Watchmen

[n0nce]

Yes

See it at IMAX
Too much blue penis - notice he's wearing underwear in Vietnam...but everywhere else? C'mon!

Anywayz, never read the comic book but I liked the movie

Can't wait to add the DVD or Blu-Ray to my collection...

FUCK YEAH!!! COMIC BOOK MOVIES!!! KEEP WATCHING THEM OVER AND OVER!

[Angstrom]

Just saw it with a friend (who read Watchmen when it came out), along with my tart, who had read it but couldn't remember a damn thing about it. We all thought it was a good film, perhaps not mind-blowingly "the best film I ever saw", but pretty damn good. All the relevant parts are there, I think the characters are laid out pretty well although it was hard to tell as I'm so familiar with them that I am bringing a lot with me.

I actually expected this movie to be a big let down, a cheesy, shiny fuckup. In fact it was a slightly over-careful word-for-word adaptation that could have actually benefited from taking more liberties with the material. Their biggest flaw was over-reverence for the original, I think. Even so, the literalness of the translation made for an interesting experience, instead of the usual story arc and pacing of just about any big budget movie made today. The translated pacing gave it the feel of watching an actual adult targeted movie of some kind.


I really didn't like the extremely lazy and unimaginative music usage though. Using songs that are famous for being in other films for example, that's pretty lazy. For example - "Sound of Silence" (from the Graduate), and that one from Koyaanisqatsi (probably the title track). They seemed like the songs that editors put in as placeholders to say "something like this goes here" and then the thick-eared producer gets too hooked on it and demands to keep those cliche placeholders in the final cut. OK, it's a personal pet hate about modern movie soundtracking. Other than that I really enjoyed it.

I have to say that the people who are writing crap reviews need their heads examined. Anyone giving "Iron Man" 90% positive rave reviews, wand pretending that "The Dark Knight" was some kind of modern Hamlet (rather than the rumbly voice dross that I saw). While the Watchmen, an actually weird and adult film, gets so-so reviews? Hmmm.

I also think that the people licking Alan Moore's ass have been proven wrong here. This weird idea that "it just neeeeds to be a comic book maaaan" is revealed as a fallacy. It may not be superior to the book, or even equal, but it's certainly "nearly as good". And I haven't seen any other "nearly as good as fucking excellent" movies this year.

Take it for what it is : It's a (not entirely perfect) violent film about a gang of weirdos, a rapist killer, a guy who gets aroused by dressing up in a freak suit, a psycho right-winger, an sociopathic 'genius' ego-maniac, and a psychedelic blue demigod. All with lashings of special FX in IMAX format

that, is my kinda movie.

People who try to bury it without even seeing it DESERVE another Spiderman film.

[nebulae]

^ well put!

[timothyallan]

The more time that passes since I saw it, the more I realize how much I liked it.

I may even go see it again!

[nebulae]

^ agreed...it sits well with you...and BTW, Dark Knight was fucking Hamlet, and if you see it several times, you'd know that something is definitely rotten in the state of gotham!!

[timothyallan]

I might make a movie where the main female character is called the "Silk Sphincter". I suggested this to the woman yesterday... I LOL'd, but she didn't think it was half as funny as I did.

[logic_user99]

Just saw it with a friend (who read Watchmen when it came out), along with my tart, who had read it but couldn't remember a damn thing about it. We all thought it was a good film, perhaps not mind-blowingly "the best film I ever saw", but pretty damn good. All the relevant parts are there, I think the characters are laid out pretty well although it was hard to tell as I'm so familiar with them that I am bringing a lot with me.

I actually expected this movie to be a big let down, a cheesy, shiny fuckup. In fact it was a slightly over-careful word-for-word adaptation that could have actually benefited from taking more liberties with the material. Their biggest flaw was over-reverence for the original, I think. Even so, the literalness of the translation made for an interesting experience, instead of the usual story arc and pacing of just about any big budget movie made today. The translated pacing gave it the feel of watching an actual adult targeted movie of some kind.


I really didn't like the extremely lazy and unimaginative music usage though. Using songs that are famous for being in other films for example, that's pretty lazy. For example - "Sound of Silence" (from the Graduate), and that one from Koyaanisqatsi (probably the title track). They seemed like the songs that editors put in as placeholders to say "something like this goes here" and then the thick-eared producer gets too hooked on it and demands to keep those cliche placeholders in the final cut. OK, it's a personal pet hate about modern movie soundtracking. Other than that I really enjoyed it.

I have to say that the people who are writing crap reviews need their heads examined. Anyone giving "Iron Man" 90% positive rave reviews, wand pretending that "The Dark Knight" was some kind of modern Hamlet (rather than the rumbly voice dross that I saw). While the Watchmen, an actually weird and adult film, gets so-so reviews? Hmmm.

I also think that the people licking Alan Moore's ass have been proven wrong here. This weird idea that "it just neeeeds to be a comic book maaaan" is revealed as a fallacy. It may not be superior to the book, or even equal, but it's certainly "nearly as good". And I haven't seen any other "nearly as good as fucking excellent" movies this year.

