Watching The Watchmen at Midnight in Lakewood, Ohio.

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2009)

Java Man Reviews "The Watchmen." Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com March, 2009.
OVERVIEW:
The year is a nightmare version of 1985 with Richard Nixon in his fifth term as President. The era of the superheroes (which started in 1940, as sort of costume club) is coming to an end. Nixon has used the awesome power of Dr. Manhattan (played by Billy Crudup) to subdue the Viet Cong, and is now riding high as the world's most powerful man. But the superheroes begin to disappear one by one, starting with the amusingly cynical Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Is Tricky Dick behind this conspiracy too? All of the events are being recorded in the journal of Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), whose mask is a constantly shifting pattern of blotches.
A tender love story emerges between Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), each of whom has the romantic notion that they can make the world a better place. Silk Specter I (Carla Gugino) is II's shrewish mom. The other superhero who figures in the plot is Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), whose power is that he is "the smartest man in the world." (And I always thought that was Henry Kissinger, who, incidentally, is still Secretary of State).
REVIEW: 3 1/2 out of 4 Java Mugs
This film opened Friday, March 6, 2009, and The Detroit Theatre in Lakewood was one of the first to show it with a screening at midnight. When I heard that Richard Nixon was in this movie, and that he was still president in 1985, I thought it must be a horror flick. Actually, it is a very engaging adaptation of a graphic novel, complete with complex superheroes, a captivating plot and a fascinating collection of real-life pop icons (such as Ted Koppel, Truman Capote, Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol, in addition to Nixon and Kissinger).
Probably the most intriguing of the superheroes is Haley's Rorschach who is investigating the disappearances and recording everything in his journal. He's even better when he takes off his mask. Just the opposite is true of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II, who only captivate when in costume. Other watchable characters are Crudup's Dr. Manhattan and Gugino's Silk Spectre I.
Though the film is long and the narrative a bit rambling, it never gets boring. The special effects and computer wizardry are excellent, but the film doesn't lean on them too heavily; something is happening all the time, and most of it is character driven. Everything looks just right, too, from the epic depiction of the planet of Mars to the small detail of the over-sized eyeglasses everyone used to wear in the '80s.
While most of the action takes place in 1985, the filmmakers have made the surprisingly effective choice to comment on the action by way of songs from the '60s, including key classics from the songbooks of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon.
As I stroll home after the bars have closed, I look forward to more midnight showings at the Detroit Theatre.