Have you heard about this WATCHMEN movie that’s coming out? We’re not sure what it’s about, but it looks kind of loud.
This interview with the director, Zack Snyder, is interesting. Did you know he has six kids? How did that happen? Anyway, apparently this WATCHMEN movie is the LAST WORD in the superhero movie. Or that’s what Snyder says, anyway. About time!
[QUOTE] “We’re killing the comic-book movie, we’re ending it,” Snyder said. “This movie is the last comic-book movie, for good or bad.” [/QUOTE]
Maybe he’s got an Ozymandias Complex? Certainly sounds like something a James Bond villain would say. Or at least one or two movie critics.
When I saw the commercial last night for “Watchmen”, you know what it reminded me of?
“Mystery Men”.
That dark, influenced by Tim Burton “Batman” look. Now, “Mystery Men”, that was a fun movie. “Watchmen”? I dunno, maybe not so much fun.
He’s killing the comic book movie? Someone should tell Marvel that, they’ll be very sad.
Sphinx–
Ha! And here I thought I was the only one that thought the Watchmen movie costumes looked just like the final act Mystery Men costumes.
Personally, I’m not planning on seeing this in theaters for too many reasons to list here. I’ll give it a rent on DVD, though.
Having already seen the movie, I am reminded of a quote from Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park. I think they spent so much time and effort thinking about whether they could make a Watchmen movie, they never stopped to think about whether they should make a Watchmen movice.
The movie looks great and is largely faithful to the comic (although the changed ending really doesn’t make much sense), but the real problem with the movie is that the comic was a product of its era and its focus on the cold war stalement between the East and West seems very dated now. It struck me at the end of the movie how irrelevant the main theme of Watchmen is today and how absolute wrong Moore was in his politics. The world did not need a liberal “hero” to murder millions to save the world from nuclear destruction. What the world needed was Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, two leaders that Moore despised.
Capper, you’re letting your black & white politics blind you to the actual meaning of the Watchmen story Moore was trying to tell. Try reading it again without the anger, and just ask yourself if anyone was a “hero” in the book. And remember: nothing ever really ends.
Didn’t Frank Miller once suggest that “The Dark Knight Returns” was his funeral for the superhero comic and that “Watchmen” was Alan Moore’s autopsy of same?
Can we focus on what’s really important here rather than arguing whether the movie looks good or bad, whether it will be the End of the Comic Book Movie or not, or whether Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan saved the world? Specifically: man, Carla Gugino looks really really good in the Silk Spectre outfit, doesn’t she?
Patrick: I do not have a drop of anger in me concerning Watchmen and my politics are far from black & white. While the comic may have subtly suggested that Adrian was not a hero, that subtle suggestion is gone from the movie (since the pirate comic bit had to be cut). I believe the movie clearly suggests that Adrian is the “hero” for saving the world from nuclear destruction and bringing about world peace, and he is clearly portrayed as a fantasy “super-liberal,” particularly when captains of industry are shown trying to convince him not to give free energy to the people. My criticism of the movie is that because the story’s politics are more apparent in the movie version, partly because the movie cannot have the layers of meaning found in the more detailed comic, the story seems to me to be more dated than the comic. There is really no need for you to project an emotional basis for my reading of the Watchmen comic.
Capper, I accept what you say, but in your first post you mentioned “Moore and his politics”, not the movie script writer and his politics. Since you were arguing that Moore had claimed that Ozymandias was both a liberal and a hero (he’s obviously neither in the book), that’s what I was responding to.
Though I still think that if you believe that Thatcher and Regan were good for the world, or democracy, or even peace, then you do in fact have a very black & white view of politics. They were good for some things, disastrous for others, as are most leaders.
Edward: You are right, that is really the important thing. All the chicks in the movie are smokin’ hot, particularly the always appealing Ms. Gugino. There is also a hot R-rated sex scene, with actual nudity (chick nudity too, not just that huge blue shlong and male butt cheek nudity stuff), although Sin City’s Gugino nudity is unfortunately not repeated here.
I was just reading the Zack Synder interview in the San Diego Comic Con Update magazine that Synder intends to re-insert the Black Frighter animation and the Under the Hood mockumentary back into the movie’s continuity for the DVD release which should makes the movie’s grand total running time of 3 and a half hours.
This could be the Lawrence of Arabia of all super hero movies.
~
Coat
“I believe the movie clearly suggests that Adrian is the “hero” for saving the world from nuclear destruction and bringing about world peace, and he is clearly portrayed as a fantasy “super-liberal,””
I disagree. I hope no one else agrees with you because to me that was clearly not the point. There are actually no “answers” or morals of this story. It’s supposed to make you think about human nature and the choices people make.
What you get out of it is mostly likely a reflection of whatever bias you brought in…unless you’re capable of being open to new ideas or opinions which you would then probably only leave with topics of discussion.