Watchmen

God damn procrastination. I saw this movie opening day at the second show there was, and was very excited to come home and type out my thoughts here. Maybe I was burnt out by typing out my thoughts to a bunch of individual people right after I saw the movie, not to mention the almost hour long talk right after it was over. Now that a few days have passed I am ready to once again, and not for the last time, talk about my thoughts on this movie.

I have read the graphic novel, but I was a late comer to it. I was mostly persuaded to read it by a co-worker who was hyped as shit when he saw the trailer for the movie. I thought it looked cool but it didn't mean a whole lot to me. Based on his recommendation I picked the graphic novel up and well, yea it was awesome. I immediately became excited about this movie and was counting down the days. I wasn't one of the hardcore fans either, who were pissed at any even slight change to the material from the novel. I think that also could have helped in my enjoyment of the film because damn that was a solid movie.

It's kind of interesting that many of the people who were bitching beforehand about deviating from the novel, quickly turned against the movie after seeing it and said that it was way too faithful. Solid proof that it is indeed impossible to please most people. This basically means that people wanted a Watchmen movie that was a perfect recreation of the book in every way, but at the same time was wildly different and changed many aspects of it. It reminds me of a Simpsons joke.

I for one thought they struck a really good balance between being faithful, but adding some new elements. Yes the ending is different, but I'm all for that. It kept it interesting because you weren't as sure about what was going to happen. They had to change at least a little or it would become less about experiencing the movie, and more just watching the novel play out in front of you. Da Vinci Code symdrome if you will. Thankfully the material you're familiar with is still fascinating to watch come alive in front of you.

The casting was a little hit or miss, but definitely more hit. Jackie Earle Haley is absolute fucking perfection as Rorshach. He steals every scene and whenever he's not on screen, you're pissed because you know he's off somewhere being awesome and yet you don't get to see it. I also really liked Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhatten. He sounded pretty much exactly as I pictured he would when I read the novel. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was also great as The Comedian, and it was nice to see him playing someone besides "the guy who dies" on every TV show ever.

There were really only 2 weak links in the cast in my opinion. I wasn't a big fan of Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II. She was ok, but compared to everyone else, she was a little bland and I was the least interested in her scenes. She does get naked though, so points there. I also didn't care for Matthew Goode as Ozymandius. I simply don't think he was the right fit for the character, but I've read opinions which disagree so it's all a matter of opinion.

There was just a lot to like about this movie. The opening credits were incredible and definitely some of the best I've ever seen. The movie looks great, the characters are spot on in terms of appearence, the violence is plentiful but never silly, and despite its length you're never bored. There are a couple of slower patches here and there, but there was never any point where I really thought "ok wrap it up."

Is it important to have read the novel before seeing the movie? Maybe. Again it's really all a matter of opinion. My girlfriend wasn't the biggest fan. She still liked it, but I think she would have gotten more out of it having read the novel. I can see being a little confused about some aspects of it if you weren't already familiar with the characters and the world. I can't say for certain if it's important to read the book though. I kind of wish I could go in having not read it, just to see what it's like to have no expectations at all.

Overall though I loved the movie. It was faithful, but just different enough to remain interesting as well. A couple of casting issues aside, I was pleased and if time and money permitted, would go and see it again. However there is apparently a 4 hour cut of the movie on the way, so me thinks I will just wait for that one.

9/10