Watchmen

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Based on the graphic novel/s of the same name, Zach Snyder is directing a movie version of Watchmen. Now, I haven't read this, but from what I hear its pretty incredible.

There have been some casting rumors:

Patrick Wilson (as seen in Little Children) as Night Owl
Jude Law as Ozymandias
Keanu Reeves may become Dr. Manhattan
Now, I don't know much of anything about the project... but Keanu Reeves??

[Mu Satach]

I miss Alan (Darth23). He was a huge Watchmen fan.

[Hartus Kenobi]

Good cast so far, although I'm not sure whether or not Watchmen has been greenlighted 100% yet, and I definitely don't think they have a script yet. But Keanu is a comic book fan, so it's not suprising he wants to be Dr. Manhattan, although considering how the character looks, the voice is going to be the most important part.

I'm REEEEALLY looking forward to this movie, although I think Watchmen (the Graphic Novel) was grossly overhyped.

Mu: :(

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I've looked for the graphic novel - I've been wanting to pick it up since I heard about it not too long ago. I guess I'm out of the loop. ;)

Darth23 :(

[Hartus Kenobi]

I've looked for the graphic novel - I've been wanting to pick it up since I heard about it not too long ago. I guess I'm out of the loop. ;)

Darth23 :(
You should be able to find copies at most bookstores and also perhaps at your local comic shop. Buying it online is a bit of a pain though. Collected Watchmen paperbacks are sorta rare, despite the fact that it has gone through multiple printings and editions. It's just so in demand - even among the non-comic book community.

[Hartus Kenobi]

http://www.club-keanu.com/modules/altern8news/article.php?storyid=90



Okay gang of fans, several people have sent me this movie news tidbid in about Keanu in a movie called Watchmen. One source here (http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/22/keanu-reeves-and-jude-law-offered-watchmen-roles-source-says/) and of course it's all over the net now. So, in an effort to be accurate in movie news, I ran it by Erwin Stoff this morning (via email) and he said "was offered it and turned it down." Again thank you Mr. Stoff for taking the time!


Looks like Keanu won't be in the movie.

[Jedi Master Carr]

John Cusack is up for it now and he is interested. Cusack is a much actor anyway, IMO.

[Hartus Kenobi]

Hmm, I guess I would be okay with Cusak, but I think both Reeves and Cusak are strange choices for someone like Doctor Manhattan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Manhattan

[Mu Satach]

Kinda happy Keanu passed. Not sure how Cusak would be, love Cusak, but agree that both actors seemed kind of odd choices.

[Hartus Kenobi]

More Watchmen casting rumors. It looks like there is very little that is surething.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=10907


UP TO THE MINUTEMEN: WATCHMEN CASTING RUMORS ARE EVERYWHERE
by Hannibal Tabu (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/contact.cgi?authorid=25), Staff Writer
Posted: June 18, 2007 — More From This Author (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/authorlist.cgi?authorid=25)
Much was said over the weekend about attempts to bring the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons masterpiece from printed page to silver screen. The biggest piece of news came from actor Paddy Considine (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175916/)'s official fan site (http://paddyconsidine.co.uk/). Considine was slated to play Rorschach in the film when director Paul Greengrass was signed as helmer, but he now reports that the role has gone to Jackie Earle Haley (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355097/). Meanwhile, Comingsoon.net has an interview (http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5870) with actor Patrick Wilson where he was coy but indicated involvement as well, after rumors linked him to the role of Nite Owl. "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about this stuff," WIlson said. "It's been confirmed on a lot of websites, I'll just say that ... I mean, I would blab my mouth 'cause I certainly haven't been told to keep quiet. It's just out of respect for them trying to get everybody else on board before I go ahead and blab my mouth, but it's pretty cool. It's exciting stuff."
The rumors coming in from Ain't It Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33045) indicate that Keanu Reeves won't play Dr. Manhattan not due to him not wanting the role, but due to the actor's asking price. Their new front runner for the role is Keanu's "Speed 2" replacement Jason Patric (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000574/), and they hint that former "Punisher" star Thomas Jane (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005048/) will fill the boots of The Comedian.
It should be noted that all of these stories are technically still rumors: the studio has released no official comment, nor has there been any on-the-record word from director Zack Snyder.

[Hartus Kenobi]

I think this sounds really cool. It would be awesome to see all these historical figures in the movie

http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_6282878



WATCHING: A challenging casting task involving look-alikes is under way for Warner Bros.' "Watchmen" adaptation of Alan Moore's 1980s graphic novel set in an alternative universe's United States. Names include Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, H.R. Haldeman, Ted Koppel, John McLaughlin, Annie Liebowitz, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Fidel Castro, Albert Einstein, Norman Rockwell, JFK and Jackie Kennedy, Andy Warhol, Mao Tze Tung and Larry King. That's going to be quite a movie.

[Itala Marzullo]

Sounds like a movie about underpaid rent-a-cops.

[Hartus Kenobi]

Sounds like a movie about underpaid rent-a-cops.

"Watchmen," along with "Dark Knight Returns," is believed to have revolutionized the comic book back in the 80s. Most of the superheroes were based on Charlton comic book characters, such as the Question, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Peacemaker, etc. But it's a much darker and adult story than what was common before. A lot of people point to Watchmen for pioneering the comic book industry's change in focus to tell more mature stories.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Who watches the Watchmen? Us. Here are 5 of the costumes from the upcoming movie, with people in them.

