Superhero movies are getting darker and more "adult" than ever. If "The Dark Knight" wasn't enough to convince you, Watchmen certainly will. Set in an alternate 1985, where the Cold War never ended and Nixon is still President, Watchmen is dark, gritty and borderline disturbing.
The flick can be described in one word: overdone. And maybe that's not
too surprising, considering it was directed by Zack Snyder, the
"visionary" director that brought the world the visually stunning,
substance-lacking "300." Every facet of Watchmen is over-the-top and
heavy-handed; the action, the violence, the characters, costumes,
music, sex and nudity (both male and female).
Granted, many of these aspects were borrowed directly from the original graphic novel, with Snyder retaining their tone. But perhaps thats part of the problem -- Snyder stayed too true to the source material, taking few liberties with the film. This is also what led to the film to be a bit too lengthy, as well. At nearly 2 hrs. 40 min., it was obvious that Snyder was afraid to cut too much out -- either out of his passion for the material... or for fear of upsetting the series die-hard fan base.
Most of the additional length came from the time spent developing the characters' backstories -- Don't get me wrong, I think character development is an important and often overlooked aspect in too many superhero/comic book flicks, but when more time is spent developing the history than the plot, it doesn't bode well for the film's prospects. With 6+ characters each getting a flashback sequence (or two) to develop their character, the plot and the other characters are abandoned for long periods of time. I kept having to remind myself what was happening in the movie's present each time we returned from a flashback.
Watchmen did have it's moments; There were some stunning moments of cinematography and visual effects, the hand-to-hand combat scenes are second-to-none and the characters are all well acted, with a cast of relative no-namers filling the roles.
On the whole, Watchmen is definitely worth a watch. While I ended-up loathing it a little more than loving it, it's the kind of movie that will be veiwed very subjectively. Snyder made a bold move with this action flick and his handling of it is sure to divide the opinions of both critics and fans.
The Denouement:
Absolutely Essential for fans of the Watchmen graphic novel series.
Fairly Essential for fans of superhero/comic book movies and action flicks.
Granted, many of these aspects were borrowed directly from the original graphic novel, with Snyder retaining their tone. But perhaps thats part of the problem -- Snyder stayed too true to the source material, taking few liberties with the film. This is also what led to the film to be a bit too lengthy, as well. At nearly 2 hrs. 40 min., it was obvious that Snyder was afraid to cut too much out -- either out of his passion for the material... or for fear of upsetting the series die-hard fan base.
Most of the additional length came from the time spent developing the characters' backstories -- Don't get me wrong, I think character development is an important and often overlooked aspect in too many superhero/comic book flicks, but when more time is spent developing the history than the plot, it doesn't bode well for the film's prospects. With 6+ characters each getting a flashback sequence (or two) to develop their character, the plot and the other characters are abandoned for long periods of time. I kept having to remind myself what was happening in the movie's present each time we returned from a flashback.
Watchmen did have it's moments; There were some stunning moments of cinematography and visual effects, the hand-to-hand combat scenes are second-to-none and the characters are all well acted, with a cast of relative no-namers filling the roles.
On the whole, Watchmen is definitely worth a watch. While I ended-up loathing it a little more than loving it, it's the kind of movie that will be veiwed very subjectively. Snyder made a bold move with this action flick and his handling of it is sure to divide the opinions of both critics and fans.
The Denouement:
Absolutely Essential for fans of the Watchmen graphic novel series.
Fairly Essential for fans of superhero/comic book movies and action flicks.
Good words.