Watchmen... the movie

Okay.. I know this seems like a terribly belated post, but I've just recently finished watching Zach Snyder's Watchmen (2009), and... well, let's just say I had some thoughts.

First, I feel compelled to admit that I have read the original graphic novel and although I think it's wonderful, I did approach Synder's film with an open mind. That being said, I ultimately felt the movie was seriously flawed, if also occasionally dazzling.

Ironically enough, I thought the main problems with the movie weren't in how it deviated from the graphic novel, but in the ways it FAILED to differentiate itself. That's right, I said it. The film failed because it was TOO faithful to the graphic novel. I love the graphic novel, but it's scope is so vast and intricate that it can't merely be transcribed. The only way the source material could have been molded into a good feature length movie is if major editorial changes had been made. And... they weren't. Here were some of my problems with the movie:

1. Rorschach's narration: I don't think it was necessary, at least not at the excessive level it was used in the movie.

2. Soundtrack: I wasn't as upset by the film's music choices as some of my friends were, but I do think they did more harm than good. First, I think the use of some songs disconnected the flow of the movie, making it a progression of fragmented sequences rather than a contiguous narrative. Particularly, the use of Sound of Silence and 99 Luft Baloons come to mind. Also, I think the soundtrack damaged the consistency of the movie's tone, creating a mish-mash of feelings and atmospheres that were different from the overall flavor of the movie itself. Finally, I think the real problem with some of the more prominent songs that were used is that they undermined the alternate reality the film was trying to portray. Some of the songs held such a specific connotation in mainstream pop culture that to have them featured in a parallel 1985 America created a disconnect for me.

3. What's the plot?: I've read the graphic novel so I'm fully aware of what the plot is, but watching the movie for the first time I somehow felt lost. Initially, I thought everything was pretty clear. "A Comedian died tonight...", okay, I get it. We're looking for the Comedian's murderer. Simple enough. But then the film goes in so many separate directions that by the time we're halfway through we've almost forgotten why we were watching.

4. The Ending -- SPOILERS! -- SPOILERS! -- SPOILERS!





Okay... first, let me say I don't have any problem that there was no giant alien octopus. I think Zach Snyder made a good decision changing that part of the ending. My problem was with the ending's anti-climaticism. It's just so deflating (and not in a good way) when Adrian turns to Rorschach and Nite Owl and tells them the catastrophe they were trying to prevent has already happenned.

This is where I think I probably differ from a lot of fans of the graphic novel, who would most likely tell me that the point of the ending is that it is anti-climactic. The "heroes" don't save the day, at least not the heroes we thought and not in the way we thought they would. I'm perfectly fine with Adrian Veidt winning in the end, although the appearance of Rorschach's diary at the end obviously compromises Veidt's "victory". My problem is that the main characters never even remotely threaten Veidt.

It's like the end of 300. King Leonidas doesn't kill Xerxes, but he does prove he can bleed. That's all I'm saying should have happened to Veidt. Someone should have shown he could bleed.

The film is visually arresting, though. I actually like Zach Snyder to some degree. I thought his 300 was a bold and riveting piece of filmmaking.