Now, I don't know who these people are supposed to be, because I've never read the graphic novels, but the costumes look pretty cool to me. ;)

[Atreyu]

Now, I don't know who these people are supposed to be, because I've never read the graphic novels, but the costumes look pretty cool to me. ;)
In order from L to R:

1. Rorschach
2. Nite Owl (II)
3. Ozymandias
4. Silk Spectre (II)
5. The Comedian

Only Doctor Manhattan is missing. :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

I can't wait to see what Dr. Manhattan looks like... the rest of the costumes look awesome.

[Hartus Kenobi]

I have a feeling Dr. Manhattan will be almost completely CGI, but that's unsubstantiated.

[Atreyu]

Billy Crudup was supposed to be Dr Manhattan (last I heard) but yeah, not sure if he's actually dressed as the character himself or just doing an Andy Serkis (aka. Gollum) on the job.

[Atreyu]

Teaser trailer has finally been released, though I can't seem to get it to work. :\

http://media.kino-govno.com/trailers/watchmen/watchmen_inttrailer_480.mov

Fortunately some kind person has uploaded it to YouTube already, which can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQTnlUFQKyE

Downloading now. :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Oh wow. That looks... so awesome.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I saw the trailer in front of TDK - it looks incredible! From what little I know of the story, and this trailer... I'm hooked. I'm tempted to get the graphic novel/s and read them, but I sort of want to go into the movie semi-blind to the plot. I think it'll be better that way. :D

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/watchmen_trailer_to_comic_comparison/ Compare the comics to the trailer!

[Dasquian Belargic]

The comic was sooo so good. I think reading it will probably make you even more psyched for the movie, so go buy it! :mneh

[Hartus Kenobi]

I thought the trailer was okay. Hopefully they'll continue to improve on it for the upcoming months.

[Cross]

I also saw the preview for this when I went to see The Dark Knight, and having never heard of Watchmen before, found myself mildly interested. Anyone interested in a quick rundown of the story for me?

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Google it or just go buy the book. ;)

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but the movie website seems to have been updated: http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/

Wallpapers and such now available to download.

[Morgan Evanar]

I'm a little worried about this one given the degree of internal monologue from the characters in the comic.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

That's the problem with adapting comics (especially Alan Moore or Warren Ellis or Garth Ennis) to film. You look at the problem 'V for Vendetta' had in adapting from page to screen, it didn't quite work out.

That being said, Zack Snyder apparently wants the film to be three hours long. That might help keeping it "more true" to Moore/Gibbons original work.

I'm two chapters into the comic btw, it's good. :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

It looks like the team behind the movie is really dedicated to capturing what the comic is about. Based on the trailer and pictures of production that we've seen so far, and as a fan of the comic, I think it looks as if it will be pretty good.

[Morgan Evanar]

That's the problem with adapting comics (especially Alan Moore or Warren Ellis or Garth Ennis) to film. You look at the problem 'V for Vendetta' had in adapting from page to screen, it didn't quite work out.

That being said, Zack Snyder apparently wants the film to be three hours long. That might help keeping it "more true" to Moore/Gibbons original work.

I'm two chapters into the comic btw, it's good. :)V for Vendetta would have been much easier to do, actually. They just did something else that was sort of like V for Vendetta.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Sorta" is the right word for it. The parts that were taken directly from the comic were brilliant. The ones that were made up (and I realize everything can't be 'Sin City') weren't that good.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

"Sorta" is the right word for it. The parts that were taken directly from the comic were brilliant. The ones that were made up (and I realize everything can't be 'Sin City') weren't that good.

Really? Not that good? Please elaborate because I personally thought it was in it's entirity more than just slightly decent.

[Morgan Evanar]

I'm two chapters into the comic btw, it's good. :)It's Alan Moore, of course it's good!

Mark, you should read the original graphic novel. While V was a good movie, it wasn't as good as the original work.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

I'm two chapters into the comic btw, it's good. :)It's Alan Moore, of course it's good!

Mark, you should read the original graphic novel. While V was a good movie, it wasn't as good as the original work.


Actually I have and yes it is indeed a bloody good bit of work. I'm more questioning where V for Vendetta "wasnt that good" - yes they changed crap plenty (hell they did it to LOTR and I'm the worst fanboi of that work, so changes between source work and movie dont really bother me) but the movie to me worked in it's entirety and the changes made made sense.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Really? Not that good? Please elaborate because I personally thought it was in it's entirity more than just slightly decent.

Now you're making me go out and rent a movie I haven't seen in two and a half years. I just remember being more impressed with the parts that were taken from the comic (the story about the girl in the prison camp) than the stuff that wasn't (the end of the film). I think the ending, combined with a few other things in the movie (which I'm blanking on) caused me not to like it as much as others did.

I'm not saying people aren't allowed to enjoy the film, I just didn't like or think it was that good.

[Hartus Kenobi]

It looks like the movie is in some trouble right now. Fox is trying to block the release, and so far the courts haven't dismissed their case.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i8e4bba223e1c5e9ad7128fa62ac4d4f7

[Dasquian Belargic]

Fooooox... :shakefist

[Lilaena De'Ville]

There's a new trailer out for Watchmen. Its very slow-motiony and cool. :)

I need to find a better link to it but: http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/10/more_of_that_watchmen_movie.php

[Rossos Atrapes]

I will see this and the fanboy-side of my brain will hate it ("Movie, why aren't you EXACTLY like the book!") and the movie-magpie-side of my brain will love it ("Oooo, shiny!") Then, my whole brain will explode in gloppy chunks of love and hate.

^Quoted for great truth.

[Atreyu]

New trailer:

<object width="425" height="344">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2VLA0tg5yI0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object>

A bit more of a traditional trailer - it actually reveals some plot details. Also get to hear the characters talk (I have to confess, Doc Manhattan doesn't sound like I expected him to).

