Watchmen (2009)

Based on the famous graphic novel by Alan Moore, Watchmen is set in 1985 in an alternate universe where Nixon is still president, super heroes are common, and the world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation with Russia. The story follows a group of heroes after the death of one of their own known as The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The psychotic vigilante known as Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sees the death as the sign of costumed heroes being targeted and begins his hunt for the truth. The film opens with the brutal murder of The Comedian and the opening credits, showing the older generation of heroes and the effects of these heroes on their world set to the Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” This opening sequence is memorable and stands out as one of the better segments of the film. There is enough in the opening credits that those unfamiliar with the book will find new meaning in the second time it is seen.

The opening of the film also stands out because it works better than most of the sequences set to popular music. There are other scenes in which the music is played less to compliment the scene, but to dominate it. An example being Nite Owl II and Sally Jupiter (played stiffly, to say the least, by Malin Akerman) meeting for dinner. The scene is in slow motion and the song “99 Red Balloons” by Nena is played in the background, blocking out all other sounds. In the scene before this one, characters had been discussing the possibility of nuclear war. This over emphasis of certain themes through the music is pretty consistent throughout the film such as in The Comedian’s funeral in which the scene is, again in slow motion, set to “The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Yet another example is the Nite Owl II and Sally Jupiter sex scene in his aircraft. This is set to “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen because in an earlier scene he was unable to get an erection. These scenes lose their dramatic impact and instead become flat or, in the case of the sex scene, humorous. The use of the score, outside of Dr. Mannhatten's flashback, is also used to achieve similar ends. It would almost seem that Zack Snyder doesn't trust his own ability to establish tone without forcing it through the use of music.

Watchmen is an incredibley faithful adaptation of the source material. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the comic and the dedication put into making sure that the film followed the comic is clear in just about every shot. The minor changes that were made don't detract from the film and I admit that I was pretty impressed with the sheer amount of details and scenes that were included here. If nothing else, this film makes a decent companion to the comic as a sort of abridged version of the much more lengthy and detailed story. Based on the way that the film was adapted, being an attempt to cram as much of the comic into as few hours as possible, I think this comic series probably would have made a better 12 part mini-series. The style of the film is certainly interesting, though I'm not sure if I would ever consider Zack Snyder a "visionary" director as the trailers love to refer to him. I do think it helps to have read the comic before seeing the film as a lot of information is put on screen and having read the comic makes the film run a lot smoother, but I don't think that reading the comic is necessary to enjoy it on its own terms. The films strong points come from what translated well from the comic. In this case, it's the visuals and the narrative. The story is as interesting now as it was when the comic was released. I would have to say that the weakest aspects of the film come from some of the music use and the acting. I feel that I also need to add that the Richard Nixon in this film (though he only has a few scenes) is just stupid looking.

The acting in this film is a bit of a mixed bag. Jackie Earle Haley stands out the most, making his psychotic character one of the more interesting aspects of the film. The scenes featuring Rorschach are by far the most engaging and entertaining to watch. Filmed like a noir, the gruff narration provides several memorable sequences that are among the highlights of this film. He was meant to play this character, as he nails every scene and emotion. One of the highlights is a scene that is straight out of the comic in which a psychoanalyst tries to talk to Rorschach. Billy Crudup as the glowing, God-like Dr. Mannhatten is also convincing. Even though being practically entirely animated (and well animated), Crudup adds a very human quality to the character mainly through his voice. Patrick Wilson, playing Nite Owl II, is notably believable as a retired super hero who needs the costume in order feel good about himself. Jeffery Dean Morgan is good as the comedian, and his life is covered through a series of flashbacks from other characters points of view. It would have been nice if there were more of these, as the character is more interesting than the amount of screen time that he is given. Sally Jupiter is played by Malin Akerman who acts as if she were literally reading the lines straight out of the script. This isn’t as noticeable in the scenes where emotion isn’t really required, but when she is forced to display feelings or a range of acting ability, the result is ultimately painful. In other words, the problem with Mailn Akerman's performance is that she can't act. Matthew Goode also leaves something to be desired as Ozzymandias, the hero who retired early and sold his image into toys, making an empire out of his image. His character should have been one of the more complex and interesting in the story, but Goode plays him so sinister from nearly the first moment he is shown on screen. If the character was intended to be a straightforward villain, then Goode does a good job of playing him. While there is nothing particularly wrong with his acting ability, it seems that this character should have been handled differently. Granted, this could also be the fault of the director. Everything from his mannerisms (looking out of a window while talking to someone) to the way he speaks and carries himself scream out at the audience that he is the bad guy of this movie, even though the story insists that his motives are good.

Overall the film generally seems to lack a subtle quality that could have really been a benefit to the more dramatic scenes. Zack Snyder, director of 300, proves once again that he loves slow motion. The appeal to use slow motion in a comic book adaptation makes sense as certain scenes slow down enough to literally mirror the panel of the comics but, as in 300, it is used in this film to a point that borders on abuse. With very few exceptions, the action sequences (and there aren’t that many) in this film are almost entirely shot in slow motion. Interestingly enough, the action scenes that don’t rely on it are much more interesting to watch as the fights become more brutal and fast paced instead of drawing attention to every little motion that is made by those fighting. The slow motion seems to glorify the violence and show off the blood and bones that become exposed in them. The slow motion used in the flashbacks however, in particular Dr. Manhattan’s, are much more effective as his flashback sequences are very dream like and told from the perspective of one who is detached from time itself.

Despite all of the short comings, this is not a bad film. There is still enough here to warrant a very mild recommendation as the characters are all interesting, the animation and special effects are impressive, and the story does pose some thought provoking questions and themes. While it is certainly not perfect, if you have close to three hours of free time, it might be worth a viewing.