(Warner Brothers)
4.5 / 5
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WATCHMEN (Warner Brothers)
4.5 / 5 |
After reading the Graphic Novel and viewing the film I have just one piece of advice for anyone interested in seeing this movie... READ THE GRAPHIC NOVEL FIRST!!! This isn't fucking Spiderman...
Pregnant women are shot, fingers are broken, cheeks are slashed, bodies are mutilated, faces are burned with boiling fat, gangsters are vaporised and their entrails left dangling from the ceilings of sleazy bars... Get it? "Watchmen" is set in the U.S. in an alternative 1980's reality in which the Americans have won the Vietnam war, Nixon is still president, Nuclear war with Russia is looming and 'Superheroes' are criminalized. The basic plot is that somebody is killing off ex-superheroes and nobody knows why. Enter Rorschach and co. "Watchmen" IS the finest comic book adaptation I've ever seen (not the finest superhero movie mind as my loyalties on that one still lie with "The Dark Knight"... not that either are actually Superhero movies but anyway). The film stays true to the elements that the original novel was acclaimed for - Good story, good characters, great character development via intelligently placed flashback sequences and of course great action and obvious political attachments. The film tackles issues like rape, nuclear war, domestic violence, prostitution, drugs, murder, bullying, sexual relationships, social unrest, Politics and more.
"Watchmen" is an intense, dark, highly intricate piece of cinema, which although at times disturbing is littered with complex powerful CGI-assisted fight sequences, stunning visual effects and unparalleled character development. Casting in this film is spot on from Rorschachs' (Jackie Earle Haley) disturbing rasping presence to Nightowls' (Patrick Wilson) impudent awkwardness. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's performance as The Sadistic Comedian is the perfect highlight to the film. Unfortunately there are times where the film drags and the dialogue appears rigid. This is probably due to director Zach Snyder ("300") trying to stick to the novel as much as possible but of course that doesn't always work. Also, while the soundtrack is mostly good it sounds forced in parts - Hallelujah/Steamy Sex Scene??? Cringe!!! In conclusion ignoring my minor critiques, "Watchmen" is a great fucking film! If you've read the Graphic Novel you're gonna love the film and if you haven't... Read it, See it, Love it!!!
Shane Talty
www.watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com
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