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm pretty meh about the Doc's voice too. It just sounds way too... human? Overall, I didn't find this trailer quite as exciting as the last. I still have high hopes though!

Also, nice choice use of Muse for the trailer music :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Verrrrry interesting, I love the trailer. :) I don't mind the Doctor's voice, but then I still haven't read the novel. But I figure a being made of energy should have a little humanity still attached to him, so why not have more of a normal voice. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Well since reportedly the lawsuit will be settled out of court for undisclosed bazillions of dollars, here's a Watchmen video to whet your appetite!

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n5WsciSNVS0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n5WsciSNVS0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

:D

[Atreyu]

Excerpt from 1970s news broadcast wishing Dr Manhattan a happy '10th' birthday:

<object width="425" height="344">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nd5cInmK6LQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object>

Better Blue than Red! :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

I love this kind of stuff.. very cool ties-in to the movie.

Also :love Dr Manhattan

[Jedi Master Carr]

I can't wait for this movie.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/02/spoiler-alert-watchmen-is-fucking-awesome.html

Wil Wheaton sees an advance screening of Watchmen and blogs about it in a non-spoileriffic way. :D


Now, listen, I know that we live in a world where we've endured Ang Lee's The Hulk, Spiderman 3, both Fantastic Four movies, and Indiana Jones Gets Raped Repeatedly While We Are Forced To Watch In Horror, so I think it would be really strange if we weren't worried and apprehensive about something that already means so much to us, but I hope this will calm your nerves until the movie is released: Watchmen is faithful to the book. It respects the book. I swear by the beard of Zeus, it feels like the book.
:dance

His excitement for it is rubbing off on me. :eee

[Rutabaga]

I've never read the graphic novel up until now, but a couple of weeks ago I picked up a copy because I wanted to be prepared to see the movie. I'm in the middle of Chapter 7 now, and if the movie lives up to the graphic novel, then this will be one hell of a movie. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I haven't read it yet either, but we HAVE it in the house. I just can't figure if I want to watch the movie first, or read it first. ^_^;

[Dasquian Belargic]

Just read it :shakefist

[Lilaena De'Ville]

all right already! :shakefist

[Morgan Evanar]

Go Read It Or Else.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Go Read It Or Else.

DO IT!!! :shakefist

[Aurelias Kazaar]

I haven't read it yet either, but we HAVE it in the house. I just can't figure if I want to watch the movie first, or read it first. ^_^;

Read it first. I'm almost done with it myself. Almost.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I doubt the movie is going to be better than the comic, but either way you might as well read it first so you can appreciate how much effort they seem to have put into recreating the world of the comic. Plus its pretty much the best comic book evar.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Got my IMAX tickets for opening night. :eee :dance :dance :eee

Starting the comic tomorrow!

[Dasquian Belargic]

:uhoh I need to find someone nerdy to go see this with me

[Lilaena De'Ville]

We have a big group going. :D

[Lilaena De'Ville]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenewfrontiersman/


Flikr group full of everything Warner Bros' art department could put together to make us all think that Watchmen is real.

[Mu Satach]

A not so random random thought - What happens in the future if we make so much alternate timeline history stuff it eventually "out weighs" real history? Are there perils to faux artifacts?

hmm... *ponders needlessly*

[Morgan Evanar]

I really enjoyed it. It was true to the comic in the vast majority of important aspects.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

You saw it already!?

*jealous*

I read the book. :) It was great!

[Atreyu]

Hope to see it this weekend. :)

Currently at 63% 'Fresh' at Rotten Tomatoes:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/watchmen/

Metacritic has it at 49%:
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/watchmen

And Ebert loved it:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090304/REVIEWS/903049997

[Morgan Evanar]

Ebert and I completely agree about this film.

[Rutabaga]

I finished the novel on Sunday, and if they can manage to pull this off, it should be good :).

I'm not surprised to see mixed reviews so far, though. I'm the first person to admit that this is NOT a story that is going to appeal to everyone. I'm also hoping that parents don't take their kids to it figuring it's like another X-Men movie or something like that. It's R-rated for a reason, folks :rolleyes.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

We are all living in the shadow of Dr. Manhattan's junk.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Saturday Morning Watchmen (http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/485797)

Click. Watch. Laugh!!!

[Emelie Shadowstar]

I've got my tickets to see it at the "Cinedome" over in North Hollywood on Sunday..
Giant screen....ohgod yes I am excited. XD

[Lilaena De'Ville]

IMAX tonight at 10:25 pm :eee

[Dasquian Belargic]

:shakefist ffff.. I don't get to see it until next Saturday night because my friends are all either poor or don't care about Watchmen (wtf, some friends)

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Saw it. Liked it. Worth seeing. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Any weekend box office predictions? I'm thinking somewhere around 75 million.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Any weekend box office predictions? I'm thinking somewhere around 75 million.

I could see 60-75 million right now. It's tough to say because of it rating and run time. It depends on how much it attracts from outside its base.

[Atreyu]

It's the only wide release in the US this weekend so that should help. Probably between 65-75 million would be my guess. :)

[Morgan Evanar]

I wouldn't be surprised to see it do much better in worldwide audience than the US. :\

[Droo]

I'll keep this short since I don't want this film to consume anymore of my time than neccessary. Watchmen as a comic book might be one of the world's wonders, I wouldn't know since I haven't read it. Watchmen as a film is rubbish. It falls completely flat on its face.

