Watchmen

Posted on February 27, 2009 at 2:09 pm by lkeddie | Permalink

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Released 6th March 2009

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Watching Zack Snyder’s 300 on the big screen was rather like watching a large masterpiece in an art museum coming to life. And the visionary director does not disappoint with his latest ‘work of art’, Watchmen, vastly improving on his signature film-making style. Although graphically violent and, unsurprisingly, rated 18, there is also a wonderful, tranquil fluidity, flamboyancy, comic-book magic to the cinematography and design that it is enthralling to witness. Watchmen is simply glorious in style, unforgiving in violence, and gripping in narrative: It is what cinema is all about.

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One of the main attractions of the lesser known Alan Moore graphic novel is its focus on flawed, costumed ‘human’ superheroes, with only one, Dr Manhattan, possessing actual superhuman powers. Each hero is battling with his or her notoriety and the accompanying egoism of being in the spotlight, whilst dealing with personal and mental health issues, and being forced to live back in ‘normality’ after the glory is gone. The plot serves as a fascinating, fictional case study into those desperately clinging onto the hollowness of fame. The interesting balance between lightness and darkness in the heroes’ psyche is what makes them riveting to watch, and is what gives the average ‘good-guy-bad-guy’ comic-book story greater depth and purpose. It is this that separates Watchmen from other comic books adapted for film - even the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight, which part-delved into the ‘dark side’ with the Joker character.

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In determining what is important to each hero, come scenes of shocking violence, as the pressure and responsibility of their positions increases, such as The Comedian shooting dead a young Vietnamese woman he gets pregnant, or the attempted rape of a fellow superhero. The other intriguing point that arises is the very thin line between vigilante and superhero, with Laurie Jupiter or ‘Silk Spectre II’ (Malin Akerman) and Dan Dreiberg, aka ‘Nite Owl’ (Patrick Wilson), taking the law into their own hands and breaking the volatile Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) out of jail. In trying to save the world from nuclear meltdown, the tale’s morality suggests: is bending the legal rules ever right? It is this single dilemma that other comic books often take for granted and even trivialise in their portrayal of action scenes, and is one of the benefits of the adult-rating, in that this film can address the more malignant issues, without all the gloss. This is also this film’s irony: In being visually spectacular and vibrantly colourful, its comic-book shine only ever, superficially, masks what is, in effect, a positively sinister narrative, accompanied by slim hope.

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Jackie Earle Haley is absolutely magnificent as the gravely-throated and tormented Rorschach. Far from being a psychopath, Rorschach feels the emotion and pain of others too weak to defend themselves — demonstrated by the grizzly death of a little girl that haunts him. Snyder spares no detail in portraying these scenes, in order that we might empathise with this illusive and complex hero, through shear repulsion at what we witness. We also love to love a vigilante who serves his own bloody justice on society’s scum, coupled with the twisted humour of the moment, such as the jail toilet scene, where we get glimpses, like an early, frame-by-frame cartoon as the door swings open and shut, of Rorschach dealing with a vicious dwarf prisoner.

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Billy Crudup is entrancing as the other-worldly, god-like Dr. Manhattan, producing a calming effect whenever he appears on screen — even as he obliterates some armed hoodlums in a local restaurant with comical, gut-wrenching results. His character, alone, is fascinating to begin to understand. The rest of the casting is highly commendable, including the rugged Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the edgy and devilish Comedian, and Brit actor Matthew Goode as cool ‘anti-hero’ Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias, the villain of the hour. The film’s final showdown between the fallen heroes is the only weakest link and slightly disappointing part of the whole affair, but is somewhat redeemed by the dramatic and poignant demise of Rorschach in the snow.

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Possessing one of the most exhilarating and memorable opening scenes and title sequences ever seen on the big screen that send chills down the spine and warrant seeing Snyder’s visual spectacle alone, accompanied by some of the most influential songs and lyrics that depict the history of each 20th Century decade, including Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’, Watchmen is a sumptuous feast of the imagination and absolute value for entertainment. It will require more than one viewing to fully appreciate all its richly-woven tapestry. The only downside is the 18 rating, which is totally understandable, given the full-frontal male and female nudity and violence, but will limit its distribution. That said this is certain to increase the curiosity surrounding the film. Just make sure that Watchmen is on your ‘one to watch’ cinema list for 2009, and look out for the awards nominations, this year, for production design alone.

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By Lisa Keddie

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Synopsis

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A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” - which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity… but who is watching the watchmen?

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Film Facts

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Official site: http://www.watchmenmovie.co.uk/

UK Release Date: 6th March 2009

Director: Zack Snyder

Writers: David Hayter, Alex Tse, Dave Gibbons, Alan Moore (the novel)

Cast: Malin Akerman (’Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II’), Billy Crudup (’Dr. Manhattan / Jon Osterman’), Matthew Goode (’Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias’), Jackie Earle Haley (’Walter Kovacs / Rorschach’), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (’Edward Blake / The Comedian’), Patrick Wilson (’Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl’), Carla Gugino (’Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre’), Matt Frewer (’Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic’), Stephen McHattie (’Hollis Mason / Nite Owl’), Laura Mennell (’Janey Slater’)