more than human, and Crudup conveys that in his performance. Jackie Earle Haley radiates intensity as Rorschach, but we understand what drives him. The rest of the cast provides excellent support, except for Matthew Goode, who is a little flat (surprising, after his brilliant performance in "Match Point").
This must have been an almost impossible project to make. It had been in development hell for years, and considering the dense and complex nature of the narrative, would have to be handled extremely delicately. Even more, Alan Moore's graphic novel is widely considered to be a classic (Time Magazine called it one of the Top 100 novels of the 20th Century).
Not only is the translation from book to film successful, it is in my opinion superior to the source material. I read the comic during college. I found it to be so dense and complicated that I had to flip back and forth because I kept getting lost. Zack Snyder excises much of the material dealing with the Minutmen and keeps them as supporting characters. In doing so, he streamlines the narrative and is able to cleanly address the philosophical issues raised in the story.
Snyder brings his trademark visual style to the film, which was fully on display in "300." This is a great looking film and Snyder makes the most of it. This is a beautiful film to experience, and the action scenes, of which there are many, pack adrenaline.
I have few nitpicks about the plot, but they're superficial. "Watchmen" really is an amazing movie.
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