Watchmen

[Zoidburg]

My son just texted me to say it's awesome.

Did he say it was awsome - dude? - this has direct efect on the ensuing level of awesomeness

I think my sunday afternoon is planned out for me

Would they throw you out if you took beer in a cool bag into the cinema?

[rogerzilla]

Would they throw you out if you took beer in a cool bag into the cinema?

No, they'd call an anti-terrorist SWAT team and you'd die of very acute lead poisoning.

[geraldc]

YouTube - Saturday Morning Watchmen

Watchmen Saturday Morning Kid's show

[fuzzy]

Am I too old at 46 to say that if Silk Spectre threatened to take me roughly I would surrender (with the right kind of fight to make it interesting)?

[Kathy]

Just been to see it. Utterly fabulous! I *loved* the opening montage ("The Times They Are A-Changing", especially the reworked shot of VJ Day in Times Square), the soundtrack was beautiful, and visually it was spot-on. The only criticism that makes sense is that it's so close to the comic that it's just like reading the book all over again.

 

[Kathy]

I've just been looking at the soundtrack details. Can anyone who has seen the film tell me when Nina Simone's Pirate Jenny (a.k.a. "The Black Freighter") is used? I don't remember it, but perhaps it will be in the extended edition. 

[her_welshness]

I'm halfway through the book at the mo, its extremely gripping and brilliantly written!

So I was at On Your Bike @ London Bridge on Thursday and I could hear all this screaming and shouting going on. Chap explains that it was the fans premiere of Watchmen and that they had hired out the entire street (underneath London Bridge station) and put in loads of extras playing various roles: holding banners, playing prostitutes (in some racy lingerie), skateboarders, people with ghetto blasters), and then loads of fans queuing up to an entrance with the sign 'Utopia' and American cars trundling down the road. Very cool!

[LEE]

Wow, just got back from seeing this.

I never heard of it before the film was released.  I guess I'd say it's like "The Incredibles" meet "Batman" with the violence turned up to 11. 

Fortunately I like all 3 of those things in a film although it's a heck of a long film, make sure you see it at a cinema with comfy seats.

The film is beautiful to look at, as are a lot of the superheroes. 

Forget the fact that the premise of Superheroes building futuristic flying machines in their "Bat Cave" basement is absurd (although Brains fron Thunderbirds managed it) and lose yourself in a proper adult Comic-Book film.

In fact the more I think about it, it's uncannily similar to "The Incredibles" really.

[Wascally Weasel]

In fact the more I think about it, it's uncannily similar to "The Incredibles" really.

Very good point, although actually the other way round had you read Watchmen before seeing "The Incredibles" of course.  I remember watching "The Incredibles" when it came out and thinking it was Watchmen Jnr - but in a very good way.

In fact I think I may have quoted the lines "My God you've gotten fat" and "No Capes!" to Ms Weasel when we watched the film on Friday.

[andygates]

(click to show/hide)

Okay, seen it.

I can handle what they did to Nite Owl, it's not the great crime (the incredibly young Old Silk Spectre is worse).  Nor is the Lack Of A Squid.  There's something, though, that's not quite right - something about the pacing, the energy, that's too restrained and academic.

I know Veidt would never chew the scenery but we need to believe that he gives a damn, that this isn't an academic project for him.  Without that drive, his whole Xanatos Gambit (see TVtropes.com) isn't so credible. 

Doc is perfect.  The Comedian is great.  Rorschach lost all his rightwing-nutter stuff unless you knew what to look for, which is a pity.  I can't remember who said this, but Rorschach and Nite Owl are the two sides of Batman: the sociopath and the toy nerd.  That works, works well (I love love love that Nite Owl can't get it up when he's not in costume, that's a lovely detail). 

I dunno.  Is it just that nuclear doom isn't scary any more?  I grew up with that shit and it scared the hell out of me all the time -- you whippersnappers grew up with a post-Gorbachev Russia and it's Not The Same.  The threat that your leaders will screw up, those silhouettes painted on the walls -- that WAS scary.  Ain't any more.  As a period piece it was note-perfect (spot the Warhol and Liebowitz cameos?) but the threat, which was real then, isn't real now and didn't draw me in.