Before anyone starts going on about the quality of special effects, the decent acting, etc. I don't want to hear it because it's irrelevent. Ten minutes into the film I was bored, an hour into the film I no longer cared, this franchise has become so bloated and pompous with its own hype that it seems to me the writers and director assumed its audience would love love love these characters along with the rest of the comic book fans. We don't and it had no impact on me as a viewer whatsoever.

You may love the characters and the mythology from the comics but by God, as far as I'm concerned, as a film it does not work.

[Razielle Alastor]

Eh, I was going expecting something pretty and it was that. I did like the characters, Rorschach in particular and, I had fun, which is what I went out to do. :) :p

I don't have any specific complaints, but I'll just say that it was noted that some vital element that I can't place my pinkie on, one makes a movie spectacular, was just out of reach.

But yeah I liked it!

[Jedi Master Carr]

It made 25 million for Friday. It should do around 60 million for the weekend. I think it being such a dark film does hurt. I mean it makes the Dark Knight look like a disney movie.

[Rutabaga]

I think mixed reviews by both critics and fans is completely inevitable. Although I only recently read the graphic novel, I recognized immediately that this really is an unfilmable property. So that's the attitude I'm going to go in with...how did they film an unfilmable property? For some, the answer will be that they did okay, for others it will be like being speared with a sword right through their hearts. In some ways, reactions will be like they were to the SW prequels.

I'm going to be curious to hear reactions from people who never read the graphic novel. Those reactions should be interesting, because face it...Watchmen is a weird story. Beautiful, but weird.

[Mu Satach]

I think I'm getting old. I found it too explicit; and some brutality seemed to only to exist for brutalities sake. I'm still planning on reading the book. But, I walked out of the flick feeling rather ambivilent about it.

[Crusader]

I think I'm getting old. I found it too explicit; and some brutality seemed to only to exist for brutalities sake. I'm still planning on reading the book. But, I walked out of the flick feeling rather ambivilent about it.

OK here we have it: The proof that the end is near. Mu "I love Ash" Satach states that a movie is too gory for her.

I liked the movie but the fact, that the actual plot is only represented by like 15-20% and the rest of the film is filled with character development and flashbacks, might be hard to sit through for some people.

I love well developed characters and this movie had a lot of them.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think mixed reviews by both critics and fans is completely inevitable. Although I only recently read the graphic novel, I recognized immediately that this really is an unfilmable property. So that's the attitude I'm going to go in with...how did they film an unfilmable property? For some, the answer will be that they did okay, for others it will be like being speared with a sword right through their hearts. In some ways, reactions will be like they were to the SW prequels.

I'm going to be curious to hear reactions from people who never read the graphic novel. Those reactions should be interesting, because face it...Watchmen is a weird story. Beautiful, but weird.

Also it really fit in with the mindset of the cold war and nuclear war fears. Most of those fears don't work now. I agree with you about its unfilmability, but I still want to see it.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Well if they'd tried to 'update' it, it would have come off as tepid as 'V for Vendetta'. So I'm glad they didn't do that.

[Sudoku]

http://fanboys-online.com/ lulz

[Atreyu]

I saw it last night. I enjoyed it. :) (though I do admit to feeling a bit sqeamish in some of the violent scenes)

The group I was with - HATED it. All the females walked out halfway through, plus a guy did too.

Of course, I was the only one who even knew anything about the film - everyone else (except for one mate) just thought it was a superhero movie. Maybe they should go watch Iron Man again. :p

My one friend who was familiar with the comic (because I told him LOL :lol) didn't exactly enjoy the film, but thanks to what he had found out about it beforehand (and me telling him :)) he said he could appreciate what the film was trying to do as well as some of the underlying themes/issues that were present. He'd like to read the original comic itself now.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well if they'd tried to 'update' it, it would have come off as tepid as 'V for Vendetta'. So I'm glad they didn't do that.

lol well I liked V for Vendetta although I never read the Graphic Novel. As for Watchmen it did 55.7 million, which is a respectable amount for it. Really the movie is a tough sell for mainstream audiences so it should do about 125-140 in the end.

[Rutabaga]

I liked the movie. A lot.

I just finished the graphic novel last week, so I'm a Watchman newbie...I haven't been waiting for years and years for a movie version. That might have made a difference. Plus, I went in with the attitude that this was basically unfilmable, so I didn't expect it to be perfect. That might have made a difference too. Overall, I think they did as good a job as anyone might have been able to do, and for me, for the most part it worked. It simply did NOT feel like it was 2 hours and 45 minutes long at all.

I'm just blown away by Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Wow. He was so good in the role, I actually felt moved by the moment at the end where he was screaming at Doc Manhattan to kill him, and Manhattan turned him into a giant literal Rorschach blot in the snow. Billy Crudup was pretty good as Doc Manhattan, and I liked Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl. I just wish they'd had a better Ozymandias, though. *sigh*

I also liked the fact that they tried to work in little background bits from the novel, most especially the guy at the newsstand and the young man who was reading the Black Freighter comic book.

Like I've said before, I can really understand the mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, and I know it will drop off at the box office and not be a huge smash. But for me, it worked, and I'm glad I saw it. :)

[Emelie Shadowstar]

I just came back from it.

Enjoyed it...didn't mind the one semi large change they made (I think the movie's reasoning and such flowed a bit better than the book's at that point.)

I think my fave part honestly though...was the opening credits and they way they were done to kinda essentially give you the basic back story. Was really creative and neato.

