Watchmen
 

Are you going to watch the watchmen?

Trailer looks cool.

But probably wait and rent the DVD on Netflix.

I'm going- though based on the previews I think I might have to preemptively start my "well......the book is better" snobbery.

I've never read the book so I think I'll be able to enjoy it without picking out differences :D

The book is the only "Graphic Novel" to make it on the Time's 100 Best books of the 20th century. My son is a fanatic about it so needless to say he has been keeping up with all the buzz surrounding the movie. The Director is a big fan of the book and is supposed to be keeping very true to it. There is a lot of internal dialog and multiple story lines so it will be interesting to see if they can pull it off. Even if you do not like the movie I do recommend the book which is now out everywhere due to the release of the film.

I've been profoundly unimpressed with the director's work up to this point. I think it's unfortunate that he feels the need for the gimmicky signature camera work.

The book was an engaging, thought-provoking meditation on comic books and the nature of power. The movie looks like it blows stuff up real good.

Based on what I've seen and heard of the new Watchmen movie, there's absolutely no way I'd pay to see it. Looks like Hollywood tripe from a mile off.

I am getting the same vibe from the "Watchmen" trailers as I got from the ones for "Daredevil", "TLOEG", "Electra", "Spiderman 3", "Ghostrider", etc. Effects heavy, plot light.

IF it's almost as good as "V for Vendetta" I will be happy.

Evey Hammond: Does it have a happy ending?
V: As only celluloid can deliver.
Evey Hammond: OK. Put the sword away

Just re read the book last week and had forgotten just how good it was. I don't see how they could possibly get even half of the sideplots and undercurrents into a 3 hour movie.

I know they had to leave out the Tales Of the Black Frieghter and the backplot stories from the different chapters.

Still plan to watch it though. If nothing else just to see Malin Akerman.

My concern with Zack Snyder is he has in several interviews said yep close to the book as we can get, yep no changes, accurate as possible. But they changed the ending to be more current time appropriate or some BS like that.

So regardless...I will go see it in the theater. I'm also going to do my best to not check out Rotten Tomatoes and others reviews Thursday night like I did for the day the earth stood still(because if the reviews are as awesome as they were for that one I'll likely change my mind - I thought the trailers for TDTESS actually maybe had some promise...when I saw the reviews plumet 10 points or so in an hour down from around 30% that was the sign to avoid it).


Initially the first trailer I saw for the Watchmen(with a good Smashing Pumpkins song) I was like oooh that looks awful.
Then I read the book....

Then I found the blog.


http://rss.warnerbros.com/watchmen/

Now I'm interested and see it all differently. Hopeful that it wont suck.

They are sticking to the book and details, even very small things are being taken very seriously.

I've personally enjoyed the various viral marketing too...

Oh and on the blog site above is a link to 7" vinyl picture discs set...that seems interesting. The score seemed maybe ok and the soundtrack seems ok... All along the watchtower by hendrix is always good, but the my chemical romance cover of some dylan song I've never heard IMO sucks, maybe the original song did too...

The 12" picture disc is neat and the fact they are offering the soundtrack and score on vinyl...pretty cool!

Search youtube for watchmen for some of the viral marketing and this page is neat...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenewfrontiersman/



soundmotor of those you listed...for some reason I don't hate TLOEG, I know a lot of people despise it...I thought it was neat for what is was and far more watchable than Daredevil(yech), Ghost Rider(bigger yech) and Spiderman 3(yech) - (I never saw Elektra).


Maybe everyone doesn't know but Alan Moore has officially said any hollywood versions of any of his work suck and he will never see them.

I thought V for Vendetta was decent but thought it was just slightly overhyped...

Also one of my reasons to possibly suffer through it if it's not good.

Word is, of course multiple DVD/blu-ray releases from theater run time to 3 hours 30 minutes with a blu-ray that has the black freighter intertwined.

Personally I found the black freighter thing interesting but almost distracting and out of place perhaps.

I think I did see jabs at DC comics in there when they talked about the writer/artist for the black freighter? I recall at one point the fictional comic company name later was stated as DC...

I assume intentionally.

I'm definitely going to see. Glad they staying close to the original story; they really screwed up LXG, which greatly disappointed me; in fact probably the most disappointing movie I've ever watched (the Matthew Broderick giant lizard movie a close 2nd). I notice just about every scene on the previews is from the original GN.
I do think they got Rorshach's voice wrong. it's supposed to be flat and monotone, like Bruce Willis or Michael Madsen, instead of growly.

Hopefully going to see it on Saturday... one of the few movies I've genuinely been excited to go see in months, if not more. :yes: Haven't read the book, but the story looks excellent!

(Batman in)The Dark Knight was even growlier than Batman Begins...

Seems to be a new trend in hollywood...

