WATCHMEN Movie Discussion (SPOILERS allowed)!

[The Mike]

There isn't a chance to root for The Comedian because he is dead when you arrive in the story. What there is for audiences and readers alike is to see someone considered a hero, someone considered a patriot but someone completely opposite to what one would call a hero. A man so flawed in this thoughts, perceptions, ideals and actions that you would think instantly of him as a villain but see in those flaws a strange heroism and strange relatability that makes him the most human of all of them. When everyone throughout the series speaks about humans, what it is to be a human or even thoughts of humanity it always circles back to Eddie Blake. That is what makes the character cool IMHO not necessarily his actions. Just like Manhattan's inaction makes him so fascinating to me.

 

[CelticPredator]

Uh oh....you just called Blakey "cool"....now B is gonna E-attack you.

 

[Memnoch]

I think my love of Manhattan comes from being a history major. The fact that HE is the main reason we won Vietnam, the world HE creates. Manhattan really has his hands in every aspect (well save the few things Comedian did). Then the fact that when humanity DOES need him he kinda says "screw you guys, Im done with man" and just walks away - I think it says a lot for how a higher power would view mankind.

 

[The Mike]

I also love the Manhattan plays the complete opposite of Superman. He is considered a God in the DC Universe and is dying to be a part of humanity, he lives his life everyday to be human while Manhattan a human who is made a God becomes completely uninterested in it.

Oh and B didn't like that people called the Comedian cool due to superficial means, I like the interesting ideas and natures of Edward Blake....cool probably isn't the best word but it seemed to fit

 

[SwedishHeat]

I just saw Watchmen earlier this afternoon, and I wasn't thrilled. I literally just finished re-reading the GN right before I left for the theater, so everything was very fresh in my mind. Probably a bad decision. It made me expect the movie to be too close to the book. That's giving the film the benefit of the doubt. I really think this was a case of someone being so in love with the source material that they had to share it with everyone. Kind of like how you have a favorite band, that's not that well known and you try to tell everyone how awesome they band is, but there's a reason the band isn't well-known to everyone. . . they can't be everything to everyone.

I read Watchmen years ago, and didn't get it. Re-reading it made me appreciate it more, but I didn't appreciate the movie. The new ending made sense, it didn't bother me, having the squid would require too much backstory. . . which is part of the problem with Watchmen, there's too much to fit in a standard movie, and even at 2 hours and 43 minutes was a struggle to sit through. The one change that sticks out in my mind as very stupid was Rorschach hacking the guy with the meat cleaver, totally an unnecessary change. Him leaving the kidnapper in the building underscores his earlier "they will look up. . . " speech. Rorschach believes that humanity isn't strong enough to save themselves and leaving the killer in the building, forcing the killer to choose whether he wants to die or lose a hand. The movie just paints Rorschach as an insane killer, no better than the criminals he hunts down.

Just a lot of story to go though that it was not possible to devote enough time in the film. I've read Silk Spectre II described as a superhero groupie in the film, which certainly cast her in a different light than what I had interpreted. She and Nite Owl II both suffered because of the loss of back story. Although, thinking about it, Nite Owl II never had or needed much back story. The violence in the film was certainly jarring. I'm wondering how a nerdy guy like Dan Dreiberg can end up punching a guy's arm in half.

At least the saga of Watchmen is finally behind us.

 

[Cloud]

I just saw it again. I love Rorschach still but the Comedian tops him in my book.

I think Eddie is cool in a way. He's very...uh. Macho I guess. Take-charge kind of guy. I like that. Who is B?

And I also have a great fondness for history, another reason why I like the Comedian the best. He's the only Watchmen who was also a member of the Minutemen. He's the only one who has his picture taken with the Crimebusters while being in a framed photo on the wall as part of the Minutemen. He had the longest career of any of the characters in the movie. He fought in WWII and Vietnam, and as it turns out, he was the one who assassinated JFK. A lot of history there.