My only complaint was that it did seem some scenes were a little dragged out and it really was paced like the novel was...which works GREAT for the novel, but not always for a movie. Came off as a little slow to me. *shrug*

And its gonna sound juvenile and I don't care...but I can't help but wonder if somewhere in the world there's a resume that states someone was the model for Doc Manhattan's...*ahem* bits. :lol

[Lykaios]

I am undecided, I'm a huge fan of the graphic novel and I'm grateful for the fact that they mostly stayed true to it, but I can't help but agree with Em about the movie's pacing, it's great for the book, not so much for the movie.

Oh, well, that just means I'll have to watch it again and again until I make up my mind :D

[Atreyu]

Weekend estimates are in - Watchmen made approx. $56M.

Not bad, but a bit low. Probably be pushed to make back it's $120-150M budget (varies depending on source) domestically. :\

[Rutabaga]

I'm not surprised. It simply isn't for everyone. And that will affect WOM. It will do quite well on DVD, though, I have no doubt.

BTW, people actually brought little kids to the showing I went to yesterday. I saw 2 little boys who were no more than 5 or 6 years old. One even needed a booster seat. I wasn't sure what to make of that...was it people who just saw superheroes and figured it was like all the other superhero movies? Or were they people who don't care that little kids see R-rated movies with graphic violence plus sex and nudity? Sometimes I wonder. Maybe it's good I'm not a parent and don't have to grapple with stuff like this.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

All I know is that the group I went with got carded (well, one of us did, and the ticket lady figured oh, she's 26, you are all of age). Yet there were definately people under 18 sitting behind us. One even said "i'm 13, and will be 14 in 2 months!" in a high pitched squawk.

[Dasquian Belargic]

First off, I will never understand why anyone would walk out of a movie theatre. You already paid to see the film, so just stick around, unless you're some huge big shot who has a million other better things to do - in which case why the hell are you wasting your time in the cinema?

Second, why the hell don't parents research movies before letting their kids see them? I had this happen to me when I was like.. 9. I was at a sleepover and a friends mum said we could pick whatever we wanted from the video rental place. We picked From Dusk till Dawn and she just let us watch it. My mum was furious!

Anyway, I haven't seen the movie yet but I can't help it's been kind of cursed by the fact that it's being sold as a comic book movie. Not in the same in your face way as stuff like Spiderman, which is a well known franchise, but Watchmen is still SUPERHEROES.

I guess people (the general public "people") like superheroes because they are triumphant forces of justice, not cynical assholes. Well, maybe a team can have one asshole like Wolverine, but you need your Cyclops and Professor X to balance that out, at least for a Hollywood audience.

Who can you idolize or even empathize with in the Watchmen, unless you're some kind of sociopath? The Comedian is a rapist, Doc Manhattan is inhuman and emotionless, Adrian Veidt is proud and vain, Rorschach is violent and cynical, etc. Nite Owl and Silk Spectre aren't big enough characters to overshadow the others (especially not the Doc :lol) so their relative humanity is made basically redundant.

The comic was created, as I understand, to represent what superheroes could be like in the real world - and I guess we all know that deep down they wouldn't work. Something would inevitably go wrong, because at heart everyone is human and therefore flawed. I guess people don't like that.

Either that or the film was shit.

[/ramble]

[Droo]

Either that or the film was shit.



That is all it is for me. And I want to expound upon my views here because when I slate a film that everyone is in love with around here, I tend to find people afterwards make claims such as "Oh, I only went to be entertained," or "I wasn't expecting Citizen Kane..." and the like, as if those of us who don't like the film went expecting some sort of life changing experience. Not at all, I'm just calling it as I see it. And even when a film is crap, I'm still sure to enjoy myself in the company I keep.

Let me make a couple of things clear from my perspective. In Watchmen there is plenty of things that are working as individual components of the cinematic medium; the acting is wholly believeable, the special effects are sound, the cinematography is impressive on the whole. However, what use are any of these things if the viewing audience doesn't care about what is unfolding on the screen? The way the story unravels is extremely clunky and lackluster. A film is first and foremost about telling a story and in that I believe the film fails solidly.

It is clear from the quality of production and attention to detail that the directors, writers, and God knows who else loved the source material, and judging by what everyone has said in and outside of this thread, rightly so. I wouldn't know since I've never looked at a single page of the comic. But therein lies a problem with the crew not being fans of the material, but fanboys, and I believe they were the latter. They were so absorbed with the material and with the quest for doing it justice that, in a film which lasts not far off the three hour mark, it seems they wanted to acomplish this by including as much of the comic's content as possible and when switching between the medium of page and screen, this is a terrible mistake.

Looking back on Watchmen, there are so many scenes I can recall which in retrospect, in the context of the story, serve no purpose other than to satisfy the fans in the cinema and the fanboys behind the camera. The various backstories, as they are introduced into the thread of the plot, felt very forced and detract from the flow of the narrative. There is a moment in which Rorshach asks something along the lines of "I suppose you want to hear about my childhood now?" And I actually said aloud, "No! I don't!" These characters are great but the flashbacks were so clunky and self-indulgent that it really grated on my nerves. All other supposedly significant story arcs fell flat for me, and never once did I feel the threat of nuclear holocaust palpable or impending, no matter how many minutes were left on the clock. The whole issue seemed to be dealt with in a contradictory fashion, leaping between incredibly flippant and hugely portentous, consequently failing to have any impact upon me, at the very least.

Personally, I don't believe in something being unfilmable. They said the Lord of the Rings trilogy was unfilmable and look what became of that. It takes writers who can interpret the text fresh for the screen, changes have to be made to accomodate the change from the printed page in order to better serve the story, and as long as the spirit of the story is kept intact, that is what matters. Anyone who expects to see everything appear in a film from its source material is only deluding themselves.

