The Watchmen. For the record I had only recently read the graphic novel, and I read it because I saw this preview for The Watchmen, back in the fall, and it had all these amazing looking scenes and a great, eerie song playing-looked like a dark, disturbing, mysterious and beautiful film. Plus the director of 300-and one would assume the art direction would be on par as well.
So to it's credit, the movie did get me to read this amazing and seminal graphic novel.
So I did not go into this movie with the fan zeal of thousands of bloggers out there I'm sure. I did go in with my usual critical eye, and with recent knowledge of the source material.
And to put it shortly, I understand perfectly well why Alan Moore has kept his name off this, and all of his graphic novels that have been stripped of all their wit, punch, and smarts in movie-form. Although I'm sure he did write his name on the checks.
It's a real flat film. Too long, too focused on Nite Owl and Silk Spectre (no idea who these characters are? Oh...nevermind), too soft.
The movie alternates from scenes of gruesome violence (very well done, and my action sensibilities were pleased by this) and a sort of a dark, bleak world that is attempting to be gritty but somehow ends up too polished. Much of the story is camp, it all is a play up of the genre of superheros, and the director/writer of the movie version just doesn't have the chops to pull it off.
I read that Darren Aronofsky was attached to this project at one point-now that could have a been a masterpiece.
There were some great scenes, and all the stuff with Rorschrach was pretty well done-esp the prison scenes. There was life in the way that was handled. The rest of the movie fell flat.
3 molos for trying though, it's a tough one to pull off.
No comments:
Post a Comment