Who's watching the Watchmen?

[Wyndam]

Anyone excited for this movie? Came out today.

I absolutely love the graphic novel. It's one of my favorite stories and I can't wait to see how it translates to the big screen. I am sure all of the intricacies of the graphic novel won't be translated to the big screen (I heard the ending was changed a lot, which is understandable considering the end of the graphic novel wouldn't translate well to a big budget Hollywood film), but I am sure it will be a lot of fun nonetheless, which is all you can really ask for in a blockbuster.

I do love the characters though, so I am really excited to see them fully realized.

[Lady Tragic]

Gawd, I am SO psyched. I'm trying to round up friends to go with this weekend or next, hell, I'll go alone if I have to. My brother went today with his friends, and while lame I may be, I refuse to sink to tagging along with my kid brother.

[hitnrun017]

Going on Sunday. Very excited to see it. I've never read the graphic novel but this movie just looks too awesome NOT to see.

[patxshand]

You'll be surprised how close it sticks to the comic. Some changes near the end, yeah, but it's as close to a word-for-word adaptation as you'll ever find. Some minor stuff is cut, but I couldn't believe how true it was to the source material.

[Spiked]

I just saw it a few hours ago, so I feel the need to write about it.

SPOILER WARNING (obviously):

I really liked the movie. I might even say I loved it, but I think I still have to let it sit for a little while. Still, just a warning for those who have NOT read the graphic novel, but plan to see the movie: a couple of my friends who hadn't read it said they were a bit confused by what was going on, so I highly suggest reading it first because it'll help you understand it better. Plus, it's absolutely fantastic...far better than the movie, obviously.

Here are some of my likes and dislikes:

LIKES:
- It was veeeery faithful to the graphic novel. In fact, I'd say it was one of the most faithful adaptations I've seen. There were quite a few changes (major and minor), but you could see that they were mostly made because they only have so much time and money.
- The opening montage with "The Times They Are A'Changin'" by Bob Dylan playing in the background. Just so well-done.
- James Earle Haley (Rorschach) and Patrick Wilson (Nite Owl II) were incredible. Even though Dr. Manhattan is easily my favorite in the comics, they definitely made Rorschach and Dan my favorites in the movie. Plus, Patrick Wilson has an amazing ass...just sayin'.
- The visuals. They were great...I still can't get over how real Dr. Manhattan looked. My only complaint is that Bubastis could have been a little bit more real.
- The scene at the end with Rorschach and Manhattan. I'm not going to say too much about it because it's too much of a spoiler for those of you who haven't read it. I almost cried, which I don't usually do in movies (I'm much more of a TV crier). At first, I was a little iffy about adding Nite Owl into the scene, but looking back, I thought it worked really well.
- The Mars scenes. I particularly liked the scene with Dr. M's backstory, although I may be biased because that was my favorite part of the GN.
- Rorschach's prison scenes. I wanted to start cheering at the part where he said, "I'm not locked in here with you...you're locked in here with me!"
And, of course...
- Dr. Manhattan's schlong...or, as my friends and I called it, blue steel. Biggest and most hilarious elephant in the room ever. Seriously, whenever it was onscreen, you could practically feel the eyes of everyone in the audience focusing on it.

DISLIKES:
- The sex scene in Archie! I'll be absolutely shocked if anyone actually thinks it was even remotely well-done. The whole audience was laughing at first (because it was so ridiculous and because the music didn't fit AT ALL), but after the first few minutes of it, everyone just started to get a little uncomfortable.
- Malin Ackerman (Silk Spectre II). Laurie was my least favorite in the comics, and Malin definitely didn't make me like her. Plus, the scene with her and Dr. Manhattan on Mars toward the end, while great, was partially ruined by her "crying."
- "Oh shit, I'm on Mars" being changed to "Oh my God, I'm on Mars." Small complaint, I know, but it had to be mentioned.
- Dr. Manhattan. I mean, I still loved him in the movie, don't get me wrong, but they made him much more boring. He was far more interesting and developed in the book. Plus, Billy Crudup's voice was a bit too vulnerable for my taste...even though his performance was pretty good and suited the character, I would have preferred the deep, godlike, Optimus Primey voice that I imagined while reading it.
- The scene where Rorschach and Dan get to Antarctica! Dan didn't have his puffy suit or the floaty snow segways! They ruined one of my favorite parts of the graphic novel!