Take it for what it is : It's a (not entirely perfect) violent film about a gang of weirdos, a rapist killer, a guy who gets aroused by dressing up in a freak suit, a psycho right-winger, an sociopathic 'genius' ego-maniac, and a psychedelic blue demigod. All with lashings of special FX in IMAX format

that, is my kinda movie.

People who try to bury it without even seeing it DESERVE another Spiderman film.

That's wins my 'Post of the Week' award, Angstrom. Nice one!

[8O]

..I really didn't like the extremely lazy and unimaginative music usage though. Using songs that are famous for being in other films for example, that's pretty lazy. For example - "Sound of Silence" (from the Graduate), and that one from Koyaanisqatsi (probably the title track). They seemed like the songs that editors put in as placeholders to say "something like this goes here" and then the thick-eared producer gets too hooked on it and demands to keep those cliche placeholders in the final cut. OK, it's a personal pet hate about modern movie soundtracking. ...

Agreed!

I have to say that the people who are writing crap reviews need their heads examined... Anyone giving "Iron Man" 90% positive rave reviews, wand pretending that "The Dark Knight" was some kind of modern Hamlet (rather than the rumbly voice dross that I saw). While the Watchmen, an actually weird and adult film, gets so-so reviews? Hmmm.

I also think that the people licking Alan Moore's ass have been proven wrong here. This weird idea that "it just neeeeds to be a comic book maaaan" is revealed as a fallacy. It may not be superior to the book, or even equal, but it's certainly "nearly as good". And I haven't seen any other "nearly as good as fucking excellent" movies this year.

Take it for what it is : It's a (not entirely perfect) violent film about a gang of weirdos, a rapist killer, a guy who gets aroused by dressing up in a freak suit, a psycho right-winger, an sociopathic 'genius' ego-maniac, and a psychedelic blue demigod. All with lashings of special FX in IMAX format

that, is my kinda movie.

People who try to bury it without even seeing it DESERVE another Spiderman film.

Disagree. Stating the obvious, but reviews are opinions, not fact. I thought the film was average and I agree with lots of reviewers that this film really didn't need to be made. I thought the gap between book and film was pretty large.

I largely agree with these reviews:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =101536086
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... 3724.story
...but don't think that you or my friends who liked it need their heads examining... (where's my aloof Dr Manhattan neon blue smiley?)

[pulsoc]

I really didn't like the extremely lazy and unimaginative music usage though. Using songs that are famous for being in other films for example, that's pretty lazy. For example - "Sound of Silence" (from the Graduate), and that one from Koyaanisqatsi (probably the title track). They seemed like the songs that editors put in as placeholders to say "something like this goes here" and then the thick-eared producer gets too hooked on it and demands to keep those cliche placeholders in the final cut. OK, it's a personal pet hate about modern movie soundtracking. Other than that I really enjoyed it.

I would need to go back and check, but I think a lot of the soundtrack reflects quoted lyrics in the book? I remember as I was watching it thinking that, but that the visual/audio translation was rather jarring at times (esp. with "sound of silence" and "all along the watchtower")

[Aequitas123]

Just saw it last night. Holy shit Rorschach was perfect! "JUST DO IT!!!"

[Angstrom]

I really didn't like the extremely lazy and unimaginative music usage though. Using songs that are famous for being in other films for example, that's pretty lazy. For example - "Sound of Silence" (from the Graduate), and that one from Koyaanisqatsi (probably the title track). They seemed like the songs that editors put in as placeholders to say "something like this goes here" and then the thick-eared producer gets too hooked on it and demands to keep those cliche placeholders in the final cut. OK, it's a personal pet hate about modern movie soundtracking. Other than that I really enjoyed it.

I would need to go back and check, but I think a lot of the soundtrack reflects quoted lyrics in the book? I remember as I was watching it thinking that, but that the visual/audio translation was rather jarring at times (esp. with "sound of silence" and "all along the watchtower")

I think I would have preferred a consistent commissioned score by someone capable.
I have this nostalgic ear for the days when films actually commissioned their own music rather than raiding the various 'greatest hits' from the bin at the charity shop. I call it "the curse of Trainspotting".

Failing a commissioned soundtrack, I'd have gone for using "hits of the 80's" at least. It would have lent more power to the 80's setting.

[nebulae]

^ totally agreed!!

[pulsoc]

^ that's fine and all, but keep in mind that if he had done that everyone would be bitching that he didn't stick tightly enough to the actual book by using the transitions provided.

[Angstrom]

^ that's fine and all, but keep in mind that if he had done that everyone would be bitching that he didn't stick tightly enough to the actual book by using the transitions provided.

what transitions provided ?
My book has no music titles mentioned as I remember. There's a few quotes from Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello (along with Einstein and William Blake) but none of it is used in the film.EG: Koyanisquatssi and Sound of Silence ?
where did they get a mention in the book?

[pulsoc]

I may be misremembering, I thought the Sounds of SIlence and Watchtower lyrics popped up in transitions in the book (chapter beginnings and such). The Dylan tune in the credits was featured in the book too, right? I may be misremembering, haven't read it in awhile