WATCHMEN Movie Discussion (SPOILERS allowed)!

[LOTRFan]

Great news regarding the speed ramping, I was actually more concerned about an overabundance of slo-mo than I was the ending ..... well almost.

 

[FOKAI_SNAKE]

Some Watchmen movie goodies i got from work

6X8 Vinyl Banners

27X40 DS Movie poster ( comedian version )

i know... my camera sucks

 

[IrishJedi]

I. Must. Have. BANNERS.

 

[scubasteve]

I'll take banner number two, please. Thanks.

 

[Memnoch]

Im partial to number 4 myself.

 

[darthviper107]

They all look great. Vinyl posters are awesome, I'd want number 5

 

[Khev]

Just noticed from those posters that this movie will be rated R. Par for the course for a Zack Snyder flick but I'm still kind of surprised. I figured they'd want this to be open to a broader audience.

 

[IrishJedi]

Just noticed from those posters that this movie will be rated R. Par for the course for a Zack Snyder flick but I'm still kind of surprised. I figured they'd want this to be open to a broader audience.

They geared for Rated R from the very get-go.

 

[Entropy]

They geared for Rated R from the very get-go.

Thank goodness! I don't wanna see a PG-13 Watchmen.

 

[Khev]

They geared for Rated R from the very get-go.

Well I'm definitely happy that fans of this story are apparently getting what they want. For some reason the years old hype for this graphic novel has never been enough to prompt me to read it. I don't have the same context as everyone who's read the story so I just look at the trailer and posters and can't help but think that the character costumes look like something from a Mel Brooks superhero parody.

Then I read articles that talk about how Alan Moore demands to have his name removed from any reference to film adaptions of his stories and how he refuses money and makes such a public spectacle over his disdain for people bastardizing his work as he believes, when he in fact has made how many thousands of dollars bastardizing great literary characters that HE did not create with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? It makes me think he's a pompous little child and it turns me off to giving his wordy and pretentious Watchmen (based on what little knowledge I have of it) the time and effort to read.

I'm not saying it won't be a good movie or just what the fans are looking for but I just don't "get" the whole Watchmen thing. I wonder if I'm representative of the "masses" or if the movie will still be a smash hit.

 

[CelticPredator]

Read it. Thats the only way to know.

 

[IrishJedi]

Well I'm definitely happy that fans of this story are apparently getting what they want. For some reason the years old hype for this graphic novel has never been enough to prompt me to read it. I don't have the same context as everyone who's read the story so I just look at the trailer and posters and can't help but think that the character costumes look like something from a Mel Brooks superhero parody.

Then I read articles that talk about how Alan Moore demands to have his name removed from any reference to film adaptions of his stories and how he refuses money and makes such a public spectacle over his disdain for people bastardizing his work as he believes, when he in fact has made how many thousands of dollars bastardizing great literary characters that HE did not create with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? It makes me think he's a pompous little child and it turns me off to giving his wordy and pretentious Watchmen (based on what little knowledge I have of it) the time and effort to read.

I'm not saying it won't be a good movie or just what the fans are looking for but I just don't "get" the whole Watchmen thing. I wonder if I'm representative of the "masses" or if the movie will still be a smash hit.

It's impossible to "get" WATCHMEN unless you read it, probably multiple times.

As far as the movie? It will stand on its own, for good or bad. Snyder's intention is to offer a deconstruction of modern superhero movies (hence the look of the characters) in much the same way the graphic novel completely examined and rewrote everything we ever knew about superheroes to begin with. In the end, though, it needs only to work as a cohesive, entertaining movie for Joe Sixpack. We shall see.

One thing, though. Don't expect IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN, or even TDK. The will feel much more like a dark noir film from the 70's that just happens to feature some costumed heroes.

 

[Khev]

It's impossible to "get" WATCHMEN unless you read it, probably multiple times.

As far as the movie? It will stand on its own, for good or bad. Snyder's intention is to offer a deconstruction of modern superhero movies (hence the look of the characters)

About those costumes. Are we supposed to think they're "cool" looking or are the oddball outfits something we're supposed to recognize as silly, but will appreciate within the context of the story?

One thing, though. Don't expect IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN, or even TDK. The will feel much more like a dark noir film from the 70's that just happens to feature some costumed heroes.

I don't mind throwback filmmaking (its worked really well for many genres, not just noir), it just seems like for Watchmen they're acting like they're making a movie that's going to be oh so cool and realistic and that will show us all how lame and stupid all other superhero movies are, when in fact the characters don't look as cool as many other superheroes and the action looks even more over the top and absurd.

Keep in mind I'm only giving my impressions, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[CelticPredator]

I don't mind throwback filmmaking (its worked really well for many genres, not just noir), it just seems like for Watchmen they're acting like they're making a movie that's going to be oh so cool and realistic and that will show us all how lame and stupid all other superhero movies are, when in fact the characters don't look as cool as many other superheroes and the action looks even more over the top and absurd.

