Movie Review: The Watchmen (2009)

!! Warning:  May contain spoilers !!

We went to watch this highly anticipated movie at 12:01 on Friday morning (very late on Thursday).  Going into the packed theatre hearing popcorn being chewed beside me, I went in with no expectations.  I think if I went in with high expectations, 4.5/10 would be considered generous.  

What’s I hate about movie are self indulgent director’s like Zack Snyder whom had to advertise his work in mid-movie (ie - 300).  The editing of the movie seemed to have been done poorly leaving maybe too little time for post-production and proper focus group prior to going out to the masses.  From my understanding, this movie jumped to different studios and actors/actresses.  From the articles that I have been reading Hilary Swank and Joaquin Pheonix signed on but left mid-way when there were changes in directors.  My, were they lucky to have made the right choice.

This movie was based on Alan Moore’s book “The Watchman” which is an action/fiction/mystery set in the mid-80’s.  The movie tried to tie historical figures in political warfare and nuclear attacks against the USA vs. USSR.  All of which, human nature was to be blamed for all the carnage set forth creating an unpeaceful world.  

Retired masked vigilantes come back into the world when the doom’s day clock nears.  While one of the members of the costumed crusaders (The Comedian) get murdered, conspiricy theories begin to settle with Rorschach and attempts to reunite the team.  Only one of which, Dr. Manhattan, has ultra super powers that were used to save the earth from humanity in the past.  The super powers had come from an accident while being locked in an nuclear room returning back to a form that mimicked an electronic blue super being.  

There are also further main characters had large roles but not noteworthy enough to be truly be shone in a positive light.  Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan’s lover and Nite Owl, a mechnical genius who helps and try to save the world from nuclear warfare.

The effects in the movie were mediocre at best, it seemed as though they lost interest at the end of the movie.  Furthermore, the movie was TERRIBLY disjointed and bordering soft-core-porn.  It is very difficult to take a big blue naked man very seriously.  If there was no sex in the film, it was scene after scene of brutal beating with terrible narration to even keep it interesting.  At 1/2 way through the movie, I was already checking to see what time it was and how long more until it ended.  Though there were some witty portions of the film, little kept my entertained.  One part of the movie happened in a dream, in Mars, where Spectre and Nite Owl were naked looking and gazing into each other’s eyes then waking up in a cold sweat.  How that had any metophorical impact on the storyline or the reasoning behind that scene was hardly defined properly.  As well, the sex scene in mid-movie was MUCH too long and useless and more than 1/3 of the movie could have been condensed for better effect overall.

Zack Snyder must have rushed through this movie as there were just too many counterproductive scenes for it to remain interesting.  What a shame that this film will still make hundred of millions.  Want to see a great movie based on Moore’s book, try “V for Vendetta” instead.  However, I wanted to add the caveat that those who read the book will definitely enjoy it more than those who have not as you can anticipate the long drawn nature of the character developments.  

In the past little while, comic book movies have really taken off and mostly for good entertainment (even cheesy) value.  There’s nothing wrong with that!  So, if you wish to spend 2 hours and 43 twitching in your seat anticipating the end, this movie is for you.