Watchmen. [SPOILERS!]

[Akumz Razor]

A really small thing that I would've done different was when Rorschach and Dan had a fight about Dan being "soft" and then they shake hands to make up. In my head, at that part in the comic, Rorschach was so socially inept he didn't realise he was holding Dan's hand too long and it was a bit of comedy, but it wasn't really played up for that in the film.

Oddly enough that moment elicited quite a bit off laughter from the audience when I saw the film.

[CDiehl]

I finally saw this all the way through today; I saw it on Friday, and the film broke most of the way through. I was pissed when I noticed a good number of kids in the theatre at the showing today, including some seemingly unattended young'uns sitting near me. Why the hell do people do that? Did they think the R rating was a joke?

While I liked this movie, it is a little disappointing that, for the smartest man on earth, Veidt's plan resembled something I'd expect from a Bond villain. I also thought the plotline about Dr. Manhattan losing interest in humanity was resolved way to easily.

mainly due to the non-chemistry between the actors playing Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II

I personally think the scene of those two together was fanservice for the movie's imagined target audience. Basically, the hottest woman a doughy, insecure nerd knows dumps her naked blue demigod of a boyfriend to bang said doughy nerd. Seriously, what beautiful woman fantasizes about dressing up in a dominatrixy latex getup and having to do all the work under her doughy, nerdy male friend?

[Stark]

Actually, it's an exploration of how Dan is a dirty fetishist and Laurie needs human companionship.

[CDiehl]

Actually, it's an exploration of how Dan is a dirty fetishist and Laurie needs human companionship.

All well and good, but it also looks someone took a stereotype of a repressed nerd's sexual fantasy and put it on a movie screen.

[Davis 51]

Just saw it.

Good: The plotline was extremely well adapted, even with the changes (though I do miss the squid destruction bits, I have gained a certain fondness to the new ending). Rorshach stole the show. (Especially the scene in the prison food line). The special effects were marvelous, and blended in seamlessly. The opening montage was the best damn opening montage I've seen since "The Kingdom." And the music, with the exception of that shitty-ass cover of Desolation Row was spot on.

Bad: Shitty-ass cover of Desolation Row. While in some places, the added gore worked, for every scene that it worked there was another that it just distracted from. Snyders slow-mo was also a double-edged sword. Parts worked, others didn't. Some unnecessary dialogue alterations where it would have been no trouble at all to keep the exact original lines. I have other minor gripes, but those are nitpicks and not worth mentioning.

Overall: 4/5. I anticipate re-watching it on IMAX if I get the chance.

[Lord Revan]

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

Other noted the movie wouldn't have suffered from less nite owl-arse, also some of the gore and violence in general just seemed unnessery (granted I've not seen the source material), and in alot of places imho the movie would have been better if the sex and violence would have been implied rather then shown (for example the sex scene in the "owl-ship" would have been better had they just shown the start and cut to the flame-thrower part maybe to few more frames of the exterior, and violence there's so many to choose from the prison saw scene would one and Mantthan turning the nightclub into pieces of meat and bone shards would another).

[General Zod]

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

Other noted the movie wouldn't have suffered from less nite owl-arse, also some of the gore and violence in general just seemed unnessery (granted I've not seen the source material), and in alot of places imho the movie would have been better if the sex and violence would have been implied rather then shown (for example the sex scene in the "owl-ship" would have been better had they just shown the start and cut to the flame-thrower part maybe to few more frames of the exterior, and violence there's so many to choose from the prison saw scene would one and Mantthan turning the nightclub into pieces of meat and bone shards would another).

This is as close to an exact translation of the source material as possible and you're complaining that it has too much sex and violence?

[Peptuck]

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

This is Doctor Manhattan.

Do you honestly think he wouldn't be able to equalize air pressure around her, too?

[Lord Revan]

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

Other noted the movie wouldn't have suffered from less nite owl-arse, also some of the gore and violence in general just seemed unnessery (granted I've not seen the source material), and in alot of places imho the movie would have been better if the sex and violence would have been implied rather then shown (for example the sex scene in the "owl-ship" would have been better had they just shown the start and cut to the flame-thrower part maybe to few more frames of the exterior, and violence there's so many to choose from the prison saw scene would one and Mantthan turning the nightclub into pieces of meat and bone shards would another).

