Watchmen

[mousme]

Went to see Watchmen with a bunch of people last night. Time for LJ-user sightings! There was jteethy, karine, adamofeden, luvenditti, toughlovemuse, chibipunkdemon and Phil-who-hasn't-got-an-LJ. It was really nice seeing all my friends, many of whom I hadn't seen since Capricornucopia on January 10th. Eesh. Where does the time go?

The movie was fun, but suffered from inadequate writing, I think. It also ended about four times. Possibly five. It was very pretty, though some of the effects were... odd. I haven't read the graphic novel, but I understand that the movie modernized a bunch of things, and then lovingly re-created others the same way, which was jarring for me: some of the gizmos looked wildly out of place. The same went for the costumes.

I was a bit nonplussed by the immediate revelation of the bad guy. I think they were trying to be subtle, but it was subtlety à la Richard III: "By the way, did I mention that I am secretly evil?" The minute the villain stepped on stage, in the guise of his mild-mannered alter ego, it was obvious that it was him, even to someone who didn't know the story. It was disappointing.

It also didn't help that the only character with whom I empathized even a little bit was described by all the other characters in the movie as a sociopath. He was the only one who held true to his ideals, who didn't turn out to be a spineless, hypocritical little shit by the end of the movie. All the other characters were either disturbing psychopaths, pathetic losers, or left me indifferent, or all three.

The movie was also horrifically violent. I think I may have damaged poor Phil's hearing permanently with my squeaks of horror. There's only so many instances of bones splintering through skin and the like that I can take. I mean, come on! It's not necessary to go into that much gory detail. I get it, already! Gah.


In short, it was entertaining, but had I known what it was I would have waited to see it on video.

Also, between the movie and moving the clocks forward, I only got three hours of sleep last night. I am now Cranky!Cat.

Comments

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

You seem to be very sensitive to subtle-for-most-other-people telegraphings at the beginning of films...

Knowing you, I'm not surprised that you didn't like it. To be honest, after having reread the graphic novel for the first time since the early nineties last week, I was ever so slightly disappointed, and wondered whether we all haven't overrated it somewhat.

By comic book standards, it's epic (jesus christ Jack just farted under my desk)

*dies horribly*

and as far as that sort of thing goes it's far, far better than anything else I've read in the genre, but on a reread it still seems ever so slightly emo and adolescent, somehow.

I still fully expect to have my socks rocked at the movie, though.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

(jesus christ Jack just farted under my desk)

*dies horribly*

I am a bad, BAD person, because this made me laugh really, really hard, and I can't explain it to my co-worker at all. :D

[luvenditti.livejournal.com]

I also worked it out immediately. I mean the man's superhero name was Ozymandias for the love of Pete!

[pasley.livejournal.com]

I read the graphic novel a few years back for a book club and loathed it. (Apart from my other complaints, I found it terribly pretentious in a very juvenile, angst-filled, "look at me being all anarchistic and ultra violent" way.) So I strongly suspected that I wouldn't like the film. I'll definitely rent it when it comes out, since the more violent and in-your-face movies I often find more palatable on the small screen that has a pause and fast forward option!

Sounds at least as though you enjoyed the going-out-with-friends aspect of last night. I'm glad!

[luvenditti.livejournal.com]

yes yes! pretentious! I've been searching for the word!

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

I agree it was overly gory, but other than that I liked it. I especially thought the opening credits were brilliant, and the ending was better than the original — it just made so much sense, and tied things together neatly.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

True, I loved the opening credits. They were really well done: creative, imaginative, and lots of fun.

I can't comment on the ending of the original, since I haven't read it.

Angsty and pretentious moral ambiguity

[montecristo.livejournal.com]

Those were the weaknesses of the film and the graphic novel. If you had read the graphic novel you would have realized that the film did not faithfully reproduce all of the shocking ultraviolence of the original story.

[tcaptain.livejournal.com]

I have the graphic novel and I quite liked it. That some of the heroes were pathetic losers and that some were psychopathic kinda worked for me, story wise.

I liked it (originally) mainly because it was so different from what I usually picked up. I also quite enjoy the story.

I'm funny that way I guess.

I haven't seen the movie yet, I intend to, but from all accounts it is likely that I will be disappointed. All reports say the characters have been quite watered down...as is the ending.