Watchmen
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Th3Branded0ne
I'll be back.
Proj2501 said:
Adapted movies tend to have changes and "Watchmen" is not safe from them. I guess if you are really familiar with the story, you will not like it. The changes sometimes seem ok for some movies and not for others. I am not really familiar with "Watchmen" so I really don't have anything to say about it. For what I know, changes sometimes are mostly made for financial and commercialization issues. All in all, the majority of the time is to reach a broad audience with action and superhero movies. I guess this time they screwed up for most of the hardcore fans. I wonder if it still will bring the bucks invested in it?
Oburi
All praise Grail
I actually stopped reading the graphic novel about three chapters in because I didn't want to ruin the movie for myself. I'm sure I can't be the only one who saw the trailer and thought "damn...this shit does look interesting ...and cool". As soon as I first saw the trailer in the theater (I believe it was at the beginning The Dark Knight) and heard one of the characters lines "And they will say 'save us' and I will whisper 'no'", my ticket was sold! I know no one here will like this movie but for my own enjoyment I'm going opening night and try to have fun and like it. When I read the comic afterword I'll make up my mind about the movie but right now as a Watchmen newcomer the movie is going to be my introduction. I for one can't wait.
And for Zach Snyder I really don't mind him at all. If you've seen interviews with him you can tell he's a very respectful fanboy himself. I remember the behind the scene clips from his dawn of the dead remake and it made me happy that this guy is new director who has the same taste in movies that I do. He reminds me of a youn Tarantino to be honest. And yea, the Dawn of the Dead remake wasn't as good as the original, 300 wasn't the best adaptation of Millers comic, but you know what, I've seen all these movies in theaters and when me and my friends left the theater we had big goofy smiles on our faces. These movies are cool, forgettable maybe, but fuckin done with style and much better than lots of crap thats out there now.
I know I'm going to get heat for this but I like the guy. Like Proj said I'm sure the producers are fucking with script. I heard he's doing a movie version of the Heavy Metal cartoon from the 80's, which I been excited about since day one when I heard they were doing a movie. And Snyder will be the perfect director for it.
And for Zach Snyder I really don't mind him at all. If you've seen interviews with him you can tell he's a very respectful fanboy himself. I remember the behind the scene clips from his dawn of the dead remake and it made me happy that this guy is new director who has the same taste in movies that I do. He reminds me of a youn Tarantino to be honest. And yea, the Dawn of the Dead remake wasn't as good as the original, 300 wasn't the best adaptation of Millers comic, but you know what, I've seen all these movies in theaters and when me and my friends left the theater we had big goofy smiles on our faces. These movies are cool, forgettable maybe, but fuckin done with style and much better than lots of crap thats out there now.
I know I'm going to get heat for this but I like the guy. Like Proj said I'm sure the producers are fucking with script. I heard he's doing a movie version of the Heavy Metal cartoon from the 80's, which I been excited about since day one when I heard they were doing a movie. And Snyder will be the perfect director for it.
Proj2501 said:
His name's written "Snyder". Anyway, I don't think too many people are hating on him personally in this thread, it's more the idea of a Watchmen adaptation that sucks in the first place. However, it's true he has been saying a lot of bullshit, so... And I would guess that he's not alone in taking the decisions of what stays and what goes, but I'm pretty sure his opinion is very influential in these matters.
Proj2501 said:
Honestly I think the original has merit beyond just being violent. That being said I'm with you here, fuck remakes.
Oburi said:
Honestly that's not a very good decision.
Oburi said:
Marvellous.
