Rent Watchmen on Amazon Video // Buy the graphic novel
Written by: David Hayter and Alex Tse (screenplay), Dave Gibbons (graphic novel illustrator), Alan Moore (graphic novel, uncredited)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Based on the 1986 graphic novel of the same name and set in an alternate timeline 1985, super heroes are outlawed. Vigilante Rorschach begins investigating the murder of a former super hero, in a case that has global implications.
Verdict
It's got a great mood and style that showcases this alternate world with a deconstruction of super heroes and the often black and white nature of their morality. Many super heroes purport to uphold the law by breaking it and acting as vigilantes. The characters are intriguing and well rounded, but my favorite part is the moral question at the end. What price is acceptable for peace? It's this question that remains days after the movie ends.
It goes without saying the comic is better, but I still love this movie.
Watch it.
Review
I watched the Director's Cut which adds about 20 minutes. I watched the movie after reading the comic again in preparation for the HBO series Watchmen. I reviewed the movie in 2016.
Lot of style to this movie. Snyder films always have that in spades. but the slow motion action and the zooms are a great translation from comic to film that showcases video's capabilities. I imagine there had to be a ton of story boarding. Many shots are straight from the comic.
One thing the movie doesn't do nearly as well is the overlaying and mirroring of ideas, thoughts, and layouts. The story lines of the comic feel much more interconnected.
This movie has one of the best introductions, but it works best if you've read the comic so that you know what history is being imparted.
From my original review, the introduction is one of the best for any movie. It's a slow motion montage of super heroes and politicians against Bob Dylan's The Times Are A Changin' .That montage tells us how history diverged from what we know, how vigilante super heroes came to prominence, saved America, and how Nixon later outlawed them. It covers a lot of information in just a few minutes.
This movie has impeccable source material, and it's a great adaptation. It's a showcase of just how great a story teller Alan Moore is. The comic provides more detail, and the comic's method of destruction at the end is better. While the comic notes the Watchmen are normal humans, despite Veidt's heightened reflexes and intellect, the movie makes them look pretty super as Rorschach and The Comedian punch through concrete walls.
Super or not, these vigilantes donned a mask to fight crime or just fight. They have a predisposition, and that's a gift. Some have a calling, others ability, but only a few have both. In many typical stories Adrian Veidt would be the hero. He thinks he is.
This is a world where vigilantes have been outlawed. One vigilante gave rise to others and that complicated the dynamic between police and vigilantes. This is a more realistic depiction of masked heroes. Some vigilantes are successful, some aren't. Some live, others don't.
This is a pessimistic view, and it's warranted. Where do you draw the line been police and vigilantes? The Comedian is a psychopath. Rorschach is a discriminatory sociopath or worse. He has a cool design and he's a fascinating extreme extrapolation of a conservative tough on crime type. He has no compassion for anyone that doesn't fit his idea of good. You get what compelled him to stop going easy on criminals and judge them instantly, but do you think he ever gets it wrong? I doubt Rorschach is infallible.
This movie is a study of extremes. Adrian Veidt wants to unite and save the world. He's the liberal to Rorschach's conservative that goes to an extreme for peace. You understand Rorschach and Veidt's why, but that doesn't make it right.
As I stated in my original review, all of the characters are flawed, some are completely unlikable, but you can understand, or begin to understand, their convictions. It's a deconstruction of super heroes, a glimpse into how many ways you could split it. Vigilantes can be sociopaths, justice warriors, attention seekers, or completely alien. This movie examines the possibilities and the kinds of people that resort to vigilante justice.
The comic released at the height of the cold war and specifically created an alternate timeline to avoid attacking leaders people know and causing them to ignore the political extrapolation and the comic outright.
All of these heroes (or vigilantes) had the same plan, to make the world a better place. Well, some want to rid the world of evil, like Rorschach. Silk Spectre II was pushed into the job by her mom. Nite Owl has a fascination with being a hero, a power and prestige he doesn't have in his 'normal' life.
Veidt's plan for peace is completely successful. The other characters accept it as the other option would plunge the world even closer to nuclear war. Rorschach has to decide whether to accept the peace or report the crime.
