Genres

Visitors Review

Roger Ebert 2012-05-24 12:42:54

Another bold exercise in the liberation of the superhero movie.

rafael_dubs 2012-05-23 18:24:47

Watchmen - overlong blockbuster without art

While watching at the beginning, I sometimes thought this was a parody.This superhero group, like a mixture of Batman and Fantastic Four,reminded me of the movie cover from disaster movie.There wasn't any actor I know in this film, and no character with astrong personality, so I couldn't identify with any of them. On theopposite, their self-satisfaction made me sick.The music choice was strange. I had the feeling someone wanted toinclude all his favorite songs in this movie. The music just made methink how much this movie sucks compared to "The Graduate" or"Koyaanisqatsi", where he took the music from.I considered to stop watching, but I didn't, hoping the movie would getbetter. Now looking back, it was a waste of time. It was too long,lacking content, and compared to other superhero movies, this was themost unrealistic ever.

prashanta_guha 2012-05-14 15:08:06

One Word... AWESOME...

Guys, if you have read the comic book or haven't (in that case go buythe latest issue), if you have watched 300 or haven't (again, go watchit, you're really missing out on something), if you know who ZackSnyder is or not... It Doesn't Really Matter. A mind blowingmasterpiece form a visionary director. Excellent story, excellentbackground score, excellent casting and performances, eye-poppingvisual effects. And the list just doesn't stop there. Available in 3different versions - which include the director's cut (3 hours 6 mins)and the ultimate cut (3 hours 35 mins), this is a must see for allmovie lovers.10 / 10

BarkerProductions 2012-05-13 21:28:20

It's About Time!

I wouldn't consider myself a Comic Book Geek, nor would I considermyself one of those Graphic Novel Fanboy Types. What i would considermyself is a Moviegoer! simple as that! I am a fan of all genres andknow what to expect from them. I first heard of Watchmen about threeyears ago when it was originally being helmed by Paul Greengrass, theIdea of a Superhero movie about Non-Powered SuperHeros soundedinteresting. I then got hold of the Grahic Novel and read it within twodays, wetting my appetite for the Movie, and also sharing the sameviews as other Fans "How the hell will they film this?". Now when thisquestion was asked, it wasn't because the visuals were complicated oreven the characters impossible to adapt, it was sheerly the detail anddepth the story arc had, that was going to prove a problem. But I amhappy to report, Zack Synder (300), the Director has just about pulledit off.....Just!The Theatrical Version stands at a mega 163 minutes, but bear in mindthis is roughly the same running time as The Dark Knight and a fewHarry Potter Movies, and to be honest it does feel it, but thats not tosay thats a bad thing. With so much information to cram into 163minutes it does take things slow and attempts to ease you in slowly.This does allow your Brain to take everything in and keep you up todate with what is going on. Watchmen is the Thinking Mans Superheromovie, a film layered with Mystery, Depth and all set in a world thatis both Unrealistic and Realistic in equal measure.The Characters vary from Spot On ( Rorshach, Night Owl and The Comedian) to Under-developed and Clichéd ( Silk Spectre ) to Incredibly Subtle( Dr Manhatten - Which special praise goes out to Billy Crudrup ). Youcan't help that the Characters are let down by the simple medium ofmovement. On page their characters emotions and feelings are shownthrough subtle expression, but on screen it's hard to concentrate onthem purely when the background is beautifully shot. This is not to sayany bad acting has occurred, actually far from it, but this was abattle that was never going to be won, and I think the Makers knew thatThe Movie is Brutal, holds no punches and Dark, but gets away with itdue to it's Comic Book Stylisation. Its like Magnolia written for thescreen by Stan lee!Stand Out Scenes almost all involve Rorchach. whereas the less excitingscenes involve Silk Spectre. Now lets not begin to think The SilkSpectre ruins this films, because she doesn't ( She is very sexy! ) itsjust that, with all thats happening, she kind of gets sucked up andalmost blends in with the sceneryThe ending will split Fans! Whether its down the fact you miss theSquid? Don't understand it? or simply think it's pretentious andOver-thought is your Opinion. My Opinion is that The changes from theNovel, benefit better on screen than they would have on paperFINAL VERDICT: A Movie for Fans of the Novel. Non- Novel readers,willstruggle to take it all in, first time round. A film that will makemore sense long after you've left the cinema.9/10

