The Watchmen – A review

The film was a poor adaptation of the comic authored by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Like most of films taken out of the comic book, this was a disappointment. A multilayered mystery adventure brought to the screen by the visionary director of the movie 300 – Zack Snyder, it was a long 2 hrs and 43 minutes of recollection, juggling scenes between the past and the future. I will give him credit, though. Although the film was very long, it was not dragging. When I was about to scream “Enough”, the film will present a new twist that makes you a little bit more patient. It’s either that or it becomes more violent.

The Violence

The film was bloodier than the comic. It also featured a very violent panorama of America in the Cold War.  I think it is Snyder’s trademark to make a darker version of everything. For something that is supposed to be considered a teenage film, some scenes in the movie seem inappropriate. The portrayal of the Comedian as a murderer and a rapist was a take off from the orthodox cut clean characters of DC comics. The scene when Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) butchered a man makes you see man in his most animalistic form.

The Twist

The twist at the end was unexpected. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) solution to bring world peace was a to blow off some major cities making it look like Dr. Manhattan’s (Billy Cudrup) work.  But that is not the twist I was talking about. When Dr. Manhattan disintegrates Rorschach to make sure that the secret was kept was really unconformist. A hero killing another hero, that is something you don’t normally see in a hero’s movie.

The Actors

The actors delivered an impressive performance. From the emotionless expression of Dr. Manhattan to the fury of Rorschach, most of the actors presented a very convincing depiction of their characters. You actually wouldn’t notice how bad acting Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) is, being in a tight latex outfit. And who will forget her love scene with Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) in the ship Archimedes floating above the city? Makes you wonder if Batman ever did somebody in the Batmobile.

The Music

The soundtrack was a bit overdone. It presents songs from the 1980’s era including Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changin”, Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence” AND Leonard Cohen – “Hallelujah”. Will the movie be considered a classic like it’s music? Only time will tell.