Opinions over Watchmen are split – an adaptation of the infamous 1985 graphic novel by Alan Moore – yet it’s clear this film is one of the first, if not last, comic book epics. Released in theaters on March 6, the two-hour-and-forty-minute film brings to life a complicated plot engrossed in a web of sub-plots touching on the dark side of human nature, vigilantism and self-aggrandizement.
Watchmen had its share of production difficulties since the original graphic novel was released more than two decades ago. Directed by Zack Snyder (credited with 300 and Dawn of the Dead) its themes revolve around true justice in the face of evil and finding one’s identity.
Don’t expect the typical comic-to-film story where the superhero with the moral compass saves the day and life has no complications, instead Watchmen examines certain heroes who employ Machiavellian techniques of fighting crime believing that ends certainly justify the means.
Taking in $55 million in its first weekend, Watchmen wasn’t quite as popular as expected, and has just as many negative as positive reviews. Those who do purchase tickets to Watchmen can depend on one thing: They will spend days contemplating every facet of the story.
Watchmen’s Story Closely Mirrors The 1985 Graphic Novel
In an attempt not to disenfranchise Watchmen fanatics, Snyder and the producers kept the film adaptation almost mirroring the novel.
It presents an alternate history where the United States won the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon stayed in office longer than two terms and the country hinges on nuclear war with the Soviet Union. In the past costumed heroes enjoyed years of being free to fight crime, but a new law named the Keen Act outlaws masks and subsequently forced many of the old heroes into hiding.
The story begins with the death of sadistic ex-soldier Edward Blake a.k.a The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Blake’s mysterious death leads another costumed hero, the ink-blot masked Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to investigate what happened to him.
Morgan’s portrayal of the gruesome, amoral Blake is stirring and shows the audience how a costumed hero can be toeing the line between good and evil. The character of Rorschach is a cross between Batman – jumping from building to building in the night – and Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, torturing criminals and ranting about fornicators.
The only hero with legitimate powers, Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), is an omnipresent being with unmeasurable abilities. Crudup creepily portrays Dr. Manhattan, a god-like being disconnected from humanity, who is seen nude in more than one scene and is reminiscent of a deus-ex-machina in Greek tragedy.
Simultaneously the Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) struggles with an identity once so interconnected with his superhero persona, although now relived during weekly talks of his adventures with the original Nite Owl. And the young Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) was in love with Dr. Manhattan but can no longer stand his swift departure from humanity.
In fact, Dr. Manhattan leaves Earth to build his own ice fortress on Mars. Similar in some respects to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, Dr. Manhattan's lair allows him to live peacefully on his own desolate planet, until he decides to ditch his castle after Silk Spectre's pleas to save Earth. Some scenes on Mars are peculiar at times, but are integral in the development of Dr. Manhattan's character.
Watchmen Is Complicated But Not Tedious
Although the film is close to three hours it doesn’t waste any moments on extemporaneous story lines. The first half consists of flashbacks to when the costume heroes were allowed to fight crime. It shows The Comedian and his homicidal exploits in Vietnam, the synthesis of Dr. Manhattan and how the Watchmen teamed up many years before.
There are many splinter plots but everything comes together nicely in the end. No story is left untouched or not concluded and the audience leaves the theater with a genuine feeling of satisfaction. Watchmen is not appropriate for small children and has many vivid scenes such as a man being burned with a fry daddy, soldiers burning, a man’s head being impaled with a butcher knife and bloody fight scenes.
Oddly enough, the Watchmen who have no powers seem to punch through concrete walls and throw people across a room as if they had exceptional strength. It could be that special suits improve their abilities or they’ve had so much training that they possess a great deal of strength, but no answers are provided.
Enjoyable Rating: 7 out of 10 for an action-packed existential ride through morality
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language.
Minutes: 163
Cast:
- Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan
- Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian
- Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl
- Carla Gugino as Silk Spectre
- Matthew Goode as Ozymandias
If You Like “Watchmen” You’ll Also Like: Sin City and Batman Begins
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