"This city is afraid of me, I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over all the vermin will drown.
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"...
...and I'll look down and whisper "No."
And with that opening passage, the greatest comic book of all time began.
As did its counter-part, the greatest comic book movie of all time.
Before I start into this, I want to make one thing clear, I was fully sure that the above passage would not be in the movie, I had learned to deal with that fact, despite it being possibly my favorite piece of literature ever written. It is proof positive of the genius of Alan Moore, as is the whole book itself. A book so unashamed of what it is, so frighteningly blunt, reading it is like a proverbial kick in the teeth. This is a book that holds what is wrong with the world up for everyone to see. Hell, it doesn't just hold it up, it rubs it in your face. More so, it will question your own morality, especially in the finale. Is it right to stand by & watch people die, so long as the outcome is brighter in the bigger picture?! What the book also does is totally deconstruct the modern super-hero. Gone are the
invulnerabilities & the extravagant super powers (save for Dr. Manhattan.) These are super heroes who bleed. Who feel. Who make as many mistakes & have as many regrets as the rest of us. Even after 23 years, the story is still fresh, & very much relevant. Having first read the Trade Paperback last year, it did not seem to me like a book that had been written 22 years prior. Alan Moore created something so timeless, it will forever be read & re-read, passed on from generation to generation.
As I said of the opening passage, I was sure it would not be in the movie. So I could not help but get chills when five minutes in, Rorschach utters those famous words. Solidifying my belief that it would remain loyal to its source material. A task which it delivers on, by the barrel load.
Watchman is not just a good comic-book movie, its a good movie period. Sure, there are flaws, some rather cringe worthy scenes (the sex scene with Hallelujah playing over it), & some moments with the costumes (
Nite Owl standing in front of the Owl Ship, cape blowing behind him comes straight to mind), & the fight scenes, though they are truly excellent & meticulously choreographed, seem a bit over done when you consider the fact that there were very little fight scenes in the book. But I can see why these scenes were added. You can't make a super-hero movie without a little action. Sure, in a perfect world, you could, & Watchmen would be made panel for panel, word for word, & would be the ultimate six hour comic book movie experience. But this isn't a perfect world, & that's not how things are done. The fight sequences don't take anything away from the movie, & don't alienate the core fans by their addition. If anything, it adds to the story, & makes it all the more visceral.
The one noticeable thing about the movie is that yes, there has been some changes made. The one that struck me straight away was that Hollis Mason (
Nite Owl 1) does not die in the movie, although I have recently discovered that the scene was shot, but Zack Snyder cut it due to time restraints, so it will more than likely show up in the Directors Cut. A lot of the story of Dr. Malcolm Long (mainly everything about his home life) was also cut from the story, but I feel this was a good cut, as even though it was interesting, it didn't do all that much to progress the story, so all his sessions with Rorschach were simplified into one scene. Other than that, there were only a few small cuts or changes made to the story. (Minor characters & plot-lines dropped etc.) Except for the biggest cut, which will no doubt have some backlash within the fan community but I feel was the right move to make. The cut I am talking about, or perhaps change is the best word for it, is the ending. The ending has been changed.
In the original book, it is discovered that Adrian
Veidt has sent a group of artists & scientists to an island in order to create a creature from another world, which he then transports to New York where it explodes upon arrival, killing half the city & sending a psychic image of its fabricated home world & alien species around the world. Because of this event, America & Russia back down & declare peace, united against this visitor from another world & the possibility of more to come.
Nite Owl & Silk Spectre adopt the false alias of Mr. & Mrs. Hollis & go into hiding, Dr. Manhattan leaves earth & Ozymandias promises to help the world enter into a new Utopia.
In the film, Adrian
Veidt has created a machine to replicate Dr. Manhattan's powers, & triggers the machine in New York, Moscow, & several other key cities throughout the world, thus causing America & Russia to stand down & declare peace after this global tragedy. Dr. Manhattan leaves earth in search of another solar system to inhabit. Silk Spectre &
Nite Owl get together, & are seen with Sally Jupiter, (Silk Spectre's mother), & Ozymandias has decided to help earth through this tragedy, & new found peace, as Veidt Industries are seen rebuilding New York.
Yes, the ending is different to the original story, but the premise remains, it is still the same outcome, & I feel that it is possibly more effectual, as it helps maintain the somewhat more realistic feel of the movie. Its not a bad thing that they altered the ending, as the ending implemented works perfectly.
What makes Watchmen such a good movie then? Well, it is a faithful adaption. In fact, it is so painstakingly loyal to the original book (despite what I've said about changes, the movie remains remarkably close to the source material), that every detail is included (key images, dialogue etc., all included in its original form). Having just re-read Watchmen, I was totally up to date on everything, & they spared little detail. I can see some people who have not read Watchmen not liking the movie, because of its attempt to remain as loyal to the story as possible, they may feel alienated, & as with all comic-book adaptions, or any adaption for that matter, there will be people who argue that they left out something they should have put in, or the character should have been played by someone else, or the ending should not have been changed.
But the reality is - This is it. This is the most faithful a Watchmen movie could ever have been. For all the fan boys waiting for this movie for the last 23 years, rest easy. Zack Snyder did good.
God help us all.
