Watchmen: The ‘unfilmable’ graphic novel that has been making headlines ever since its trailer debut before The Dark Knight. Arguably the most graphic comic book adaptation since 300, Watchmen’s lack of focus detracts from its greatness. Now before I divulge into the minute details regarding both the hits and misses of Watchmen, fanboys need to recognize that I have not read the novel and am judging the film based solely on entertainment/cinematic aspects. I’ve been told that the Zack Snyder (the director) stays true to the original content thus criticisms of the storyline and plot cannot be taken into account. But it is this very loyalty to the source material that causes Watchmen to fail.
The film opens with considerable merit and elegance. Using the comic book feel as pioneered via Sin City, the dark and gloomy aura entices the audience immediately. Following the captivating opening scene, we are given a clear understanding of past events through the credits which are brilliantly superimposed on Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are Changing”. Watchmen begins on an incredibly high note which introduces unique stylistic features and incredible potential. This trend lasts for the first hour and is fortified by the appealing and fascinating characterization of The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach. On a side note, Jackie Earl Haley who plays Rorschach deserves an Oscar nomination for his entrancing performance. These characters range from psychopaths to deranged minds regarding human behaviour which really sets the standard for the new perspective on superheroes. What sets films like The Dark Knight and Watchmen apart from the conventional superhero is the lengths at which these ‘heroes’ would attain in order to institute peace. This question is what drives Watchmen to its impressiveness.
Nevertheless, this perspective regarding superheroes and the unconventional portrayal of protectors loses sight towards the second half of the film. It seems as though Zack Snyder and his team were more focused on presenting the in depth analysis of the important characters first and leaving the one-dimensional ones for the plot development. Night-Owl II and Silk Spectre II for example, are extremely unsophisticated and follow the patterns of archetypal characters who yearn for a purpose in life. The film loses all purpose and direction towards the end and much of its unique style and appeal is lost in the process of creating a straightforward plot.
Overall, Watchmen arouses various debates in terms of its ability to work as a film. Because of its requirements to satisfy all consumers, particularly the common consumers of today’s generation, it feels the need to present a fixated storyline and enough doses of sex, violence and action. Atypical trends are never the direction Hollywood enjoys taking which results in a lack of focus between cinematic style/in depth characterisation versus societal appeal/unconvincing plots. The great tragedy of Hollywood is invoked in Watchmen through its desire to appeal to a wider audience and thus the lack of focus on the truly interesting characters and their storylines. A very unique look at heroes and an array of personalities who would be a psychologists’ dream are the reasons to see the film. The 3 hour length and idiotic plot development towards the end are tedious. “This City is afraid of me, I’ve seen its true face” growls Rorschach at the beginning of the film. I see this as an allusion to film studios, for once you integrate business motives with art—nothing good will arise.
Here is the opening credit sequence (Bob Dylan- The Times They Are A Changing). This is how credits should be nowadays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQm_ma1_KFY
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