WATCHMEN Movie Discussion (SPOILERS allowed)!

[Batty]

Here's the international trailer.

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[Jen]

Looking forward to this. Just picked up the book and I'm reading it now.

 

[Batty]

First time, Jen?

 

[Jen]

First time, Jen?

It is my first time.....

 

[Batty]

It is my first time.....

 

[scubasteve]

I really want to pull the trigger on the motion comic. So tempting, especially after seeing some clips.

 

[IrishJedi]

Steve, it's definitely worth it.

And that International Trailer is YUCK. It's basically just a lot of clips from all of the previous trailers (and SDCC footage) cut really, really quickly and with a speedier version of the Smashing Pumpkins song. Definitely not as good an effort as the other trailers and clips. But at least there's a cool new (and of course very quick) shot of The Comedian, which appears to be as he turns around in the Vietnam cantina just before he has his face slashed.

 

[scubasteve]

I need a trailer that pans to the right a little more during "that" Dan/Laurie scene

 

[IrishJedi]

Oh boy:

Become a masked vigilante to fight crime in WATCHMEN: The Mobile Game. Play as the stealthy Nite Owl, battling enemies in the gritty streets of New York City, or as brawling anti-hero The Comedian in the sweltering jungles of Vietnam. Use their unique arsenal of weapons and vigilante attacks and follow an original storyline straight from Rorschach’s journal! The clock is ticking and only the Watchmen can save us. But who is watching the Watchmen?

Beat ‘Em Up Action – Play as the Comedian and Nite Owl, each with a unique repertoire of attacks, weapons and special moves.

Gameplay Variety –Fight your way through 17 levels, including sky missions in Nite Owl’s high-tech aircraft

Original Storyline – All new Watchmen experience can be appreciated by newcomers and diehard fans of the graphic novel

Classic Characters – Cameos from classic heroes and villains from the Watchmen universe, including Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan and more!

Multiple Environments – Non-stop action in Vietnam and the streets and skies over NYC

One cool thing (I guess) is that it does kinda look like what a WATCHMEN game would have had it come out in 1986 with the original books.

Official site: https://www.glu.com/noram/pages/product.aspx?pr=Watchmen

 

[King Darkness]

I'm to cheap to order the motion comics, can they be found elsewhere?

 

[IrishJedi]

I'm to cheap to order the motion comics, can they be found elsewhere?

I'm sure there are torrents...

And they're also all on Xbox Live Marketplace if you have Microsoft Points you can use.

 

[Entropy]

Well, except for one thing: It's not full cast, which was a really unfortunately and odd decision give the production standards of the motion, music, etc.

He does a very good job with some characters (Kovacs, Rorschach, Osterman/Manhattan, Dr. Long, etc) but on others he's pretty bad (especially The Comedian)... and with female characters, forget about it.

Meh. It's not a radio drama format, it's an audio book. I personally love audio books, where the narrator always does all the voices, and find them more powerful, engaging and personal than an ensemble. It was a creative decision to go that route rather than a full cast, which I actually prefer in this case since it's Tom Stechshulte. And I think he does a great job with Comedian and the female characters as well. His readings for the female voices in No Country For Old Men were fantastic there as well. But, then again, I listen to audio books all the time and my ear is tuned to one voice playing multiple parts.

edit: and I just checked. the motion comics are on torrents.

 

[wofford29]

Just bought the season pass on itunes. Can't wait to check it out. Is this completely unabridged or is it just bits and pieces of it?

 

[Kabukiman]

The game looks like Streets of Rage / Final Fight. Could be cool if it was on the DS or something, I'm not so sure about mobile phones...

 

[Scar]

I think the comparisons to TDK will end in March when people unfamiliar with WATCHMEN have their minds blown. You just can't take these other superheroes as seriously anymore. It happened with the comic, and I think it will happen again with the film genre as well.

Agreed. People will fall in love with Watchmen once they finally see it for themselves. I personally loathe the comparisons to TDK. What each is endeavoring to do is completely different from the other. TDK is an attempt to make classic comic characters contemporary for today's audiences, rendering it effective and even bring an almost literal tangibility to a story with the characters themselves as the foundation. Watchmen is COMPLETELY different. It is, from what we've seen thus far, endeavoring to render a particular story as a movie in the most faithful manner as possible without alienating any demographic that might be drawn in to see it. There is a degree of trying to make Watchmen more contemporary in some ways, I feel, but it's all about the story, admittedly driven by characters, but there is a definitive canon plot from which to draw. In the sense that Watchmen will be a better comic book movie? Definitely in the sense that it sticks to a definitive story established in the comics instead of taking the characters and doing something purely original, which is exactly what TDK does and is what worked for TDK. God I hate the "Watchmen/TDK kicks Watchmen/TDK's ass" comparisons. They are both mind-blowingly, orgasmically awesome for comic fans. We should just enjoy them for what they are intended to be instead of trying to elevate one above the other.

The SDCC footage is free on iTunes, so if it's a toss up between those and the motion comics, obviously I'd go with the freebie... and download the torrent for that which costs money. The motion comics are most assuredly an audiobook. I love audiobooks; they take a lot of unnecessary flack. I listen to audiobooks when I have to go on long trips or when I go out for a run or to the gym. They're an exceptional way to pass the time. Now I can see how this sets the motion comics apart since you have to look at them as well as listen... but you can't deny how cool it is that something like this got released. There is a theatrical drama and flair to having Watchmen in this form. Just download the torrents. You won't be disappointed.

 

[IrishJedi]

Just bought the season pass on itunes. Can't wait to check it out. Is this completely unabridged or is it just bits and pieces of it?

It's unabridged and covers the whole book. Each Chapter is about 24-30 mins long, so in total it will run 5-6 hours.

However, there are scenes where a line or two has been cut out... probably due to the timing of the motion animations.

 

[Buttmunch]

It's unabridged and covers the whole book. Each Chapter is about 24-30 mins long, so in total it will run 5-6 hours.

However, there are scenes where a line or two has been cut out... probably due to the timing of the motion animations.

Then it is abridged. Unabridged means zero things are cut

 

[IrishJedi]

Then it is abridged. Unabridged means zero things are cut

Not really. Abridged is when entire scenes or subplots are cut in the interest of time. Here, you're only talking about a line of dialogue or two. Every scene and every panel from the comic is represented, so it's not abridged. And the lines that were left out are due to the format (and because they're repetitive in some cases) not for editing purposes or to make the run-time shorter.

 

[scubasteve]

As long as it's easy to follow, I'm down, especially if they run 24-30 minutes, not to mention, I have a surplus of XBOX points. May have to restock when the downloadable game hits.

 

[Scar]

It really is amazing. The way they accomplished the motion comics is mind-blowing. I can't wait to see how the motion comics compare to the motion picture. I can understand some of the complaints about the narrator doing the women's voices, but it's not something they could accomplish in this medium unless they were willing to make some compromises. The only alternative would have been to assemble a cast to do the voices, and that could have considerably delayed release. If you're used to audiobooks, you won't have a problem with it.

It is largely unabridged. Abridged pieces, as IJ accurately points out, have major aspects, scenes, or plot elements missing for purposes of condensation. It's damn spectacular even with tiny omissions.