So no, I haven't read Watchmen, but I most certainly didn't go into the cinema with any expectations or preconceptions of superhero films, I certinaly didn't expect anything like Iron Man or Spiderman. When I talk about this film, I'm not criticising it based on what I think it should've been, given everyone's hype and praise over the comic, instead what I say is simply a critique on what was on screen. There's plenty of money behind the film, it's made well, but the backbone of it, the story, just doesn't work, the pieces don't fall together and never once did I care for its outcome. My not liking this film has nothing to do with hype, marketing, expectations, preconceptions, or misinterpretation, I just didn't like it and think as a film, it fell flat.

[Dasquian Belargic]

You are totally entitled to your opinion, Droo. Like I said, I haven't even seen the movie yet - I was just trying to rationalize (perhaps mostly with myself) why a story like Watchmen might not work with the viewing public at large. I'm totally open to the possibility of the movie sucking for me too.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

I have absolutely no problem with what Droo said there because it really goes on with kinda what I said and I guess now that he's opened a little latch in my brain I can expand upon it...

It's wonderful how much detail and such they tried to put into the movie. But yeah, I do have to agree, some of the flash backs from a purely film standpoint seemed a bit much. In a graphic novel/book/whatever printed I think it's totally fine to go into character's back stories (if it works with the story), it lets you get to know them, maybe even care about them in some way. And the great thing about the printed page is when you've had your fill for the moment you can put the book down and come back to it later. Can't do that with a movie, really so instead you are kinda being force-fed stuff that they can't really flesh out to the extent to make it not seem like it's just tossed in without probably making the film another good hour long.

Personally I almost rather there were two cuts of this now that I really think on it. The one I saw as an extended "here's all the freakin detail" version...and maybe a shorter more fluid and focused on the main story version. Just to satisfy both parts of me. lol

I dunno...I just get this impression that you almost had to read the book first to really be able to appreciate the movie. Not sure if anyone else seems to feel that way but I'd be interested in hearing the opinion of more people who weren't familiar with the source material when they went and saw the movie. I know my boyfriend was one of them and he basically didn't care for it at all.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I saw the movie and I loved it. :D

Some things that Dru said that he didn't like, like the flashbacks, etc, are put in the exact places (Rorschach's for instance) that they were in the novel. (His death, btw, was really powerful for me, I just wish they hadn't added in Nite Owl witnessing it and screaming)

I thought that the movie as a whole worked really well, and agree with most of what Jenny says about it - showing how 'masked adventurers' really would be in the real world. I REALLY liked how they showed the Minutemen "Under the Hood" backstory during the credits, it was really well done. I asked my hubby if he understood that bit, and he said he did (he hasn't read it yet). He really liked the movie too, and we didn't feel like it dragged or was too long.

I found it a little weird that they changed the fact that Silk Spectre 2 smokes like a chimney - she didn't light up once!

And everyone for our showing was carded as well going in. Most theatres here don't let small children into rated R movies after a certain time of night, parents with them or not, which is great. I would NOT want to go to a matinee showing of this movie because I'm sure there will be a crap load of kids with their parents going to see a "SUPERHERO MOVIE OMG". Watching their first rape scene. >_< And seeing Dr. Manhattan's bits. So many parents these days just don't parent their kids.

"No compromise, even in the face of Armageddon." I loved Rorschach, who was admittedly probably the most disturbed, but he managed to be a sympathetic character for me. He had the best lines, too. "I'm not locked up here with you; you're all locked up in here with me!"

Watchmen is sort of about anti-heroes, and exploding the 'superhero' mythology and turning it on its head - Rorschach is a psychopath, Nite Owl is a pudgy gadget geek with impotency problems, the smartest man in the world is using his fame to get wealth, Silk Spectre is living in the shadow of her mother's accomplishments... the Comedian is a sociopath, and the superman Dr. Manhattan is so disconnected from the humanity he protects that he can't understand humans anymore and leaves... I just think its really smart and thought provoking.

Anyway I'm not going to argue with people who didn't like it, for me it worked and it worked well. Also we saw it in IMAX and it was so cool. :D We might go see it again.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

I found it a little weird that they changed the fact that Silk Spectre 2 smokes like a chimney - she didn't light up once!


I'm not surprised to be honest. It could be the actress (whose name I'm blanking on) wasn't interested and Snyder was cool with it. The only scene it didn't make sense at all was when she saw Archy for the first time and accidently set the flamethrower off. But that was it.

Also I think it helps to read the graphic novel before seeing the movie but if you don't that's okay.

I'm not even a major fan of Alan Moore's work but I thought the movie was good. I'd see it again.

[jjwr]

I don't see how its a big deal they changed that part. Things have changed a lot since the 80's so the excessive smoking isn't needed.

I liked a lot o the changes, my only complaint was the pacing.

[I'nu]

I can see what Droo is saying about the telling of the story, but I personally was engrossed in the story. I dont think it was lagged, and I had a lot of sympath for Rorschach's character. Since he had the strongest narrative voice in the movie, I personally felt he kept the story strong in spite of the sometimes frantic approach to flashbacks and fantastical moments.

Pretty much, I love what they did different to it in comparison to the actual writings. The ending was nice. Simple as that. I loved the movie. I'd see it again, and I don't say that often.

[Atreyu]

For those who don't know - yU+Co, the company that made the opening titles for Watchmen, has put them online for all to see. :eee

Link (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/4969-qwatchmenq-opening-credits-online.html)

Just note that there's a chance it might no longer be available by the time you read this - Warner Bros have been going around trying to get it removed, much to yU+Co's chagrin. To quote their blogger on their website: "This title sequence was removed at the request of Warner Bros. I will never understand Hollywood’s approach to free publicity."

