A Flawed, Yet Often Sensational Film

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2009)

In my opinion, Watchmen couldn't have come out at a worst time. Pouncing upon a public which is still captivated by the genre-shattering masterpiece which is The Dark Knight, Watchmen not only has to face fans of the acclaimed graphic novel upon which it is based, but members of the public who are expecting another comic-book movie classic.
Whilst the film never strays far from its source material (apart from the ending) and is almost certain to please fans, it isn't the masterpiece that many were hoping for. There are many incredible moments, but Watchmen's flaws alienate it from classic status.
The film primarily takes place in New York, 1985. A retired superhero, formerly known as "The Comedian" (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), has been thrown to his death from his high-rise apartment. Former colleague and vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) believes that this is the beginning of a plot to hunt down and kill superheroes, or "masks". He therefore warns his former colleagues, who include the only genuinely super-powered hero "Dr Manhattan" (Billy Crudup), struggling Average-Joe Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson), conflicted Laurie (Malin Akerman) and billionaire Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode). As Rorschach digs deeper into the supposed conspiracy, he discovers a much more frightening threat
One of the main problems with Watchmen is that it both feels too long and too short. The 160-minute running time is so full with ideas and individual story lines that it feels like the filmmakers should have made two films in order to give their ideas more time to breathe. The fact that the filmmakers are determined to be almost immovably faithful to the novel that it is based on could be to blame for this. The filmmakers are too busy replicating moments from the novel to notice that there are times when the film either drags, or seems slightly rushed. Also, the movie is crafted in such a way that some audience members will be able to see who the "villain" is before their identity is revealed. However, the film overall has surprising psychological depth.
The performances are strong. There are three exceptional turns from Crudup, Dean Morgan and Earle Haley and, apart from Akerman, the rest are good enough to be convincing in their roles.
Crudup gives a powerfully subtle performance as Dr Manhattan, who's slowly drifting away from humanity due to his almost godly powers. It's not easy to portray the emotions of a character when the character is largely emotionless and created by CGI, but Crudup pulls it off. In limited screen time, Dean Morgan finds surprising amounts of humanity and sympathy in a sociopath who commits crimes such as attempted rape and shooting a pregnant woman. However, the best performance comes from Jackie Earle Haley. Although Rorschach is hidden behind a mask for the majority of the film, Earle Haley's voice overflows with such vivid power that we quickly come to both fear and respect Rorschach. Once his mask is taken off, Rorschach is like a frightened child and a deadly animal thrown together in a blender. Earle Haley brings both hard-edged determination and quivering vulnerability to the role. These three performances are compelling to watch.
Wilson does a good job of portraying Dan as a trapped man, who longs to escape from the shackles of normal life. Arguably the most controversial cast member in the film, Goode at first seems uncomfortable in the role of Adrian Veidt, but he soon finds the right mixture of unique heroism and cool arrogance which suits the character nicely.Also, in her few scenes, Carla Gugino is solid as Sally Jupiter, Lauries's mother. The only major weak link in the cast is Malin Akerman. Sure, she oozes sexuality, but, apart from a few good moments, she never manages to bring much emotion or humanity to the role of Laurie, coming across as disappointingly bland.
Directors such as Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Terry Gilliam (Brazil) have tried and failed to bring Watchmen to the screen. That Zack Snyder, director of the surprisingly good 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and 2007's stylish-if-brainless 300, has finally succeeded the feat is a great success. What makes it greater is the fact that he allows his love and enthusiasm for the material and the characters to ooze from every frame. His direction isn't perfect (sometimes his worshipping of the text leads to unnecessary bloating, and his obvious love of slow-motion becomes tiresome in the more dramatic scenes) but Snyder has still done a very good job at getting Watchmen to the screen. There are some moments, such as the already well-known and superb opening montage set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", where you wonder whether the adverts calling Snyder a visionary are really over-hyping it. The writing follows the text religiously, and although the screenplay isn't flawless, it does its job nicely.
There may be flaws in the acting, directing and writing departments, but they don't stop Watchmen from being a visual feast. Everything, from the gritty yet stylish production design (the streets that the characters wander through have the distinct look of something out of Taxi Driver) to the visual effects (the origin story of Dr. Manhattan is chilling), grasps you around the collar and effortlessly pulls you into the story. The action sequences are brilliant. The stand-outs are a brutal opening punch-up between The Comedian and a shadowy attacker (the soundtrack choice of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" is pure genius reminiscent of the use of "Over the Rainbow" in Face/Off) and a prison riot. The soundtrack choices are excellent, apart from the use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" during a sex scene which verges on soft-core porn.
Watchmen's the Phantom Menace of 2009. You'll either like it or you won't. In my opinion, it isn't flawless. But at its best, it's a visionary, stunning and unique movie, one which will be remembered by many people long after 2009 is over.