Damn, but it looked good, though.

[LEE]

(click to show/hide)

Okay, seen it.

I can handle what they did to Nite Owl, it's not the great crime (the incredibly young Old Silk Spectre is worse).  Nor is the Lack Of A Squid.  There's something, though, that's not quite right - something about the pacing, the energy, that's too restrained and academic.

I know Veidt would never chew the scenery but we need to believe that he gives a damn, that this isn't an academic project for him.  Without that drive, his whole Xanatos Gambit (see TVtropes.com) isn't so credible. 

Doc is perfect.  The Comedian is great.  Rorschach lost all his rightwing-nutter stuff unless you knew what to look for, which is a pity.  I can't remember who said this, but Rorschach and Nite Owl are the two sides of Batman: the sociopath and the toy nerd.  That works, works well (I love love love that Nite Owl can't get it up when he's not in costume, that's a lovely detail). 

I dunno.  Is it just that nuclear doom isn't scary any more?  I grew up with that shit and it scared the hell out of me all the time -- you whippersnappers grew up with a post-Gorbachev Russia and it's Not The Same.  The threat that your leaders will screw up, those silhouettes painted on the walls -- that WAS scary.  Ain't any more.  As a period piece it was note-perfect (spot the Warhol and Liebowitz cameos?) but the threat, which was real then, isn't real now and didn't draw me in.

Damn, but it looked good, though.

I think you're at a disadvantage if you've read the book/comic (or whatever), as with any book to film it will always be compared to your imagination.

I had no history with it whatsoever, I thought it fell between being too long (by about 30 minutes) and too short (by about 2 hours) as it tried to bring me up-to-speed with the characters whilst maintaining excitement.

Of all the characters I thought Rorshach was the best and would warrant a spin-off movie of his own.

"I ain't trapped in here with you, YOU'RE trapped in here with ME"

[andygates]

Rorschach's a dick.   

[Wowbagger]

A few minutes ago Dez asked me "Have you heard of a film called 'Watchmen?'" I had to tell him that I hadn't. And now I've stumbled across this thread! What a coincidence!

(click to show/hide)

Dez went on to say "You've done well to avoid it, it's received a lot of publicity. One of my mates went to see it tonight. He said it was the second ever film he's walked out of. Described it as tripe and garbage."

[geraldc]

I liked it.

A bit disappointed that they didn't feature the scary thing that looked like a pudenda, as that freaked me out when I read the comic.

A lot of it did seem reminiscent of Old Boy, the fight in the corridor, and the ending.

[LEE]

A few minutes ago Dez asked me "Have you heard of a film called 'Watchmen?'" I had to tell him that I hadn't. And now I've stumbled across this thread! What a coincidence!

(click to show/hide)

Dez went on to say "You've done well to avoid it, it's received a lot of publicity. One of my mates went to see it tonight. He said it was the second ever film he's walked out of. Described it as tripe and garbage."

But Wow, he went to see a film about aging and retired comic-book heroes.  As a film about comic-book heroes it's as good as Spiderman or Batman (I know what that sounds like, I'm no comic-book nerd myself)

I'd be interested to know what he was expecting.  I'd say there's only 2 reasons to walk out:

1) If you are a comic-book nerd who thinks this film is in some way a travesty of the original book

2) If you went expecting to see Judy Dench and Kiera Knightley in some kind of period love tryst over some Darcy-Fordingbridge-Smythe chap (I suspect you'd run screaming from the cinema if this was the case)

Otherwise it's men and women in Superhero costumes punching villains in the face as expected.

[andygates]

A bit disappointed that they didn't feature the scary thing that looked like a pudenda, as that freaked me out when I read the comic.

Squidminge, we hardly knew ya.

Yay that Bubastis got her cameo though.   

[Kathy]

A few minutes ago Dez asked me "Have you heard of a film called 'Watchmen?'" I had to tell him that I hadn't. And now I've stumbled across this thread! What a coincidence!