This is as close to an exact translation of the source material as possible and you're complaining that it has too much sex and violence?

as I said, I haven't seen the orginal grafic novel so I can't really judge how faithfull it was to it and my problem wasn't so much the amount of violence and/or sex but the almost insane need to potrait almost every bit of it. those scenes film or comic wouldn't have imho lost any of their impact from showing less

though in overall I liked the movie, guess I'm not supppose to critize the parts I would have found bad in the comic too /shrug

This is Doctor Manhattan.

Do you honestly think he wouldn't be able to equalize air pressure around her, too?

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

This is Doctor Manhattan.

Do you honestly think he wouldn't be able to equalize air pressure around her, too?

wouldn't it be too late by then (he didn't seem to figure/remember that transporting an essentially normal human into surface of Mars might be harmfull to her) granted I'm not an medical expert,

[General Zod]

as I said, I haven't seen the orginal grafic novel so I can't really judge how faithfull it was to it and my problem wasn't so much the amount of violence and/or sex but the almost insane need to potrait almost every bit of it. those scenes film or comic wouldn't have imho lost any of their impact from showing less

though in overall I liked the movie, guess I'm not supppose to critize the parts I would have found bad in the comic too /shrug

Quite frankly it comes off as a silly nitpick if you've never read the source material. The original novel was intended to be brutal and ultraviolent, a distinct departure from other comic books at the time. So "toning it down" would remove that; I think the violence wound up falling short but for other reasons (as I explained above).

wouldn't it be too late by then (he didn't seem to figure/remember that transporting an essentially normal human into surface of Mars might be harmfull to her) granted I'm not an medical expert,

Uhm, no. It's not something that would be instantaneous.

[SylasGaunt]

All well and good, but it also looks someone took a stereotype of a repressed nerd's sexual fantasy and put it on a movie screen.

Well it's not like she's got much choice among people she actually knows.

Dan- Yeah he's out of shape and kind of a dork.

Rorsarch- Leaving aside his body odor he's a frickin whack-a-loon with a lot of sexual hangups.

Dr, Manhattan- The one causing this problem in the first place.

[Lord Revan]

there's Veigt (they didn't know he was a "bad guy" then, but then he's quite a narsist and possibly gay.

there seems to be plot point that the "heroes" don't seem to know anyone but themselves or their opponents, I mean you got Laurie down right cofessing that she doesn't know anyone but superheroes and the Comedian thinks of his arch-enemy as the closest thing to a friend he ever had, what does that tell about any of them as humans?

[Zor]

I saw it yesterday and it was pretty good. I might see it again with my father (a fan of Watchmen himself) at some point in the future.

Beyond what has been said, i would just like to point out that Ozymandias's getup at times looked too much like a prop in my opinion.

Zor

[CDiehl]

Well it's not like she's got much choice among people she actually knows.

Dan- Yeah he's out of shape and kind of a dork.

Rorsarch- Leaving aside his body odor he's a frickin whack-a-loon with a lot of sexual hangups.

Dr, Manhattan- The one causing this problem in the first place.

I understand that, but I was referring to the scene in question as a scene in a movie. In the context of the movie, you're right; Dan's pretty much the most normal person Laurie knows. However, as a movie scene, it seems designed to illustrate what its creator thinks the movie's likely fanbase fantasizes about. Also, I'd imagine those two would be the most able among the main characters to have a relationship with a normal person if they'd make an attempt.

Speaking of ...

there seems to be plot point that the "heroes" don't seem to know anyone but themselves or their opponents, I mean you got Laurie down right cofessing that she doesn't know anyone but superheroes and the Comedian thinks of his arch-enemy as the closest thing to a friend he ever had, what does that tell about any of them as humans?