I saw it last Saturday. It was a free pre-release showing at the Army post nearby. It is an interesting movie. It did have a historical feel to it. Lots of vintage music throughout the movie.

Curious....... I noticed Watchmen received an "R" rating while most if not all comic related movies are pg-13. Will this movie have more carnage, graphic violence than the dark knight. Is it due to nudity? More of an adult comic movie than a childs comic movie. I guess I'll leave my son at home to watch spiderman. For the lucky few that viewed a free screening, what do you think? would you bring an 8 year old?

Since your asking this I 'm going to guess you have never read the "graphic" novel its based on. If the movie is anything like the book it would be pretty explicit and very violent for an 8 year old. Not the Spiderman type violence either but torture, random murder etc.

Looks great. I'll be seeing it sometime this weekend....

I consider myself fortunate to have been a comic fan during a time when the all of the walls of comic tradition were being smashed down by people like Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, Neil Gaiman et al... It was as if the comic genre was maturing at speed with me. As I outgrew the traditional stories and art of Detective Comics or X-Men, along came V For Vendetta, Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Death, and Elektra Assassin.

For a time, I eagerly anticipated each and every film adaptation that claimed to be inspired in any way by these mold-breakers. But after the disappointments of the Daredevil, Batman, and Elektra films I was (shall we say) not particularly enthused to hear that Moore's V For Vendetta and Watchmen were slated to begin production. I was pleasantly surprised to find that in the case of V For Vendetta at least, the film makers had managed to stay true enough to the story that I actually enjoyed it. I hope that Watchmen will be similar experience. I will watch it, but I doubt very seriously I will trek to a theater to do so. There's something about paying $10 a ticket to be disappointed that seemingly increases that disappointment exponentially.

Well the current Rotten Tomatoes number is at 66%

In my brief quick reading of the main page there...

I'm seeing from the negatives that if you're familiar with the comic, it's great. But it's scattered and confusing for those not familiar with the comic.
Duh...maybe? As with the comic I'm sure a second or third viewing will help. I think I got a lot more out of it the second reading myself. To me that's like saying Aliens just wasn't appropriate for taking the kiddies to and those not interested in sci-fi might leave disappointed.
Duh?

What I'm picking up on the negative reviews, and only the quick summaries...(I don't want to read too much before I see it) is that some people are expecting this to be DIFFERENT than the comic and dumbed down or catered to mass population. In reading between the lines I'm already seeing people hinting the R rating and the content of the story is not for all of the masses so this movie sucks...yeesh.

In that sense I'm thrilled as it means they did stick close to the book(though as one review said no sushi in this one so the ending changed, but I already knew this).

I also see complaints of it being not long enough. I will look forward to the extended top of the heap Blu-Ray in the fall I'm guessing.

Another complaint about CGI and mars...I also expected to see complaints about heavy CGI with the good Dr. too.

I'm going to try to see it this weekend but that might not happen due to being sick. I'm hoping a nice Sunday matinee if I feel better.

For those that have seen it...2 hours 45 minutes...is there an intermission in the middle? I assume not...but The Dark Knight was tough enough to sit through for 2 hours 27 or whatever it was. I will likely see this at least 2x in the theater anyhow but sitting still for 2 hours is tough enough - another 45 minutes on top of that..yech.

fotno you didn't like Batman Begins or the Dark Knight?

I'm in! :thmbsp:

I couldn't help it...I read three of the negative reviews...

Here's a gem...

"Alas, backstories tend to clutter up a movie, especially when there are six of them to get through. So director Zack Snyder is still doling out origin flashbacks two hours and seven minutes into his little epic."

To which I say, read the comic..flashbacks are there almost up to the end of the books. It's one of the reasons I found the book interesting. To edit the watchmen comics to go in order in a proper timeline would take a lot out of story and make it a whole lot less interesting.

Anyhoo I'll post a quick review myself here in this thread after I see it.

Went and saw it on the IMAX screen. I thought it was very good. Did a very good job of following the book, from what I remembered, although I only read the book once and that was about 3 years ago. And no, do NOT bring an 8 year old. Sex and violence abound. Talked to some true Watchmen nerds after the movie, and at least from that small sample they were overall very pleased.

I am going to see Watchmen tonight!! I'm pretty pumped... the trailer looked amazing and I read this really interesting article about how the movie came about and the struggles they faced with it's production.

Road to 'Watchmen': From Book to Big Screen

This is not your Dad's Comic Book Movie.....
 

Saw it last night and thought it was very good.

Helps if you read the book but not needed. Like the book there is a lot of detail going on in the background that will require a second look or at least a careful viewing when it comes out on DVD.