Overall, it was great. Not for the faint of heart, though...there's lots of blood and guts and nudity and sexytimes, but that's expected if you've read the GN.

[snizapman6294]

god i hate being 15 and having parents that disapprove of me seeing R movies in the theaters because of the "Creepers"...

[Wyndam]

Mar 6, 2009 19:57:34 GMT -5 patxshand said:

You'll be surprised how close it sticks to the comic. Some changes near the end, yeah, but it's as close to a word-for-word adaptation as you'll ever find. Some minor stuff is cut, but I couldn't believe how true it was to the source material.

That's great to hear. I hope I can see it this weekend.

[Mayor Of F♥ckville]

I hope this movie explodes.

Last nights midnight showing was crazy. So many nerdss

[wenxina]

Mike... that would be a good thing for you. Tons of nerds means that your chances of running into a hot nerd that likes Radiohead and plays a guitar/mandolin/stringed instrument are much higher.

On a slightly more serious note... I will be watching this. Just not till next weekend, I don't think. Mid-terms are next week for UT-Austin, and so both my boyfriend and I will be stuck with those. Plus, he's coming to visit next weekend, so it'll be perfect. Provided the annoying spring breakers don't flock over.
But I am really excited about it. Read the graphic novel a while back, and was impressed by how dense the entire thing was. Definitely deserving of being named one of the "100 best novels" by Time.

[BuffyFanOne]

wow. i loved this movie!
dr. manhatten was my favorite part. he looked amazing! and unlike others, i really liked SS2!

[iloveromy]

I thought it was amazing.
My favorite parts were the scenes on mars. They were so beautiful.
Yeah, Spiked, the sex scene on the archie was a little ridiculous.

[hitnrun017]

Just got back from seeing this. Have to say this is probably the best superhero movie and best looking movie I've ever seen. It's one I want to see over and over again and now I really want to get the graphic novel ASAP. It was just kickass from beginning to end with twists in an amazing story that I didn't see coming and great characters. Big love for this movie.

And wasn't the point of that sex scene to be humorous? Or at least I hope it was, cause I'd feel like an idiot.

[slayersarah]

i haven't read the GN, but i'm planning on it b/c this movie looks so good. sadly i couldn't see it this weekend b/c i was really busy, but hopefully i'll go see it next weekend on the IMAX. has anyone seen it on IMAX yet? cuz i was wondering if it's worth the extra money.

[jellymoff]

I'm a fan of the GN and I thought the movie was very well done. My only complaint really, I feel like it almost could have been 2 movies. I'm not a fan of sitting in the theater for 3 hours, but it was well worth it!

Go see it for sure!

[dragonweaver]

I saw Watchmen yesterday and I must say that I was very impressed. Having read the graphic novel I was totally psyched to see this and thankfully the movie did not disappoint.

PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE INCLUDED SPOILERS IN MY POST!

There were a few things that I didn't like:
1. The music. The opening with Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A'Changin'" was perfect but the other songs, while representative of the time period, just seemed out of place. None of them seemed to fit with the tone of the story. Personally I think an original score would have been more appropiate.
2. Laurie & Dan's second sex scene. The first time, in Dan's living room, was meant to be awkward & funny, but the second attempt should have been taken more seriously. For starters the music was horribly mismatched and turned the whole moment into a farce. Secondly, I think the director played out the scene way too long. By the end of the scene I felt very uncomfortable and doubt I was the only one.
3. The things left out. Everyone who read the graphic novel probably can list at least one thing they were sad to see cut out of the movie. For me it was the little moments between the people (i.e. the news vendor & the kid) on the streets of New York. I feel it would have connected the audience to the story more & made the ending all that more dramatic.

