In my review of X-Men: Days of Future Past I said that I used to be huge into comic books, so it will not be surprising to anyone paying attention that I was a big fan of the Watchmen graphic novel, which is considered by many to be the best superhero yarn ever put to paper. I actually didn’t read Watchmen until I was in my early 20s, but it was quite a treat. My room-mate bought it for my birthday, he also gave me The Dark Knight Returns on that same birthday, essentially giving me the two most critically acclaimed superhero comics ever. Thanks room-mate. :)
Some people think that Watchmen is unfilmable, a story so epic and hard to adapt that one would be better off not even trying. Alan Moore, the author of the comic, said that a Watchmen movie was a bad idea because he designed his stories to be comic books, and that they wouldn’t translate to the big screen. This movie sparked a lot of debate when it came out, some people loved it, lots of people hated it with a passion. I am one of the former. I’ve seen the film three or four times now, and for the purpose of this review I popped in my director’s cut DVD and sat through all 3 hours and 6 minutes. I still enjoy this movie, and I think it actually holds up quite well to this day.
Anyone who’s read the trade paperback and seen the movie know that it changes one big part of the climax, but other then that it is a slavish reproduction of the graphic novel, too faithful some would say. I understand that comic books and movies are different, and that changes are a part of the adaptation process, but I am also of the opinion that the closer a movie is to the spirit of the source material the more likely it is to be good. If you’re going to make a movie loosely based on Watchmen then why even call it Watchmen in the first place? People love this story and these characters, and if any comic to film adaptation deserves an obsession with detail it is this one.
My favorite film critic, Roger Ebert, gave Watchmen a four star review when it came out. While I don’t think I would give it that high of a rating, I believe Ebert wasn’t far off. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that the movie sure is something. Even if you think Snyder failed at making a good movie out of the comic, you have to respect him for giving it one hell of a try. Watching it again last night, I was continually impressed by how visually striking the movie is, it really is a feast for the eyes, the kind of movie one can have muted and still be engrossed in.
When Watchmen came out in 2009, I remember a conversation I had with a fellow comic fan who hadn’t yet seen it. He asked me if the movie lived up to the comic, and I told him that I wasn’t sure. I said that the best person to judge if Watchmen was a great movie would be someone who hadn’t read the graphic novel, and I still think that’s true today, but in the years that have followed, I must admit I have grown a fondness and admiration for this movie, it is a massive undertaking, one that I think achieves most of its goals. You want a Watchmen movie? You’ve got one, thanks to Zack Snyder and some especially brave executives at Warner Brothers. A big budget, R rated superhero movie? What were they thinking?
While I did see it in theaters it was some time before I bought it on home video and watched it again, so I can’t say for sure all of what was added in the director’s cut. The movie is probably more violent, and I’m pretty sure that love scene in Nite Owl’s aircraft is a little longer and more intense on the DVD, other then that I’m not sure what more is included. If you know what the changes are and wouldn’t mind leaving a comment, I would appreciate it.
Flawed or not, Snyder’s movie is a high quality cinematic experience that successfully carries over most of the charm of the comic. I think this movie is worth not only seeing once, but multiple times. I love the violence, the dark nature, the over the top elements, the courage required to tackle such a unique story, and the love it exhibits for the source material with an almost tender attention to detail. It may not be perfect, but it does justice to the graphic novel, and at the end of the day that is all that is required.
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