Mission impossible

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2009)

Not just the task of the Watchmen superheroes trying to prevent World War III, but also Zack Snyder who was trying to translate to film the only comic book that I can recall which was a masterpiece in literary terms . Needless to say I had very low expectations, since the previous adaptation of the same director 300 was reduced to a simplistic visually arousing film with no heart. But Watchmen is like no other comic book, its mythology and philosophy is not as abstract. It is based during the cold war when most of these moral questions were being asked, when absurd ideas and abstract notions were being put forth.
Now that I have underlined by initial apprehensions, let me assess how the movie faired in the wake of it. It did exceed my expectations to a large extent. The movie is visually stunning and captures the essence. Snyder got the tone right. It is not an upbeat story by any stretch of imagination. It is a story of superheroes in all their weakness and loneliness, in their anguish and disconnect with the people and establishment they are supposed to defend, in their pursuit for a normal life in an abnormal world.
For me the only thing that definitely didn't work was the casting. These are powerful characters written. I need some powerhouse actors to perform instead we get a bunch of efficient actors who don't do a bad job, but none of them stand out. Snyder is clearly not one looking for nuance in performance, more concerned of the look of the film. It is a tough movie to make, since the narrative will take its time, there will be intermittent flashbacks, so the audience might get restless. Snyder tries to infuse some life in the relatively dull moments with some soundtracks. Some of which fit perfectly others don't.
Please the rabid comic fan boys, please the large theater audience, it was a tough job. I think he struck the right balance tilting towards the latter. It is not an envious job. Watchmen as a multi layered comic book is very difficult to adapt to a film with the time constraints, maybe series might be more feasible.
ONE POINT:- Do you need to read the book to watch the movie? No, in fact, if anything reading the book hampers your attentiveness and involvement withing the film.