Oburi
All praise Grail
It might not be for most people but that's how I have to do it. I know where the true genius lies and I know no matter how much I love the movie (IF I do at all) the graphic novel will only continue that greatness for me. Same with berserk. I saw the anime, loved it, then went for the manga which has become the bible. The anime is still great, but I take it with a grain of salt. Now if you spin it around and I end up reading the novel first I know for a fact I will hate the movie. When the first harry potter movie came out I was already a huge fan ( I was in eighth grade) and as much as I wanted to enjoy the film it was like a worthless pile of garbage to me. That's just how I am. I want to enjoy the Watchmen movie because I know my friends ain't reading the book and I don't want to be stickler in the group. Plus the comic will be even cooler for me afterwords. Thats just me though.
Johnstantine
Skibbidy Boo Bop
I'm actually looking forward to the Watchmen. I've read the GN countless times and think it would be interesting to see how they pull everything off.
I know that the Squid will be in the movie, but not as we see it in the comic. It's the S.QU.I.D.(Sub Quantum Intristic Device). It won't be as epic as a gigantic animatronic squide ripping through the streets of Manhattan like in the GN, but not everything can be perfect.
If anyone hasn't read the GN yet, I highly recommend it. As a long-time comic reader, I'd put it in a category of its own since, really, it IS in a category of its own.
I know that the Squid will be in the movie, but not as we see it in the comic. It's the S.QU.I.D.(Sub Quantum Intristic Device). It won't be as epic as a gigantic animatronic squide ripping through the streets of Manhattan like in the GN, but not everything can be perfect.
If anyone hasn't read the GN yet, I highly recommend it. As a long-time comic reader, I'd put it in a category of its own since, really, it IS in a category of its own.
A
avidwriter
Guest
I read Watchmen when I heard that the movie was being made. I didn't like it. I'm didn't like what I would call "filler". I'm sure there is a meaning to the pirate comic and all the boring banter of that news stand seller guy but I could care less for all of it. There was more but its been a few months since I read it.
Just saw Watchmen. It was decent as a movie by itself. If you don't consider the GN. If you do, well the visuals are pretty nice. A lot of things were cut that weren't necessary to the main plot line or the main characters. And somethings were added (You all know all this). The music was terrible imo, there were songs in there that just didn't fit. There were also a few good songs. Up until the end, Rorschach was the coolest character. And I don't think that's a good thing. He was portrayed as more of a badass than as a troubled person like in the comics. Dr.Manhattan's voice sounded strange. Like someone who's very emotional or just permanently depressed. Ozymandias's character was really different from the graphic novels. The ending was fucked. Completely fucked.
3/5 stars. It'll keep you entertained for a while. But it's nothing special.
3/5 stars. It'll keep you entertained for a while. But it's nothing special.
X
Xem
Guest
Ramen4ever said:
You sound like the guy you hear when you're leaving the theatre that's bitching about everything even though it was a good movie. I take your review as meaning it's a good movie, I'll see it sometime this week.
Oburi
All praise Grail
I saw Watchmen on friday and I thought it was very cool. I only read about 1/3 of the graphic novel but from what I remember it was pretty close. It seemed to me that they stayed very faithfull to comic however I heard the ending had been the biggest change and I didn't care for their version. The good thing is that unlike other comic book or super hero movies, all the action and special effects in watchmen only served the story and they didn't exploit any of it. I was actually expecting the end to "bigger" i guess,
. For an almost three hour movie they are really challenging the audience to not get bored or expect some type of huge, special effect driven ending that I think people are used to. To the comics credit, the amazing story and detailed characters are what make this movie great, and like I said all the fight scenes and special effects take a back seat and only serve the story, not the other way around. IMO the music fine. In fact during the opening credits they play the entire Dylan song "the times they are a changing" with some great historical footage they re-shot including the Kennedy assassination, which surprised me. And let me also say the cast was great. Jackie Earle Haley who played Rorschach was perfect! I'd seen him in the film "little Children" recently and was blown away by his creepy role in that one. This was the only other film I'd seen him in and I'm now convinced this guy is a great actor. Bale wishes his batvoice could have sounded half as cool as Rorschach.
The more I think back on it, the more I like. It's a breath of fresh air for the common moviegoer. The whole movie is just rough, tough, brutal, beautiful at times and just badass.
