A Question of Humanity

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2016)

It's been well over 7 years since the release of 'Watchmen' in movie theaters, and as I write this I'm thinking of all the graphic novel and comic book adaptions that have been made in recent years and which ones truly stand above the rest. Of course, there is then the argument of DC's content vs Marvel's, and sure, there will always be devoted individuals who will stick with their preferred company and writers, but some stories are just better than others. Straight up.
I had the privilege of finding the time to get a ticket and see the film on opening weekend, and I'm really glad I did. After watching it the first go around I was surprised how close to the material the adaption stayed, usually a path directors and screenwriters don't walk down frequently, but you can tell the love that Snyder has for the material; how scene after scene there are frames that match the graphic novel to a tee, and nearly every line verbatim. Amazing stuff. After perusing through the 'Watchmen' IMDb page I realize pretty much everything has already been said, but I figure what the hell. On the re-watch and after reading the graphic novel an additional two times over the span of 7 years I have come to appreciate the material even more.
The coolest thing about the Watchmen, and really the highest quality, is the varying dynamic and character philosophies that make each character fit so well into the grand scheme of the film's (and graphic novel's) message. It truly struck me how the 'give-no-mercy', no compromise morality of Rorschach and the leveling-the-playing field, ultimate compromise mentality of Ozymandias makes you think beyond the one dimensional good vs evil. So many arguments can be made for both sides, and we leave the film asking and pondering, "Wait, what? Who's right? Did he really get away with that? Did he really save more lives by killing others in the process?" It's like picking the lesser of two evils and this story and its characters (whether in the film or novel format) makes you think, and I effing love that about the 'Watchmen.' It is one of the ultimate dilemmas of humanity--one of the greatest philosophical questions... Just like the old situation goes: You are working at a rail yard. A train is coming in, but you notice there are people ahead working on the track and they don't know the train is coming. On the second track there is one person working and they don't know the train is coming either. The train is coming in way too fast and can't stop. What can you do? No one else is paying attention and you're the only one close enough to the control switch. Do you let the train continue and take the chance with the group working at one end? Or do you divert the train to where the one man is working so less lives are lost? It may seem like an easy answer at first, but there's a lot of content there. I assure you. And as if that isn't enough the allegory and allusion is brimming too. All thanks to the genius of Moore.
Of course, the film misses pretty much all the scenes between the young kid Bernard, and the Newsie old guy Bernard and everything about the Black Freighter, and the plot is slightly altered (which slightly changes the end), but ultimately the message still gets across, and I applaud Snyder and the writers for doing that well. Because in most cases films lose out on the changes that are made, and many loyalists to the original material can never forgive that, but in the case of the 'Watchmen' I think it can be forgiven since so many other things are done incredibly well.
I don't know if I'm getting more lenient as I grow older, but the 'Watchmen' jumps from a 8-star rating to a 10--strictly for having excellent story and character study while not giving up on style and original material. A movie that makes you think is always a keeper. I can understand Alan Moore's hate toward adapting written material to film, but I hope one day he can appreciate the same love Snyder has for something he created. It's a job well done, slight changes and all.