Watchmen (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Forced into early retirement, a group of crime-fighters are summoned together again by vigilante Rorschbach (a great Jackie Earle Haley) to investigate the bizarre murder of one of their own in 'Watchmen', directed by Zac Snyder (300). What they discover is a conspiracy to change the balance of power in a world not too different from our own - Iron Curtain, 1985. With a 'doomsday clock' set in motion (a countdown to Armageddon), can the superheroes unlock the mystery to both the Soviet's tensions with the USA and their comrades murder? Is there a connection? Watchmen's plot is comic book poppycock. But it's extremely well-executed poppycock. And though it's 160 min. in length, this dark, dystopian fable moves briskly, and it is visually exceptional.
'Watchmen' is set in a parallel 1985 in which costumed superheroes are a part of everyday society. Nixon's still in office. And nuclear war with the Soviet's seems imminent. Washed up, but determined to rally his troops, night-prowling Rorschbach sets out to uncover a plot to kill/discredit all the superheroes. The Watchmen are individuals who've been forced by legislature to remove their costumes & conceal their secret identities for good. The only person this doesn't apply to is Jon/Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a blue-skinned, genetically-altered superman who is called upon from time to time to be the U.S.'s main weapon of destruction (Vietnam War, etc.). Laurie/Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) is Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend. Adrian/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) - a billionaire brainiac - is working with the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan on a plan to save humanity if Russia strikes.
Dan/Night Owl II (Patrick Wilson) is a misanthropic fellow, trying to decide if & why he'd return to help his former friends. Rorschbach wants them to avenge the murder of one of the original Watchmen (from the 1940's), the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan); his death opens the movie in an absolutely fantastic sequence. The Comedian was an insensitive A-hole. But he WAS a Watchman, often doing 'bad' for a greater 'good'. With the planet on the edge of nuclear annihilation, will the Watchmen re-form, not only to avenge their comrade, but to save the world, as well? Does the public want them back? Are they viewed as heroes or anti-heroes? How do they view themselves? Who is good & who is bad? In this parallel 1985 (with humanity destroying itself), is Earth redeemable enough of a place to want to save? Is there any hope? Much to the chagrin of his comrades, Dr. Manhattan seems to think the answer is No. Having seen the future (one of his abilities), he knows how delicate humanity is. These suspicions torture him.
This is an incredibly violent & gory film (gorgeously violent/gory, much in the same way Snyder's 300 was). But it's part & parcel of the story's moral question: Does the end (saving Earth) justify the means (killing millions to save billions)? This is a fairly philosophical, haunting comic book movie; not as deep as The Dark Knight, but certainly more thought-provoking than, say, a Spiderman. All the characters have a history, an angle, a reason for being. I'm not talking Oscar-caliber greatness or anything, but there IS depth in the characters/themes/symbolisms. Another interesting aspect of the film: only 1 of the Watchmen has true superpowers (Dr. Manhattan). Everyone else has the $$ to finance costumes, weaponry, & flying vehicles, but all they can do, basically, is fight well.
The use of music in 'Watchmen' is intriguing, as well. During the opening montage, the appropriate "These Times They Are a-Changin" plays over it. During a lengthy, slow-motion sex scene btwn. Night Owl II & Silk Spectre II (Wilson, Akerman), Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is playing. Some of the song choices are odd (dissonant to what's going on in the scene), but most of them work because of that oddity. Visually, 'Watchmen' is INCREDIBLE. The mood is excellent: a gloomy, portentous, paranoid atmosphere is always present. The use of vibrant colors in every scene is shocking. The superhero costumes are unique. The cinematography/editing of the action sequences is astute. The sound design is spectacular. And the visual effects are some of the best I've seen in some time.
Again, the story is implausible hokum; very much in the comic book/supernatural/end-of-the-world-saving vein. And the narrative framing is VERY odd. For instance, the dense plot is set in motion, then we meet a character, learn their back story in flashback mode, jump back to the plot, meet another character, watch their back story, back to the plot ... and repeat for 160 min. (I hear that the book is laid out the same way). There's more time devoted to character development than to an actual plot (which is, at least, interesting); as if the plot is created merely to highlight the Watchmen as superheroes and NOT the cause they're fighting for. This narrative method is either a flaw or a strength - depending on how you view the film, as a whole. Scene after scene ... I was always engaged in what was going on. It's not perfect (awful make-up work, confusing plot points), but 'Watchmen' is a great entry into the comic book cinema pantheon. The likes of Terry Gilliam, Paul Greengrass, & Darren Aronofsky balked at directing this movie. Zac Snyder came along, knew the risks, & created quite the visceral experience.