I noticed this as well. Every interaction they ever have with normal human beings seems to vary between annoying and hostile. I assume that's a theme, that they've become detached from reality. However, I will say that Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias and Rohrschach seem to take that detachment to the extreme. Where Manhattan becomes neutral to the human race, the other two actually become hostile. Ozymandias seems to regard human lives as someform of capital, for him to spend in the pursuit of his goals. Rohrschach just considers them to be filthy meatbags to which he feels morally superior.The rest seem to take similar, though far less extreme, versions of these attitudes, with Comedian sitting in the middle. He seems to have just enough regard for people to feel guilty for what he does, but not enough to actually stop doing it. As I said before, Laurie and Dan (especially Laurie) seem like the Marilyn Munster of this crew of fucked-up people, and most likely to reach out of the cul-de-sac to the rest of the world.

[Peptuck]

Dan- Yeah he's out of shape and kind of a dork.

Dan may be "out of shape," but he can still beat the everliving shit out of a few dozen rioting prisoners.

[Stark]

It's pretty sad when people talk in guarded, speculative terms about obvious plot elements expressly stated in the damn movie. It's almost as funny as 'maybe Kovacs' mask moves at random'.

Apparently Veidt sees people as 'capital' to be 'spent' which is why he does everything he can to save the world according to his attitude (shared with Kovacs) that noone can do it but him. Next we'll be told that the Comedian may be a trickster figure in the story, and we'll act all surprised.

[Kon_El]

btw did anyone else notice that Laurie didn't seem to suffer any ill effect on Mars apart from inability to breath until the "air bubble" was created, shouldn't she have been suffering for "diver's disease" or what ever it's called since Mars has signifigantly lower surface pressure then Earth.

The guy can teleport people, manipulate matter, and do a bunch of other stuff I cant even come up with a term for. Even if there was any damage to her in the few seconds before he created the bubble I doubt it would be even a minor inconvenience for him to fix it.

[Ghost Rider]

It wasn't too bad. Even taking merits as a movie it was trying to fit too much, failing on a variety of plot and pacing points and the only characters I cared for were Nite Owl and Rorschach, and they were even a bit cardboard. The Blue guy might as well been a giant talking BLUE PENIS(A few too many shots made me wonder if their emphasizing the PENIS! a bit much, hell my fiancee wondered why some shots were done that way)at times, SS was T&A walking, Comedian was douche bag, and Ozy wasn't even a character as much as a walking explaination. Synder literally wanted all the cool moments and wire fu fights but almost none of the build up on a lot of them.

So it's not the worst, but I've enjoyed other comic book adaptions and movies more then Watchmen.

[Starglider]

Saw this with my wife, probably the best film adaptation you could make of that source material, minor nitpicks aside. Regrettably a legion of chavs were present and mouthing inanities all the way through the movie, another reminder of why I only go to the cinema once a year or so.

Seriously, Dr. Manhattan as the threat? They could have at least done "The Day the Earth Stood Still" ending, plagiarized as it would have been. Instead, they just made one that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

What? It's entirely plausible from the point of view of the rest of the world, the weird detached superman figure snapped and went psycho. 'Psycho superman is out there and prepared to punnish us for our sins' is probably an even better way to force people to play nice than 'mysterious extradimensional giant psychic aliens might be invading, maybe'.

Seriously, what beautiful woman fantasizes about dressing up in a dominatrixy latex getup and having to do all the work under her doughy, nerdy male friend?

That would be desperation, besides as the fight scenes demonstrated, despite appearances Nite Owl is actually pretty damn fit.

Beyond what has been said, i would just like to point out that Ozymandias's getup at times looked too much like a prop in my opinion.

I think it's supposed to. After all he doesn't fight crime any more, he's just wearing a costume designed to maximise his superhero image. If anything it's a parody of the George-Clooney-Batman style hilariously-over-sculpted hero suits.

[fgalkin]

Seriously, Dr. Manhattan as the threat? They could have at least done "The Day the Earth Stood Still" ending, plagiarized as it would have been. Instead, they just made one that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

What? It's entirely plausible from the point of view of the rest of the world, the weird detached superman figure snapped and went psycho. 'Psycho superman is out there and prepared to punnish us for our sins' is probably an even better way to force people to play nice than 'mysterious extradimensional giant psychic aliens might be invading, maybe'.

Sure. And all the world is going to unite against him and...do what, exactly? Pray he won't swat them like flies?