Keep in mind I'm only giving my impressions, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.

Thats the point. How silly it is when grown ass men dress up like 'things' and run around beating people to a pulp....

Obviously this was before TDK made costumed heroes somewhat plausible...but still.

 

[IrishJedi]

I don't even see TDK as plausible in the actual real world at all... and I'll get into hy in sec.

About those costumes. Are we supposed to think they're "cool" looking or are the oddball outfits something we're supposed to recognize as silly, but will appreciate within the context of the story?

The latter. Even The Comedian wears a domino mask when out in public, which makes him look considerably less "cool" than without. And he's actually a badass. Then you have Nite Owl, Ozymandias and the Silk Spectres... all of whose costumes are pretty silly when taken in a realistic context (as CelticP has said).

And they look even more corny in the graphic novel. Snyder didn't update them to look uber-cool, he updated them to more reflect the look of modern superhero movie costumes while maintaining the zany nature of someone dressing up like that and taking themselves seriously.

I don't mind throwback filmmaking (its worked really well for many genres, not just noir), it just seems like for Watchmen they're acting like they're making a movie that's going to be oh so cool and realistic and that will show us all how lame and stupid all other superhero movies are, when in fact the characters don't look as cool as many other superheroes and the action looks even more over the top and absurd.

That's the entire point and completely by design. They're not at all supposed to look and be "cool" in aesthetic kind of way.

In Nite Owl, we see how odd and funny it is for a guy to dress up as a flying animal in order to intimidate and fight criminals. Obviously, he deconstructs Bruce Wayne/Batman from a pragmatic standpoint. Conversely, the Rorschach character also deconstructs Batman and every other hard-line vigilante superhero. Because, in the real world these people would be complete and utter sociopaths and unable to function normally in society. If Batman was real, Bruce Wayne would be a complete and total mess and ready to meltdown at any given moment.

Dr. Manhattan is the only character in the piece with actual meta-human super powers. In fact, he's probably more all-powerful than any major comic book character I can think of. This allows the piece to show how someone who's basically a god among men (Superman, many others) would almost surely become detatched from society. Afterall, if you can obliterate any matter with your mind, teleport to Mars in the blink of an eye, or walk on the surface of the sun why exactly would you give a ^^^^ about wearing clothes or going through all of the other trivial human motions?

Both Silk Spectres put a realistic spin on how most female superheroes are presented in a sexually-charged way, but have never really before had that be the driving part of their psyche and weakness as well.

I'd go into what The Comedian and Ozymandias tell us with their deconstruction, but that would get into some pretty heavy spoilers.

Basically, WATCHMEN shows us that if masked (or super-powered) heroes were real, they wouldn't be cool... they'd be pretty ^^^^ed up and have lots of unique issues of their own. You would not want to be them.

 

[Bannister]

I. Must. Have. BANNERS.

Luckily, according to ebay auctions there are only three banners, having a character on each side, so you have less to track down.

 

[IrishJedi]

Luckily, according to ebay auctions there are only three banners, having a character on each side, so you have less to track down.

Yeah, but they're going for over $100 each right now. But there has only been 3-4 auctions total, so far. At some point, it will settle down. But I gotta time it right, because when the movie hype hits fever pitch again (around February) they'll likely shoot up. I must have these, though.

 

[Bannister]

Yeah, but they're going for over $100 each right now. But there has only been 3-4 auctions total, so far. At some point, it will settle down. But I gotta time it right, because when the movie hype hits fever pitch again (around February) they'll likely shoot up. I must have these, though.

Yeah, I have burned myself with the hype a few times on movie banners. Some stay at that level for a good while though.

 

[Khev]

Basically, WATCHMEN shows us that if masked (or super-powered) heroes were real, they wouldn't be cool... they'd be pretty ^^^^ed up and have lots of unique issues of their own. You would not want to be them.

Ah, I see. That's what I needed to hear (or read). The trailers make it look like a movie that toes the line between the Shumacher Batman movies and The Matrix, but its because it wants to show us what it might be like if the real world came across a more literal translation of the superheroes you see in comic books? Not Unbreakable, not The Dark Knight, but straight 1980's superhero absurdity in "real life"? I may not be articulating that correctly but I think I get it now. Thanks. You've done a better job on selling the flick than anything else I'd seen or read up to now.

 

[Entropy]

About those costumes. Are we supposed to think they're "cool" looking or are the oddball outfits something we're supposed to recognize as silly, but will appreciate within the context of the story?

Aren't all superhero costumes silly looking? Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Xmen, Batman, etc? Would a real crime fighter really dress in such a flamboyant fashion? No. Watchmen the comic pokes fun at, among other comic book conventions, superhero duds (when the powers that be provide Dr. M with a stupid costume and symbol to mass market him is the first example that comes to mind) as does the film (with the silly Shumacher rubber nipples).

Certainly your choice, but you're missing out on an amazing work of art by not reading it.