Watchmen

Genre - Action/Comic Book Adaptation/Drama
Year Released - 2009
Running Time - 163 minutes
Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Sexuality, Nudity, and Language
Directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed the 2004 re-make of Dawn of the Dead as well as 300)
Written by David Hayter (who also wrote the screenplays for X-Men 1 & 2 as well as The Scorpion King) and Alex Tse
*Based on the 12-part comic series written by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Cast Includes:
Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs/Rorschach (he was one of the kids in the original The Bad News Bears - he was also most recently in the not very good Semi-Pro)
Patrick Wilson as Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (Hard Candy, Running with Scissors, and Lakeview Terrace)
Malin Ackerman as Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle)
Billy Crudup as Jonathan Osterman/Doctor Manhattan (Without Limits, Almost Famous, Big Fish)
Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Imagine Me & You and The Lookout)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Edward Blake/The Comedian (Sam & Dean's father in the television show Supernatural - he was also in Dead & Breakfast and P.S. I Love You)
Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre (the mother from the Spy Kids films as well as The One, Sin City, and the upcoming Race to Witch Mountain)
Stephen McHattie as Hollis Mason/Nite Owl (A History of Violence and 300)
Matt Frewer as Edgar Jacobi/Moloch the Mystic (Max Headroom, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Dumb & Dumber, and also the '04 re-make of Dawn of the Dead)
Danny Woodburn as "Big Figure" (Mickey from Seinfeld)


Rating: 5+ Skulls

Plot Summary:

Based on the popular graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of everyday society, and the Doomsday Clock - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - moves closer to midnight.

When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the outlawed vigilante Rorschach sets out to investigate, and is reunited with his surviving former colleagues - all of them former superheroes themselves. Together, they unveil a conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future.

Review:

This is going to be a brief review, as I watched Watchmen this afternoon, then came home and took the family to a Fireflight concert - I just got back and have to finish this review before Battlestar Galactica comes on :-)

The short & sweet of it ~ I believe that Watchmen is the greatest comic book to film adaptation ever made! I also believe that Zack Snyder is one of the most radical movie directors on the planet!

The story aside, Watchmen is absolutely an amazing film to watch - visually stunning, with jaw-dropping effects - I was immediately sucked into the film's reality - time flew by - I had no idea that 2 hours and 43 minutes could end so quickly [I could have sat in the theatre all day listening to the tales of the Watchmen]

The movie starts with a bright yellow screen displaying the studio logos. We then witness the murder of The Comedian [formerly of the Watchmen] after which is probably one of the coolest credit sequences set to film.

Back in the late 80's, right about the time that I was getting into comic-book collecting, a 12-part series of comics came out called Watchmen. I wish that I could tell you that I had those original 12 issues, but I was not yet into the 'darker themed' comics [I was pretty much collecting the standard Marvel & DC comics] However, after all 12 issues were released in one graphic novel - well, that's a whole new ball game. I remember being mesmerized by the graphic novel and I can now tell you that I have just been as mesmerized by the film! Granted not everything was able to be in the film, and the ending is different than the comics, however Snyder did a mighty fine job!
[pay attention, and you will here some of the other characters mentioned from the comics, such as Mothman, Dollar Bill, Captain Metropolis, etc]

Before I forget, I want to mention that my 15-old-son is not happy with me right now. You see, he very much wants to see Watchmen, however I remember the comic being very "adult-themed" and with the film being rated R, I explained that I wanted to see it first, before I agreed to let him. Needless to say, the answer to if he could see it was a big, fat no! [not for teens, in my opinion - very heavy adult subject matter, including an attempted rape and violence against women - on top of that, there is also the language factor, as well as sex & nudity - including male, folks - Doctor Manhattan is pretty much full-frontal nude over half of his running time!]

One other thing. . . I am going to buy my wife Silk Spectre's costume! ;-)

I am quickly running out of time. . . here are some more of the movie's posters for you to enjoy:

Three more things - Number One - the Soundtrack to this film is a must listen to! [I will be going out to buy it tomorrow] Number Two - if the film does well over the next couple of weeks, there are plans for a Director's Cut to be released [theatrically] in July - The Director's Cut will have a Running Time of 3 hours 10 minutes. [I'll be there!] Number Three - As much as you will be tempted to, do not buy the 1st DVD that is going to be released - there is going to be an "Ultimate Edition" released in the Fall, which will include the comic's story-within-a-story, The Black Freighter, spliced into the film - this DVD will have a Running Time of 3 hours 30 minutes! [I so cannot wait!]

Well, Galactica is about to come on. . . let me leave you with my favorite line of the film, said by Rorschach after he is caught and sent to prison - told to the other inmates, "What you all don't seem to understand is that I am not locked in here with you - you are locked in here with me!"

Oh Yeah!

Go see the film!

Jason