By Hollywood box office standards my guess is that this will not be considered a "success" but I think they did a great job with some difficult/complex material. It very well may be considered a "classic" as time passes and people get over the X-Men/Spiderman comparisons. I actually liked the movie ending better than the book ending.

I am not catching the "Wow!" feeling from anyone.

curious I really liked the ending. Rough though it be, from the book. Yea, I said it....book.:D That ending is what made it so biting.

Mark

Disclaimer: I have not read the book.

Just came back from watching it, and I was overall pleased. I thought that there were a TON of flashbacks, which made the story arc somewhat fragmented, but it really did make the movie. I followed it, but I could see why a population who makes movies like "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" #1 in the box office couldn't follow it. I liked how you didn't know everything until the end. I thought the violence was tasteful, and not too overdone like Sweeney Todd. The plot was intriguing, and really was thought provoking. At the time the book was written (1987), it was somewhat more relevant, but even today it resonates. Finally, a superhero movie where the heroes are not exactly heroes, by any means. The ending was not predictable at all, which was pleasantly surprising.

Some people said it was too long, but I felt it was a good length. It wouldn't have made sense at all if they axed some of the back stories, or whatnot. I think the extended version (keep in mind I haven't read the book) might be a bit too unnecessarily long.

Overall, good movie. :thmbsp:

My nephew (18 years old) just watched it yesterday evening, and quite liked it. He had told me earlier in the week he was going and asked me if I'd heard of it. Of course I had no choice but to regale him with the story of how I waited in anticipation as each issue reached the book store, and read each one time and again waiting on the next. When I had finished my thumbnail sketch of the story he asked; "So it's kind of like X-Men right?" Of course I told him that it was nothing like X-Men, and if the movie stayed true to the source material, he'd soon see what I meant.

Early this morning he was on my doorstep, and with wide eyes, the first words out of his mouth were an excited; "It's NOTHING like X-Men." From his description at least, the filmmakers really made a stab at trying to be true to the book, and he and his friends (about 10 young people) truly enjoyed it.

awesome :tresbon: the dawn of a new age:scratch2:

Rorschach, I think was my favorite. I just saw the movie, and I really can't imagine it shorter, it wouldn't have done the book justice. Evil was evil in this no sugar coating at all, if anything had vinegar/alcohol poured on it.

I really hope this film does very well.

Mark

Ebert gives it the biggest thumbs up I can recall ever reading from him -

Watchmen Review

Oops forgot, THE SOUNDTRACK, this is going to be one hell of a soundtrack. Jimmy Hendrix and Nat "King" Cole, on the same album.:music:

The only thing from it I've heard has been the My Chemical Romance cover of "Desolation Row". :puke:

So Much more to it :banana::music:

As a comic book, Watchmen presented an alternate history of the 20th century, twisting the familiar into the surreal. Director Zack Snyder chooses to cherry-pick chestnuts from every decade of the story's time line. There's a little Billie Holiday, a little Nat King Cole, a bit of Simon & Garfunkel and Janis Joplin, some ironic disco via KC & the Sunshine Band, some somber sobriety with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," and a whole lot of Bob Dylan (whose "The Times They Are A-Changin'" opens the film, underscoring a montage telling the story's alternate history), who is then covered by Jimi Hendrix and My Chemical Romance, whose truncated cover of the epic "Desolation Row" is performed in the "style of the Sex Pistols", as requested of the band by Snyder. MCR's "Desolation Row" is placed here at the beginning, not the end as it is in the film, all the better to get attention -- and it does get attention with its buzzy guitars and Gerard Way's affected snarl. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

The music they used in the trailers wasn't even in the movie
Smashing Pumpkins
and also
Muse
but I can understand since this movie took place in the 80's.

Well the opening weekend numbers came in at $55.7 million.
While "success" can not always be measured in dollars it usually is in Hollywood so it will be interesting to see where it goes this week. It is just not the type of movie alot of people can get their hands around so the fact it was made so true to the original book is a feat by itself.

I knew I liked you for a reason. :D
I have always loved comics, but some of the film adaptations have been of uneven quality ("Batman" to me was "ehhh..", "Daredevil" got two thumbs way up from me, the "X-Men" trio were [to me] superb).
Whenever a promising movie is released, I always check out Roger Ebert's review as Soundmotor has done. He's given "Watchmen" four stars. That's enough for me to not only eagerly look forward to watching the movie, but buying a DVD of it to keep.

I didn't know you were a comics fan Tom, that's good to know buddy. I don't collect like I used to, but I still have a fair catalog of books that I bought "back in the day", and I still get them out and read my favorites now and again.

I also liked the X-Men movies, and I must say Spiderman and Spiderman 2 are good films IMO. I liked Sin City also... I wasn't as wild about Daredevil as I wanted to be, and I'm still waiting for someone to do good film adaptation of some of my favorites.