I though his voice was perfect actually. Very human. I was expecting some wierd voice effect or something but Billy Crudup's soft, sensitive voice served him well. It did make him seem a little sensitive but it made me very uneasy about his character. I mean here is a guy who is all powerful and could make or break the world and yet he was human and he does have feelings. It gave him an edge. IMO his voice made that character.
the destruction of NYC lasted only about 30 seconds
The more I think back on it, the more I like. It's a breath of fresh air for the common moviegoer. The whole movie is just rough, tough, brutal, beautiful at times and just badass.
I though his voice was perfect actually. Very human. I was expecting some wierd voice effect or something but Billy Crudup's soft, sensitive voice served him well. It did make him seem a little sensitive but it made me very uneasy about his character. I mean here is a guy who is all powerful and could make or break the world and yet he was human and he does have feelings. It gave him an edge. IMO his voice made that character.
Deci said:
Sounds like an objective, reasonable review to me. You on the other hand sound like you're convinced that nothing could be bad about this movie. You already know you will like it no matter what, right?
Oburi said:
No offense but if you haven't even read half of it you're probably not in the best position to judge whether it's faithful or not.
Oburi said:
Is Rorschach supposed to have a "batvoice" though? That's the problem. I've heard mixed things about it. I didn't like what I heard in the teasers, but I'd probably need to see more footage to be sure.
Aazealh said:
His voice wasn't always like a growl but it was usually raspy. When I watched the movie it didn't bother me as much as some other things. If anyone is worried well all I can say about it is that it didn't stand out to me. It wasn't terrible, it just registered to me as "well okay, close enough" It wasn't like batman's voice. I didn't have problems trying to understand what he was saying.
Don't read the spoiler unless you've already seen the film or don't intend to even watch it.
My biggest problem(s) was
Ozymandias using Dr.Manhattan to avert the nuclear war. By making massive explosions that had Dr.Manhattan's "signature" in a lot of the world's major cities. Instead of an extraterrestrial threat, it's Dr.Manhattan. He leaves of course but using him as a scapegoat, completely changes the end taste of the film. Even worse is that Night Owl tells Ozymandias that he didn't save the world, he mutilated it. Making the audience believe that Ozymandias has a hollow victory.. or that he somehow regrets what he did. The movie's biggest problem apart from the above, is that by cutting all the minor character's stories like the magazine vendor guy (sorry I don't know what to call him), the younger guy always reading, the two lesbians, the cops, the psychiatrist and his wife, etc. And even the thugs and lowlifes. Well the movie fails to emphasize that the city is overflowing with trash and vermin as well as normal people just trying to live. Instead it looks like a slightly dirty city that has a little too many hookers and xxx shops. They cut it all in order to save time but at the expense of story depth. The movie was pretty shallow. A few characters are introduced and never touched on again. Like what happened to the old Night Owl? Does he get killed by a mob? No, we can only assume he died in the explosion. At least if he was murdered we would have seen that some of the population is scared, scared shitless and will do anything in their terror. Anyway I'm done for now, this spoiler is getting too long.
It's not a great adaptation of the graphic novels. The artist worked on the film and that does shows but the story is stripped down to it's bones. It's not Watchmen, it's Zack Snyder's Watchmen. And it's only decent as a movie by itself.
I was disappointed with the music. But you can judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdaHoAuFVM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxq-rTGxpyQ - I don't even recall this being in there.
the better songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgECKj9LSH4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZGWQauQOAQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsOPR9659Ww
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FLK7lC6wkQ - This song is a BITCH to sight read!!!!!
There are a few more songs but whatever.
This vid has links to the rest of the actual ost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Nbt9KXsBw
I would have expected a major film like Watchmen to have it's own original soundtrack. ow well.
Oh and check this out, "Tales of the Black Freighter"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWfQk7iew0E
Finally something that looks cool.
