Worth Watching More Than Once

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2009)

It is tough to declare who is responsible for Watchmen. On one side is director Zack Snyder who has given us films such as the remake of Dawn of the Dead and comic adaptation 300. Certainly in the movie 300 we see Snyder's style with that slowed down, quick pan or zoom and loads of blood. He is not afraid of blood. Arguably Snyder his style has been defined from 300. Snyder vowed that for Watchmen he would be using the graphic novel's book panels as his storyboard and his bible. For the most part the film is what it appears to be which is a pretty faithful rendition of the novel. The film is an emotional, gripping story with visuals that are riveting. Mesmerizing film-making.
The film is set in 1985, masked vigilantes have been outlawed. Edward Blake is attacked in his apartment by and intruder. He is thrown thrown through window and falling to his death, he remarks, grinning, "Life's a joke". Following this sequence is a montage of historical scenes painting an alternate history from World War II through the 1980s. The montage includes historical events such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. Due to the success of the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon is shown to be elected to his third term as President. Even though they have been outlawed the Watchmen are brought together again.
Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) is the only one with real superpowers. He lives outside ordinary time and space. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) is the world's smartest man. The Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) is isolated from life by his mastery of technology. Rorshach (Jackie Earl Haley) finds meaning in patterns that may only exist in his mind. And Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) lives with one of the most familiar human challenges, living up to her parents, in this case the original Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino). Dr. Manhattan is both her lover and a distant father figure living in a world of his own.
The Watchmen suffer what all superheroes have faced. How their humanity comes into play against their super powers and how their super powers can interfere with humanity. What kind of non-super lives can the superhero live and why are they both hated and revered at the same time. Fundamental questions that have plagued most superheroes of any depth in reality. The one caveat is Batman because he is so human and must rely on his human side in order to feed his super human desires. And what about Dr. Manhattan? Does he even remember what it is like to be human and is he doing his part in this for some kind of human feeling he has deep within himself.
Like a superhero I was also torn between two worlds while going to see Watchmen on the big screen. Half of me wanted to see a good movie while the other half wanted to side with Alan Moore and wish for the film to be a big pile of crap. Writer Alan Moore. Alan Moore has refused to have his name on the movie (ditto its Moore-based predecessors, "V for Vendetta" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") and he has declined all reimbursement in an effort to protest the entertainment industry's fundamental lack of respect for intellectual property. He too is like a torn superhero. I admire Moore for his inner morality.
I think that Zack Snyder has done a respectable treatment of Watchmen. It is a sharp movie largely due to the really great graphic novel the material has come from. I believe it is because the material was looked at as virtual storyboards that we get such a visceral movie. We can only hope to see more from both this writer and director.