Too right I reckon. :mad

Oh, and here's some physics guy explaining the science in Watchmen:

<object width="480" height="295">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zmj1rpzDRZ0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></object>

Enjoy. :)

[Drin Kizael]

I've always marveled at how two people can look at the same piece and see something so completely different.

I saw a character driven story that was an exploration of what the "real" world would have been like with superheroes in it. What would really happen if Richard Nixon had a super soldier and a walking nuclear bomb on the payroll? How good would people really be with masked vigilantes in a cold war climate? How perfect can you expect a guy to be just because he is charming and puts on a cape and CALLS himself a hero? As a fan of the superhero genre, I loved seeing that different perspective on it.

But looking at this film through a writer's prism... I am really baffled by the criticisms I'm reading here.

Not everyone is going to get this film. Just like not everybody gets the book. Trust me, there are a LOT of alleged comics aficionados who claim they love Watchmen, but clearly do not get it.

And that's fine. I mean I don't "get" Grant Morrison or Tim Burton or Kevin Anderson. I don't "get" Serenity or Battlestar Galactica or Superman Returns. Never will. That doesn't make me deficient. Tell me how great they are all you want. I'll explain with just as much reason why they were trash.

What was I saying? Oh yeah...

While the actual plot of Watchmen was incredibly short... the catch is that none of it would have held up without really getting into the heads of all the key characters involved. Without understanding why the world was the way it was and why the characters were who they were, it would have been just another Bond flick with spandex.

Plus one of the things that impressed me most was how well constructed the story was. As a writer, there are always 3 things that you want to strive to do throughout your story. You examine a character, explore the setting, and move forward the plot. In any given scene you want to accomplish 2 of those 3 things whenever possible. Alan Moore managed to do ALL THREE at the same time on nearly every damn page. And Jack Snyder's choice of which flashbacks to use and where to place them were spot on.

Yes... I said it. Every last flashback in this movie fit perfectly and served a purpose. Every one fit with the action at the time, told you something meaningful about the character, revealed more about the world they all lived in, and moved the plot forward.

Why did we need to know about the case that made Rorschach into a sociopath and the origin of Dr. Manhattan? They're called an interludes. It's a pacing tool.

But they weren't there for the fanboys. The one showed us not only the depths of just how fucked up Rorschach was, it also established that despite experiencing the kind of case that would have driven anyone else into a fetal position for the rest of their adult lives, he somehow stayed a good guy with a mission. The other gave us a glimpse into what it was like for this guy to be killed, come back as a god who can see through time, and yet still have a shred of humanity... both of which put how they behave in the end scene in clearer perspective.

As for all of those other flashbacks... they were all anchored to events happening at that moment, and they were all about The Comedian. Every one of them served a purpose. We learned about his connection to each of the characters, shed even more light on the history of their world, and gave you another clue about where all this was going.

Disagree all you want. If you didn't see any of that then you didn't see it. Those who like the film aren't gushing because we feel that we need to. We just saw it differently.

Now there were more flashback scenes that he COULD have included from the comic that would not have served the film nearly as well. Notice how Ozymandius just glossed over his back story. It was unimportant. Nor do we learn much about Dan really. It's not necessary because he's pretty self explanatory. I have trouble even referring to him as Night Owl because his story is about Dan. Same with Laurie.

We also could have learned the origin of Rorschach's mask. Snyder REALLY could have derailed the plot with a half-hour long interlude with the psychologist in prison. As great as that chapter was in the comic, my God would it have yanked you out of the rest of the story. Trust me there's a lot that he could have done to destroy the pace. He chose very wisely in the editing room. If you walked in oblivious to the marketing of this movie making everyone think they were going to see X-Men, it was a very well crafted character drama.

There were a few more things I wish were in there. I would have liked to have seen a couple more glimpses of the mysterious homeless guy with his The End Is Near sign on the street. That would have made Rorschach's unmasking even cooler than it was. Just one passing shot of him with the newsstand guy and the kid reading his pirate comic would have been nice. I'm sure it'll be on the DVD.

I would have liked to see more of Ozy's pet lynx at the end, too. Now THAT is one thing that really did not serve any purpose in the film... but COULD have had it been used the same way that it was in the comic.

I think they could have made the opening fight a little shorter, and the attack on Ozy could have been framed a little better. As those scenes played out, they watered down the mystery a little too much.

But overall IMO, Snyder improved on the comic in a big way. His ending was 1000 times better. More importantly, he focused so much more on the heroism and humanity of the characters, rather than the bleak and cynical view that Alan Moore clearly has of the world.

Few films have got me this jazzed and made me want to keep talking about them this much in a long time. This movie was amazing. Not only as an adaptation but as a film on it's own.

[Miranda Tarkin]

http://pixelatedgeek.com/2009/03/watchmen-opening-credits-video/

isa found a link to the opening credits Atreyu :mischief I loved the opening credits :)

[Drin Kizael]

http://pixelatedgeek.com/2009/03/watchmen-opening-credits-video/

isa found a link to the opening credits Atreyu :mischief I loved the opening credits :)

Watch them while you still can. WB is trying to get them all taken down.

[Crusader]

For me who has not read the comic the movie would not have worked without the starting credits.

[Rutabaga]

The opening credits are brilliant. And very much making it clear that you are not about to see a regular, happy-go-lucky superhero film. I even liked the choice of "The Times They Are A-Changin'," even though I can't stand Bob Dylan ;).