Ramen4ever said:
Ok, thanks. I guess his voice being raspy isn't a problem as long as it doesn't sound like he's straining it to sound intimidating. The main characteristic of his speech is that it's supposed to always be monotonic.
Ramen4ever said:
I guess that's an attempt at paralleling/commenting on modern superhero movies or something. I remember Snyder mentioning something like that.
Ramen4ever said:
Yeah he's supposed to be ugly and to stink. I've also heard that they didn't make his mask shift shapes constantly?
Aazealh said:
In that case, I'm not sure. I don't think it was monotonic. Sometimes he was quieter, had outbursts, was frantic (second time he visits Moloch), sometimes he did growl batman style and at the end of the film he was pretty emotional. The only time I can think of that he was really monotonic was in
prison.
except in the flashback when he was talking to the psychiatrist and at the end of the film when he was telling Dr.Manhattan to kill him.
His smell is commented on by the cops. His mask was almost constantly shifting shapes. That was one of the cooler effects in the movie.Aazealh said:
Oburi
All praise Grail
Aazealh said:
I was just saying that his voice was wicked awsome, exaclty as I imagined it. Me and a friend were watching the dark knight the other day and he pointed out that Bale's batvoice would have been better if it sounded more like Rorschachs, and I agree. Not that Rorschach was using a "batvoice", but it sounds way better anyway.
NightCrawler
Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
NightCrawler's journal, March 9th.
Just came back from Watchmen. Contrived replication. Too much reverence. No time to breathe. Weak actors killed characters. Rorschach didn't sound as awful when not narrating. Ate nachos with cheese sauce. Bad taste in my mouth. Only Doc Manhattan was acceptable. Still believe that a great opportunity was lost. Too tired. Must devise opinion later.
Just came back from Watchmen. Contrived replication. Too much reverence. No time to breathe. Weak actors killed characters. Rorschach didn't sound as awful when not narrating. Ate nachos with cheese sauce. Bad taste in my mouth. Only Doc Manhattan was acceptable. Still believe that a great opportunity was lost. Too tired. Must devise opinion later.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Judging by the box office and posts here, it looks like Aaz, myself, and Alan Moore were the only ones cool enough to stay away from the comicsploitation of Watchmen this weekend. 
I was invited to a showing by some old college friends, a gaggle of girls, who thought the movie would be a, to borrow the phrase, "wicked awesome" good time naturally. I'll just have to imagine. =)
Kidding aside, to the credit of the film's existence, and her's, it did get my friend Jasmine to read the comic before seeing it, something I can't imagine happening otherwise. To me, however something like this turns out, that's the default redeeming quality of such an endeavor. Of course, it's a double-edged sword.
Anyway, a review that echos some of the thoughts here, both positive and negative:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/05/review.watchmen/index.html
Sounds like it expands on some of your initial feelings Nightcrawler, though I'm sure you deviate in places as well. I like the proverbial warning it begins with, because there's definitely going to be a lot of nouveau Watchmen fans spreading it.
I was invited to a showing by some old college friends, a gaggle of girls, who thought the movie would be a, to borrow the phrase, "wicked awesome" good time naturally. I'll just have to imagine. =)
Kidding aside, to the credit of the film's existence, and her's, it did get my friend Jasmine to read the comic before seeing it, something I can't imagine happening otherwise. To me, however something like this turns out, that's the default redeeming quality of such an endeavor. Of course, it's a double-edged sword.
Anyway, a review that echos some of the thoughts here, both positive and negative:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/05/review.watchmen/index.html
Sounds like it expands on some of your initial feelings Nightcrawler, though I'm sure you deviate in places as well. I like the proverbial warning it begins with, because there's definitely going to be a lot of nouveau Watchmen fans spreading it.
Vampire_Hunter_Bob
Cats are great
Sad to say I am going to watch this sometime this week. I can't pass up free tickets to anything. 
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