Yes, he dies at the beginning of the film. He's the catalyst behind the entire story. I think that if he was alive, he'd be a bit too unbearably obnoxious. As much as I love the character, we taste him enough from the flashbacks.* But I like that the running theme is that everything is a "joke," respectfully referencing him.

The first time I saw the film I liked Dr. Manhattan. That is, until he

Spoiler

blew Rorschach up

! Then when I read the book and when I saw the film a second time I didn't find myself liking him at all. He's so cold. His apathy is almost frightening.

*EDIT: That's a lie. I could watch an entire movie about the guy if I had the chance. But most people are not infatuated with the character like I am.

 

[IrishJedi]

And I also have a great fondness for history, another reason why I like the Comedian the best. He's the only Watchmen who was also a member of the Minutemen. He's the only one who has his picture taken with the Crimebusters while being in a framed photo on the wall as part of the Minutemen. He had the longest career of any of the characters in the movie. He fought in WWII and Vietnam, and as it turns out, he was the one who assassinated JFK. A lot of history there.

He also raised the flag on Iwo Jima... by himself. This was originally going to be part of the Opening Credits montage as well, but was cut (along with Sally Jupiter being painted by Norman Rockwell). Hopefully it winds up on the Deleted Scenes or something.

 

[GrueSam]

I just saw it again. I love Rorschach still but the Comedian tops him in my book.

I think Eddie is cool in a way. He's very...uh. Macho I guess. Take-charge kind of guy. I like that.

I totally agree and like I wrote before, I find Jeffrey Dean Morgan charismatic and sexy.
And I have to assume that that was a good casting call otherwise I don't think IrishJ would have embraced him so wholeheartedly.
Correct, Carl?

Okay, well, again: I'm eager to read the novel and learn more about him and all of that history. And, of course, the whole story on everything else.

Maybe, I will jump it to the top of my queue and read it before I see it again, like you did...

 

[The Mike]

Then when I read the book and when I saw the film a second time I didn't find myself liking him at all. He's so cold. His apathy is almost frightening.

That is what I love about the character. His mindset is complex.

 

[IrishJedi]

And I have to assume that that was a good casting call otherwise I don't think IrishJ would have embraced him so wholeheartedly.
Correct, Carl?

Absolutely. JDM makes the perfect Comedian.

 

[Cloud]

I totally agree and like I wrote before, I find Jeffrey Dean Morgan charismatic and sexy.

He's the only guy with a mustache I've ever fallen in lust with.



EDIT: Related side note: I love it when IrishJedi posts so I can drool over his current avatar.

2nd EDIT:

That is what I love about the character. His mindset is complex.

What I found myself liking about Jon the first time I saw the film was that he was the only literal superhero. I am a girl attracted to power, I hate that about myself. The questions he raises about humanity kind of go over my head a little. Not that I don't think about them, it's just that, the older I get (I'm 25 going on 60) the less I tend to ponder deep, metaphysical things. I have an illness that could be fatal and just in case it is I want to spend it thinking about instant-gratification things like Blake's in-your-face 'tude or Rorschach's bada**ity. Not who makes the world. It's a personal thing, it's not that Dr. Manhattan isn't fascinating because he is. I love the metaphorical middle finger he throws at characters like Superman. I love it a lot.

 

[HdoubleD]

He's the only guy with a mustache I've ever fallen in lust with.



EDIT: Related side note: I love it when IrishJedi posts so I can drool over his current avatar.

2nd EDIT:

What I found myself liking about Jon the first time I saw the film was that he was the only literal superhero. I am a girl attracted to power, I hate that about myself. The questions he raises about humanity kind of go over my head a little. Not that I don't think about them, it's just that, the older I get (I'm 25 going on 60) the less I tend to ponder deep, metaphysical things. I have an illness that could be fatal and just in case it is I want to spend it thinking about instant-gratification things like Blake's in-your-face 'tude or Rorschach's bada**ity. Not who makes the world. It's a personal thing, it's not that Dr. Manhattan isn't fascinating because he is. I love the metaphorical middle finger he throws at characters like Superman. I love it a lot.

