Watchmen - How Did I Learn to Love the Bomb?

I don't think I've ever seen a comic book movie made where the presentation is so apparent the source material came from a comic (or graphic novel), almost completely faithful to the source material, and can take itself seriously the entire time until now. Watchmen is this movie. Millions upon millions of people will see this movie and because the book is more of an obscure graphic novel I predict millions of those millions of people will be walking out of the theater with a "what just happened" look on their faces. This is not to say the movie is bad or caters only to fans of the series. It's more a testament to the writer, actors, and director who were able to give you Watchmen about 85% as written. There are several scenes in the movie that match the comic panels exactly and some of those shots linger just a bit longer to sort of wink at the fans in the audience and let them know they're being taken care of. The opening credits also give back a few things that were cut from the story to condense it for the screen.

The story takes place in a fictional 80's where Nixon is on his 3rd term, Vietnam was won in days due to the efforts of a glowing blue super being named Dr. Manhattan (lower Manhattan is present throughout the film as well just as in the comic), but all is not well with the world as the people of America are in a state of emergency from the threat of war with the Russians that will lead to nuclear disaster. Years before reaching this critical mass there were several costumed vigilantes who used to roam the streets and clean up criminals, but they were outlawed by Nixon after the war and now they all have to deal with their normal lives. Then one of them dies, and one hero that refused to retire investigates his murder which leads to a much larger plot that will lead to humanities destruction or salvation.

The movie unlike nearly every other comic book movie that has come out has not received a reboot our update from its source material. It's in the 80's. Everything that was in the 80's from your memory (if you're old enough) is there to be seen. The sets are fantastic and make the world of Watchmen feel lived in as if the world could have gone on in this manner had costumed vigilantes really patrolled the streets. The colors are very muted just as they were in the comic and there was no extra "grit" applied to the action in the film. The original supplied enough to draw on already.

It's funny how the voice for Rorschach and Batman are similar (Batman shares similarities with several of the characters but that's for another discussion) but Rorschach's seems to fit much better than the Bat-man. Casting is dead on and all the actors are 100% believable in their roles. They don't play your normal superheros and they have all lost something in not being able to do what for many years they enjoyed doing and had grown to love. It's written on each of their faces and helps give the story that much more weight. Patrick Wilson in particular does an excellent job of conveying so much that is said and unsaid with his face in his portrayal as Nite Owl. Billy Crudup also did spectacular in a very challenging role as Dr. Manhattan. For someone who has to convey emotion for a living and is as good at it as he is, it is tough to play a role that is devoid of all emotion for most of the picture.

The pacing of Watchmen is slow and it takes its time, just like the book and it will probably alienate some audience members for doing so. There is no setup for the characters and unfortunately we don't get to get to know them in the movie as well as we do in the comic because so much had to be condensed to make it viewable. This is also not going to help people who have no idea exactly what the film is about and the trailer does more to mislead than assist as well. What it gets right more than anything is conveying the feel of the world this story takes place in and it puts us right into the story. You may not understand who the main characters are in this world, but you know for certain it's grimy, dirty, ugly, sad, problematic, and you don't want to be in it for any longer than you have to. Getting this feeling correct is the films biggest accomplishment.

I'm sure several people who have read the graphic novel will debate on how good this movie was and how faithful it was for years to come. They did change the ending, and after viewing the movie Mr. Snyder made, I understand but I would have preferred something different. I'll save that discussion for a later topic to be accompanied with other things that were lifted and changed which I didn't like. Overall, it is a great movie. It's one I wouldn't have thought would ever get made, and it spectacular to look at. It's a lot of fun but more importantly it is compelling. I highly recommend seeing it, but be warned it is not your normal comic book movie. A-/9.0/89.