Most comic book movies are loose adaptations at best. Filmmakers usually pull the main character(s) out of a comic book and devise a new adventure to be lived-out on the big screen. Watchmen on the other hand is arguably the most faithful graphic novel-to-movie adaptation ever attempted. Almost everything is present, down to the most intricate details. Entire swaths of dialogue are pulled directly from the novel. Camera angles are meticulously framed to match Dave Gibbons' artwork. There are minor differences, but for the most part, the story is left intact. Overall, I'm amazed at how much Zack Snyder's team was able to cram into a 163-minute running time. I was expecting many more cuts. But does the movie work on it's own? I'm not so sure. I can imagine the movie would feel like a confusing mess to those unfamiliar with the graphic novel given the non-linear narrative structure, not including Dr. Manhattan's perception of time and subsequent flashbacks and flash forwards. Largely, I feel this is a movie for hardcore fans, and for that I commend Snyder (and the film's financiers) for taking such a huge risk. I won't be surprised if this film has a big weekend then quickly fades. At the showing of Friday the 13th a few weeks back, the trailer for Watchmen barely registered a response from the packed house. Meanwhile, the trailer for Transformers 2 was greeted with thunderous applause. Go figure. But I get it, and I liked it. Can't wait for the Blu-ray.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Watchmen
Most comic book movies are loose adaptations at best. Filmmakers usually pull the main character(s) out of a comic book and devise a new adventure to be lived-out on the big screen. Watchmen on the other hand is arguably the most faithful graphic novel-to-movie adaptation ever attempted. Almost everything is present, down to the most intricate details. Entire swaths of dialogue are pulled directly from the novel. Camera angles are meticulously framed to match Dave Gibbons' artwork. There are minor differences, but for the most part, the story is left intact. Overall, I'm amazed at how much Zack Snyder's team was able to cram into a 163-minute running time. I was expecting many more cuts. But does the movie work on it's own? I'm not so sure. I can imagine the movie would feel like a confusing mess to those unfamiliar with the graphic novel given the non-linear narrative structure, not including Dr. Manhattan's perception of time and subsequent flashbacks and flash forwards. Largely, I feel this is a movie for hardcore fans, and for that I commend Snyder (and the film's financiers) for taking such a huge risk. I won't be surprised if this film has a big weekend then quickly fades. At the showing of Friday the 13th a few weeks back, the trailer for Watchmen barely registered a response from the packed house. Meanwhile, the trailer for Transformers 2 was greeted with thunderous applause. Go figure. But I get it, and I liked it. Can't wait for the Blu-ray.
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