[Atreyu]

isa found a link to the opening credits Atreyu Thanks - seems my site has already taken them down. Curse you WB! :shakefist

Still on the topic of the opening credits - here's a site that examines them and points out the many 'easter eggs' and other hints present:

http://io9.com/5167732/easter-eggs-and-missing-parts-in-watchmens-titles

I completely missed the Batman reference at the very start. Think about it logically and this means that in the Watchmen universe Nite Owl prevented the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, and therefore stopped Batman from ever existing. :eek

Regarding the opening credit scenes they had to cut - would have been pretty cool to see The Comedian, alone, raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Oh well - another reason to get the Director's Cut DVD. :)

It seems as though despite varying opinions about the film itself, the opening credits are nearly universally praised. Job well done. :)

[Rutabaga]

I totally did not catch the Batman reference either. That's cool. :cool

[Lykaios]

I think that's more of a homage than actually Hollis preventing the actual murder of the Waynes, really, seeing how Moore has written some of the best Bat's material out there, including The Killing Joke, I think it's just a tip of the hat *shrug*

But yes, at least it looks like we can all agree on the brilliance of the film's opening.

[Tear]

Saw it tonight. Loved it. I am a comic fan and in my younger days I read through the novel but never really appreciated it. (too young)

When I heard the movie I didn't bother to go back and freshen up. Instead I left it and went to see the movie with a foggy memory. Wow, was I impressed. Fantastically done a big thumbs up to Snyder for not turning it into an X-men 3 (not that he would).

All around I enjoyed it a lot. I think knowing a little what to expect helped that though. I didn't go looking for a spider-man I went looking for something else and it was delivered. Good stuff.

[jjwr]

I never saw that as his replacing Batman, don't forget this takes place in the real world where Batman was a character. On the wall you can see a bunch of copies of the Batman #1 cover plastered on the wall so its more a montage to Batman than anything else. There were a bunch of references to "Superman" as well and poking fun at the comic genre with the anti-cape angle

[Atreyu]

Well actually it takes place in an alternate world where the US won the Vietnam War and Nixon won 5 terms in office :p so not necessarily our 'real' world (but I know what you mean :)). I saw it as a subtle note that Batman wasn't 'super' himself and also relied upon gadgets, technology etc and could technically exist in the Watchmen universe. This was a clever way of possibly pre-empting why he may not exist here - because Nite Owl saved the day of course :eee (the fact that the rich couple look an awful lot like the Wayne's from the original comic - plus the reference to the opera "The Bat" also providing the context)..

It's up to the individual how they interpret that scene in the end. :)

[Morgan Evanar]

Oh jeez KC you are one weird dude.

http://gunshowcomic.com/d/20090309.html

[Father Barton]

Time for my two cents on this movie.

So there I sat in the theater half way through the movie. I was thinking why did I waste my money on this boring movie. I was also asking myself is it over yet? At that point I had made up my mind that I hated the film. At that point I cared nothing about any of the characters (except Rorschach). Although I like others did like the opening credits and thought they were inventive as well as amazing.

Now before you think I hated this film by the end of it I was like hell yeah. I loved it by the end of the movie. I loved the point the movie was getting a crossed. You see when I went in I hadn't read the comic cause my friend who said he would loan it o me before we went and saw it never loaned it to me. I went in with very little knowledge on the story. I thought it was going to be character driven but in truth to me it wasn't character driven I didn't care about the characters and still don't. To me it was point driven and by the end of the movie when I figured it that out I was like okay now I can love this movie.

To me the movie was nothing about the characters they were just fuel for drive a point across. To me the movie was solely about human nature and just how human even superheroes should be. I can appreciate and love that fact. I also appreciate that by the end you realize this is not a superhero movie. These people are not superheroes most of them are just people who wanted to try and make a difference but just like use they are human (except maybe Manhattan who had very little humanity left.).

Over all the movie was a bit too slow paced for me but it drives a great point. Therefore by the end I was like this wasn't a waste and I'm glad I saw it. Now I just want to read and then buy it on DVD when it comes out. :)

[Atreyu]

Early weekend results have been posted on various sites - Watchmen could be looking at, bare minimum, a 65% drop from opening weekend, and may be even as high as 70%. Ouch. :(

[Rutabaga]

Not a surprise at all...this movie has the word "cult" written all over it. And like I said before, it will do well on DVD. I know I'm planning on buying a copy when it comes out.

[Zai]

I dont know if I have already said this or not, but the point is that...

I love this movie. I can't add more to it. The point, the characters, everything about this movie set it off for me and I barley read the comics before hand. All of it was new to me, and I was invested from the get-go. The whole dynamics of the story had me.

Cult maybe the fitting word for this one, but I love it. The best thing about it is that it came out at a perfect time. Not many other meaningful, strong movies are coming out right now, so I think most people at least tried this one out.

Love it. Simple as that. Great, great, great movie.

[Atreyu]

Watchmen feel another 62% this weekend - domestic total now stands at $98.1M. Projected trajectory now has it ending its run in the US at around the $110M mark.

[Darth Turbogeek]

I finally got to see this wonderful, wonderful movie this weekend.

Now I am no comic book nerd and frankly I do enjoy fanboys getting their noses put out of joint. And I am sure this movie did it - but frankly, dare I say it I have to agree with Drin in how this was a fantastically crafted movie that you really had to think abotu and understand the characters to really get. Ozymandius - you can see exactly where he was comign from and that's why it worked so well. It just all made sense to me and really got me thinking.

Damn this is one hell of a violent movie tho. That was all manner of fucked up - as was Rorschach.

Loved it.