And just to show I'm not all negative, here are things I really liked:
1. Like others have said, this is propably the most faithful adaptation I've ever seen. Yes some things were changed, but overall the plot, story & characters all stayed the same, which is great.
2. Rorschach & Nite Owl II. They were my favorites. The acting really hit home and I was just so pleased with what we got to see on screen with both characters.
3. The special effects & cinematography. The look of this movie is just amazing. Zack Snyder, the Director of Photography and really the entire crew really brought this world to life and I wouldn't be surprised if come Oscar time next year this movie picks up a couple statues.

All in all it is definitely worth seeing!!

[commandercool]

All in all, I really liked this movie. I've always considered the book unfilmable, so considering that I was very impressed. There were a couple of little things that really bugged me though, the main one being Ozymandias. He was well cast, but his costume wasn't nearly dorky enough and he totally bombed his iconic line at the end, which I won't say for spoiler purposes, but if you read the book you know which one I'm talking about.

I liked Dr. Manhattan, though. The choice of not CGing his voice up was really great.

[Spiked]

Mar 9, 2009 17:12:57 GMT -5 commandercool said:

All in all, I really liked this movie. I've always considered the book unfilmable, so considering that I was very impressed. There were a couple of little things that really bugged me though, the main one being Ozymandias. He was well cast, but his costume wasn't nearly dorky enough and he totally bombed his iconic line at the end, which I won't say for spoiler purposes, but if you read the book you know which one I'm talking about.

Yeah, I wasn't so sure about the changes in Ozymandias' costume at first, but I eventually forgave them, since they sort of un-dorkified a lot of things to broaden the appeal (such as Nite Owl's arctic suit, like I mentioned before. I still don't think it was right seeing him wearing a snow suit that didn't make him look like a marshmallow).

Oh, but mentioning Ozymandias did remind me that I forgot one of my likes. Okay, did anyone else notice the "Boys" folder in his personal files? I was laughing for such a long time when I noticed it. It almost made me forgive them for leaving out one of my favorite Rorschach lines, "Possibly homosexual? Must investigate further."

[BuffyFanOne]

i didn't see that in his files. that is really funny!
i did miss a few of the more subtle aspects of the book.

i am really looking forward to the pirate cartoon that is coming out on dvd! i wish that would have been in the movie but oh well. i guess i can see why they left it out.
rumor has it that they will be releasing a directors cut AND an extended directors cut, with the extended version running almost 4 hours and featuring the pirate stroy line!

[Wyndam]

Finally saw this today and absolutely loved it. It was very faithful to the comic, and I don't think we could ever ask for a better adaptation of the "most un-filmable comic book ever." Really, really enjoyed it. My only major-ish gripe with the movie was with the actor that played Ozymandias. He wasn't quite as charming and charismatic as he was in the graphic novel, which of course made his reveal near the end as the "villain" much more surprising. The Ozymandias on screen was a lot colder than in the book, and my friends (who haven't read the comic) didn't seem to shocked when it was revealed that he was the "Mask's killer." Malin Ackerman had big shoes to fill as well, but I thought she did well enough, especially in her scenes with Nite Owl II. The rest of the cast was excellent though.

I liked the new ending as well. I think a sudden appearance of a genetically modified alien would have been too much of a stretch for normal Hollywood audiences, so I think the change up to Dr. Manhattan as the mass murderer fit the movie better.

One of my favorite sequences was definitely the opening credits, I loved the way those were done.

Overall, really great movie. I can't wait for the extended director's cut with the Tales of the Black Freighter comic put in, as well as extra footage. Yay.

[Hallow Thorn]

Yeah, I saw it the day after it came out... It was one of the best films that I have ever seen... but I went late so I was falling a sleep at times lol...