(click to show/hide)

Dez went on to say "You've done well to avoid it, it's received a lot of publicity. One of my mates went to see it tonight. He said it was the second ever film he's walked out of. Described it as tripe and garbage."

But Wow, he went to see a film about aging and retired comic-book heroes.  As a film about comic-book heroes it's as good as Spiderman or Batman (I know what that sounds like, I'm no comic-book nerd myself)

I'd be interested to know what he was expecting.  I'd say there's only 2 reasons to walk out:

1) If you are a comic-book nerd who thinks this film is in some way a travesty of the original book

2) If you went expecting to see Judy Dench and Kiera Knightley in some kind of period love tryst over some Darcy-Fordingbridge-Smythe chap (I suspect you'd run screaming from the cinema if this was the case)

3) You thought it would be a "typical" superhero film in the vein of Superman with a big costumed supervillain, and got confused by the exploration of morality and the shades of grey.

[Zoidburg]

The plot was a red herring in a way

The film is about the characters and what they become over the passage of time, they might wear costumes but they are human men and women underneath the spandex/leather/lycra - with the same weaknesses and failings as you or I.

The people were the story, some big set piece plot with a flashy ending was only ever going to be a side show.

[geraldc]

There's a Dave Gibbons signing in Islington tonight, I think I'll go and  try get a copy of Watchmen signed. It's like I've regressed to a teenager again.

Years ago I had a reprint of Watchmen 1 signed by Alan Moore, my dad chucked it out when we moved house. I'm still bitter about that.

[Zoidburg]

Years ago I had a reprint of Watchmen 1 signed by Alan Moore, my dad chucked it out when we moved house. I'm still bitter about that.

Whenever my parents do something stupid like that with my old stuff I console myself with the fact that one day in the not too distant future I will get to put them in a care home - and leave them there.

[LEE]

The plot was a red herring in a way

The film is about the characters and what they become over the passage of time, they might wear costumes but they are human men and women underneath the spandex/leather/lycra - with the same weaknesses and failings as you or I.

The people were the story, some big set piece plot with a flashy ending was only ever going to be a side show.

I thought that was what every comic-book super hero story was about.

Show me a Superhero with amazing powers and I'll show you a miserable geek wracked with angst or guilt.  They should cheer up, they could have been cursed with the super-power of IT Project Management.

[Wascally Weasel]

Years ago I had a reprint of Watchmen 1 signed by Alan Moore, my dad chucked it out when we moved house. I'm still bitter about that.

Collectors are relying on everybody else's mum throwing out their comic collections.  I once had issues 24-550 of 2000AD.

Then later, as an adult, water leakage did for my reasonably mint versions of the original release of 'The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'.  Mumble.

[Zoidburg]

The plot was a red herring in a way

The film is about the characters and what they become over the passage of time, they might wear costumes but they are human men and women underneath the spandex/leather/lycra - with the same weaknesses and failings as you or I.

The people were the story, some big set piece plot with a flashy ending was only ever going to be a side show.

I thought that was what every comic-book super hero story was about.

Show me a Superhero with amazing powers and I'll show you a miserable geek wracked with angst or guilt.  They should cheer up, they could have been cursed with the super-power of IT Project Management.

I mean it didnt deliver the thing that the great unwashed mass of mouth breathers expect from an "action" film - which is a big set piece ending with a clear defintion of the goodies and the baddies.

No one seemed to really win did they - life just goes on.

Some people really struggle with that lack of a set, black and white/good and evil story in the cinema, I remember watching Leon at the old ABC back in the day, it blew me away at the time but that didnt stop the guy behind me standing up at the end and saying loudly to his partner "well that were crap"

I could have hit him.

[geraldc]

Before the signing Dave Gibbons was talking about how he'd just finished doing the commentary on the directors cut, and how it was even more like the comic. I am now very excited. (yes I'm a geek who goes to comic and book signings)

[her_welshness]

I saw Watchmen yesterday and I loved it!

It was exactly as I'd pictured it, the stylisation was brilliant. The love scene was frigging hilarious. Rorscach was amazingly done, as was the Comedian.