Inconsistantly pedestrian....

Rating: 3/10 (7 March 2009)

To say I was disappointed in 'Watchmen' would presume that there were certain expectations. Having read Alan Moore's literary work during its original release, and again very recently, I was never under the impression that the comic would make it to the screen significantly unchanged. So, I approached with an open mind and found Zack Snyder's interpretation sorely lacking. When adapting literature for the movies, what you leave out and/or rearrange determines the difference between acceptance or rejection. I'm afraid Snyder failed, and created a work of stilted, uneven narrative. While having some interesting moments, the Director misstepped at almost every level; In spite of having numerous political figures (in heavy, distracting make up) telling us of impending Armageddon, there is little real feeling of the "inevitable" worldwide destruction; instead of a city which should bring to mind Tim Burton's Gotham City, it looked more like '40's New York. Character development was often sketchy, as Snyder had to decide what should be left out and what shouldn't; this lack of development limited the impact of certain key moments throughout the picture; as when Rorschach reveals an uncharacteristic moment of appreciation to Nite Owl; their history's as former partners in arms is glossed over, and Nite Owl's tirade (which fails to mention their friendship), makes the Rorschach moment seem strained; Silver Specter's discovery has little shock value, since the relationship between two other important characters was not adequately explored, and key information revealed at the moment of discovery. The actor's don't seem to understand their parts, bringing little to the table, coming across as playing the characters rather than being them; Snyder shows us his weakness is character development (his previous efforts required little) and is unable to bring it out of his actors. However, if there is one big flaw, it's Snyder's failure to demonstrate how much the past informs the present, in Watchmen; the two, in effect, existing almost simultaneously; he seems to miss the small things that impact the larger events. Unable to completely free himself, the Director is most successful at the more straightforward moments of superhero action, demonstrating why these people were heroes to begin with. Much of 'Watchmen' comes across as mechanical and distant, rather than dark or ominous. The final reveal is so changed, explained by the most underdeveloped character, and so truncated that I barely understood the significance of the plan to this person; it was as if Snyder himself didn't understand what Moore had written at that point; his ending change was unimaginative, common. The final minute of the film punctuates its problems, when two characters (who existed throughout the comic, but nowhere in the film) hint that the story may be far from over. In the final analysis, I can give Zack Snyder no slack for this pedestrian work; he knew what he was getting into.