Of course, then there is the fact that his Way Out is also the Dr. Manhattan Power Replicator. Congratulations, Ozzy, you jusrt gave mankind another toy to kill each other with, and a damn strong urge to use it!.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Big Orange]

I found the Watchmen movie solid and competent, but somewhat boring and souless, perhaps likely more so to anybody not acquainted to the source material. I found President Nixon a complete parody and his prosthetic nose very distracting, the guy playing Henry Kissinger was more convincing. Silk Spectre II and Nite Owl II were the most "straight" characters as in the graphic novel, so they were of course rather less interesting than the Comedian and Rorschach. I liked Ozy more than I expected and he kinda of channelled Tony Blair.

Dr. Manhattan was pitch perfect, while the production values were top draw, with the sets and props being spot on (in addition to the period music). I prefer Iron Man though, much more its own movie rather than a compressed copy.

7/10

[Starglider]

Sure. And all the world is going to unite against him and...do what, exactly?

Nothing, but then how were they supposed to retaliate in the original plot?

Of course, then there is the fact that his Way Out is also the Dr. Manhattan Power Replicator.

I thought the point of killing all the scientists who developed it was to prevent knowledge of how to build it leaking out. It's quite likely that no-one else can develop one from scratch, without having Dr Manhattan around to lead the R&D. The 'clean energy' thing may have been a complete red herring to hide Ozzy's real goal (in fact this is likely, conventional nuclear power is quite sufficient), or it might be based on a significantly different version of the device without the weapons potential.

[fgalkin]

Sure. And all the world is going to unite against him and...do what, exactly?

Nothing, but then how were they supposed to retaliate in the original plot?

They weren't supposed to. The threat was there to be milked for what it's worth, to buy humanity time. However, in this case we KNOW we can't retaliate, so what's the point?

Of course, then there is the fact that his Way Out is also the Dr. Manhattan Power Replicator.

I thought the point of killing all the scientists who developed it was to prevent knowledge of how to build it leaking out. It's quite likely that no-one else can develop one from scratch, without having Dr Manhattan around to lead the R&D. The 'clean energy' thing may have been a complete red herring to hide Ozzy's real goal (in fact this is likely, conventional nuclear power is quite sufficient), or it might be based on a significantly different version of the device without the weapons potential.

While possible, the fact that he chose to reveal his new energy to outsiders probably points to the fact that he is trying to eliminate the cause of economic conflict through free energy. How much of that is replicatable is unknown, but presumably to some extent, if he is to gift this to mankind.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Starglider]

Nothing, but then how were they supposed to retaliate in the original plot?

They weren't supposed to. The threat was there to be milked for what it's worth, to buy humanity time. However, in this case we KNOW we can't retaliate, so what's the point?

The motivation is different; in the new version it isn't 'lets band together to defeat the evil aliens', it's 'if we don't play nice Dr M will kill us'. At least that's what I got from Night Owl's line 'you haven't improved the human condition, you've twised and distorted it' (or similar) - Ozzy is forcing everyone to play nice through fear, which is unnatural and unsustainable.

While possible, the fact that he chose to reveal his new energy to outsiders probably points to the fact that he is trying to eliminate the cause of economic conflict through free energy.

Free energy would not eliminate the cold war, and Ozzy knows that, or he wouldn't need his 'blow shit up' plan in the first place. The roots of the conflict are in ideology and superpower politics, not lack of energy (that would've been more plausible in the 70s but the 80s was awash with energy). If he really is the 'smartest man on earth' he probably knows that the USSR is going to collapse under its own weight in a decade or so and just wants to hold off nuclear armageddon until then - that or he has a plan for space colonisation or some other way to make nuclear warfare survivable (e.g. replicating Dr M's 'energy shields' on a large scale should do it).

[Big Orange]

I could tolerate Veidt's movie plan, and the Veidt Enterprises science team standing in for the three Vietnamese servants and the boatload of artists, but I disliked the unnecessary alteration of the scene where Rorschach snaps in the kidnapping case: it would've been more creepy and gothic if the Mad Max-style slaying of the murdering paedophile was left as it was (with the music getting louder and more horrific alongside the murderer's screaming as he gets burned alive).