I also think its another example of the sad but true fact that women love being treated like crap, hence the guy could shoot a pregger women and rape a superheroine and he still has you kinda wrapped around his finger. women are complicated creatures thank god i already have a keeper cause you guys are hard to figure out!!!

 

[CelticPredator]

Absolutely. JDM makes the perfect Comedian.

I wanted more of him. He was a bit dodgy in the Nam scene....just sounded like he was reading the book in some places...but other then that....

 

[jedibear]

I'm about halfway through the book and two things come immediately to mind...one, I gotta see this movie again! And two...it is wonderfully incredible how much Synder packed from the book into the movie...I know I've got much more to go, but it's already really apparent to me that Snyder and co. really went above and beyond here...heck, major portions of the book are almost like storyboards, it looks that close in the movie!

Really good...

 

[barbelith]

Worldwide: $136,718,829
not looking to bad fellas, and you guys are right hopefully everyone who saw it will see it again to get a better appriciation of it. i sure did....

You can be sure WB is not happy about that performance. The first week figures were very disappointing and the second week figures were a disaster. They have to cough up well more than $200 million domestically just to break even (the studio doesn't get 1:1 on ticket sales, and remember international figures have to take into account international marketing, distribution cuts and the like).

I'm sure it'll make its money back on home video. But you don't invest $200+ million to make your money back. From a studio perspective it's something of a disaster. By way of comparison, The X-Files 2 had better ROI than this thing, and remember how fans jumped on its performance!

 

[barbelith]

I'm about halfway through the book and two things come immediately to mind...one, I gotta see this movie again! And two...it is wonderfully incredible how much Synder packed from the book into the movie...I know I've got much more to go, but it's already really apparent to me that Snyder and co. really went above and beyond here...heck, major portions of the book are almost like storyboards, it looks that close in the movie!

Which would be great if the soul of Watchmen was in the story it tells. But what made it a masterpiece was in how it told that story. That's the part that's unfilmable.

 

[The Mike]

I'm sure it'll make its money back on home video. But you don't invest $200+ million to make your money back. From a studio perspective it's something of a disaster. By way of comparison, The X-Files 2 had better ROI than this thing, and remember how fans jumped on its performance!

This is a double edged sword. On the one hand its great in terms of Watchmen because a non-blockbuster performance means studio execs will get anything else tied to it whether it be prequel, sequel, tie-in anything out of their minds and just let the film stand. On the other its horrible for the comic book genre because Synder said he wanted to do as true an adaptation as possible, some part of the film are dead on the panels but it didn't pan out (for various reasons) as many both fan and common movie viewer hoped. Which means that the next director that has an affinity for a comic storyline or character will unfortunately have more studio interference because of this performance.

I love the film though and will probably see it once more and own every DVD version possible. Then again my standards were never that high because I knew going into this that no matter what appeared on screen it wouldn't have the purity of the comic but more its essence than anything else.

 

[barbelith]

Which means that the next director that has an affinity for a comic storyline or character will unfortunately have more studio interference because of this performance.

I agree, which is why even though I think it's a terrible movie I still wanted it to perform.

 

[CelticPredator]

Ehhhh...hurm....meh.

It was this movie, or a PG-13 action adventure. Just be happy they did this. And yes, it was going to be made into a movie no matter what.

 

[GrueSam]

I also think its another example of the sad but true fact that women love being treated like crap, hence the guy could shoot a pregger women and rape a superheroine and he still has you kinda wrapped around his finger. women are complicated creatures thank god i already have a keeper cause you guys are hard to figure out!!!

NO. I DO NOT LIKE BEING TREATED LIKE CRAP.
(That is why I'm going through a divorce!)

And in my previous post, I said I found the Comedian repulsive...