'Watchmen' is set in a parallel 1985 in which costumed superheroes are a part of everyday society. Nixon's still in office. And nuclear war with the Soviet's seems imminent. Washed up, but determined to rally his troops, night-prowling Rorschbach sets out to uncover a plot to kill/discredit all the superheroes. The Watchmen are individuals who've been forced by legislature to remove their costumes & conceal their secret identities for good. The only person this doesn't apply to is Jon/Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a blue-skinned, genetically-altered superman who is called upon from time to time to be the U.S.'s main weapon of destruction (Vietnam War, etc.). Laurie/Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) is Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend. Adrian/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) - a billionaire brainiac - is working with the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan on a plan to save humanity if Russia strikes.
Dan/Night Owl II (Patrick Wilson) is a misanthropic fellow, trying to decide if & why he'd return to help his former friends. Rorschbach wants them to avenge the murder of one of the original Watchmen (from the 1940's), the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan); his death opens the movie in an absolutely fantastic sequence. The Comedian was an insensitive A-hole. But he WAS a Watchman, often doing 'bad' for a greater 'good'. With the planet on the edge of nuclear annihilation, will the Watchmen re-form, not only to avenge their comrade, but to save the world, as well? Does the public want them back? Are they viewed as heroes or anti-heroes? How do they view themselves? Who is good & who is bad? In this parallel 1985 (with humanity destroying itself), is Earth redeemable enough of a place to want to save? Is there any hope? Much to the chagrin of his comrades, Dr. Manhattan seems to think the answer is No. Having seen the future (one of his abilities), he knows how delicate humanity is. These suspicions torture him.
This is an incredibly violent & gory film (gorgeously violent/gory, much in the same way Snyder's 300 was). But it's part & parcel of the story's moral question: Does the end (saving Earth) justify the means (killing millions to save billions)? This is a fairly philosophical, haunting comic book movie; not as deep as The Dark Knight, but certainly more thought-provoking than, say, a Spiderman. All the characters have a history, an angle, a reason for being. I'm not talking Oscar-caliber greatness or anything, but there IS depth in the characters/themes/symbolisms. Another interesting aspect of the film: only 1 of the Watchmen has true superpowers (Dr. Manhattan). Everyone else has the $$ to finance costumes, weaponry, & flying vehicles, but all they can do, basically, is fight well.
The use of music in 'Watchmen' is intriguing, as well. During the opening montage, the appropriate "These Times They Are a-Changin" plays over it. During a lengthy, slow-motion sex scene btwn. Night Owl II & Silk Spectre II (Wilson, Akerman), Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is playing. Some of the song choices are odd (dissonant to what's going on in the scene), but most of them work because of that oddity. Visually, 'Watchmen' is INCREDIBLE. The mood is excellent: a gloomy, portentous, paranoid atmosphere is always present. The use of vibrant colors in every scene is shocking. The superhero costumes are unique. The cinematography/editing of the action sequences is astute. The sound design is spectacular. And the visual effects are some of the best I've seen in some time.
Again, the story is implausible hokum; very much in the comic book/supernatural/end-of-the-world-saving vein. And the narrative framing is VERY odd. For instance, the dense plot is set in motion, then we meet a character, learn their back story in flashback mode, jump back to the plot, meet another character, watch their back story, back to the plot ... and repeat for 160 min. (I hear that the book is laid out the same way). There's more time devoted to character development than to an actual plot (which is, at least, interesting); as if the plot is created merely to highlight the Watchmen as superheroes and NOT the cause they're fighting for. This narrative method is either a flaw or a strength - depending on how you view the film, as a whole. Scene after scene ... I was always engaged in what was going on. It's not perfect (awful make-up work, confusing plot points), but 'Watchmen' is a great entry into the comic book cinema pantheon. The likes of Terry Gilliam, Paul Greengrass, & Darren Aronofsky balked at directing this movie. Zac Snyder came along, knew the risks, & created quite the visceral experience.