thefilmguy7 2012-05-13 01:06:12

Watchmen is a cinematic masterpiece

Amazing film. Bringing a graphic novel as layered and complex as theWatchmen to the screen is no easy task and Snyder did a brilliant job.Watchmen was as unconventional, intellectual, cerebral, and unique tothe cinema world as much as the graphic novel was to the comic bookworld. It's hard to not compare this to the novel but as a film it isbrilliant. Zack Snyder truly did the story justice. Look around onlineat where other filmmakers before him wanted to take the film. There waseven one script where they updated it to be in present day and have thethreat be from terrorists. Snyder single handedly saved the Watchmenfrom a cinematic nightmare. He had the script reworked into the closestadaptation of any graphic novel to date. I would like to shake his handand thank him for being one of the few filmmakers these days thatactually cares about being faithful to the source material of filmadaptations. Beyond being faithful, Snyder brought an amazing style andvision to the project. He brought an independent film sensibility to abig budget picture which not many people have the guts to do. I don'tthink enough can be said on what a great job he did. I think some of the complaints people have about this movie isinteresting because they are very contradictory. Some say the film istoo short and some say it's too long. Some say that the movie suffersfrom sticking too close to the book and others say it's from notsticking close enough to the book. From beginning to end I can't saythere wasn't a single moment when I checked the time. I thoroughlyenjoyed every moment of this film. I also speak from a fan'sperspective when I say that this movie is probably the closestadaptation of a comic book to date. Yeah there are some details leftout but there are already people complaining about the length. Imaginehow many people would complain if this movie actually had every singlething from the book in it. It would be like five hours long! The factof the matter is that the spirit and the heart of the book isdefinitely present in every moment of the movie.Some people are also complaining about the music used in the film. Withexception of maybe a song or two I loved the soundtrack. Since the filmis a period piece, and these characters are such a big part of Americanhistory from the 1950's on, it makes sense to blend the music of thetimes into these characters lives. This is the story of what wouldhappen in our world if these characters existed in it. In our worldmusic is very tied into our history. I just really don't see the bigdeal. I think it's just because people aren't used to hearing this sortof music in this genera. Again this just goes to show that this moviedares to be different from the rest. I think the problem for the non fans of the book is that they justthought this was going to be another X Men. THIS IS NOT THE X MEN or isit any other super hero film you have ever seen before. This is risktaking super hero story. It's got the spirit of an independent film. Itis truly unique. I saw some parents brought children to see this film.Wow great parenting. This isn't a movie for children. It has extremelygraphic and gruesome violence. It has sex and nudity. Watchmen earnsit's R rating. Yeah it still has the action and the fight scenesaudiences have come to expect from a super hero movie and they arecertainly impressive. Unlike other super hero films though the actionscenes aren't what drives the story. This is a character piece. Thefilm, like the novel, takes it's time developing the complex history ofthe characters and the world they live in. Each character is so richand unique that it's very hard to find a favorite. The actors areperfectly cast to bring these characters to life. It's as though theyare jumping out of the pages of the book. Watchmen is definitely under appreciated and under rated. It's a shamethat mainstream audiences didn't really seem to get it. Then againthese are the same people that made Transformers 2 one of the biggesthits of the summer so it's almost a compliment that they didn't get it.Like Fight Club, Donnie Darko, and The Fountain, Watchmen will findattention from a more intellectual group of people that can actuallyappreciate all of the nuances, philosophy, and social commentary thatthis film has to offer. Apparently this is too smart and cerebral forthe typical audience member. Watchmen dared to be different in a timewhen most films are afraid to challenge conventions. Films used to bepraised for that. Apparently not any more. If this came out ten yearsago it probably would have met more success but these days people don'twant to think at the movies. They just want conventional and simple.It's a shame but I have a feeling that Watchmen will find a largeraudience on DVD. It is an experience that should not be missed. It'sthe freshest super hero story ever told.

Wayne King-Brown 2012-05-12 15:00:45

Reasonable, slightly lacking

Desite the fact I was particularly tired on this movies arrival, Imanaged to stay awake through it, yet I can't actually recommend itwhich leaves me quite disappointed. There is surreal & the characters'Rorscach' & 'Dr.Manhattan' (the only one it seemed to have standard'Super-Hero' powers) are both very good, however the plot - Partalternate-World Fantasy/Part Detective story, although engrossingenough seems slightly lost between the two & lacks substance, action &depth & at the End left me thinking "oh well at least it finished goodfor him" This Film for me attempts to be too 'Sin City' & 'Brazil' withthat kind of backdrop the plot always must be brilliant & this missesout on some possible ways it could better itself, although there aresome good Dialogues, particularly from 'Dick Tracy' mutant-type'Rorscach' but I can't really think of many Quotes this will spawn.Watch-men scrapes onto my watch-list with an "it's OK" & a score of 5.

Thorsten-Krings 2012-05-09 05:38:13

Wow

Snyder did a fine job with his adaptation of Watchmen. He captured theessence of the graphic novel within the restraints of a 2 hours or somovie. Watchmen was in 1985 a new take on the superhero genre which bythen had really degenarated after Stan lee's successful revival of thegenre in the 60s. One could argue that Spiderm,an was the first comingof age of the superhero and Watchmen the second one. Watchmen is a abrilliant take on the nature of men and on the nature of evil. We havethe almost existentialist Rorschach who is so much lost in his almostabsurd struggle against evil that he has lost all personality behindhis mask; the completely evil Comedian who finds his place in societybecause it needs evil people; Dr Manhattan who becomes so detached fromthe human race that he views them in complete ataraxia; Night Owl andSilk Spectre who represent the Everyman who tries to find the right wayand proto-fascist Ozymandias. Essentially the film revolves around hisplot to save the world (set in a parallel universe in which the US wonthe war in Vietnam and Nixon is still President but superheros areoutlawed) from nuclear war by wreaking death and destruction on NewYork. And here lies the moral question: if men is evil or at leastincapable of living peacefully, does anyone have the right to force usinto living peacefully? Does the end justify the means? The amoral drmanhattan seems to think so, uncompromising Rorschach doesn't and SilkSpectre and Might Owl are caught in the middle. Everyone is flawedexcepr dr Manhattan and that's the point: he is not human anymore. Allin all the story is incredibly complex but well told up to the finalirony when it turns out it was all in vain and a complete moron isresponsible for it. I don't know why Moore had problems with the filmas Snyder did a really good job. He captured all that was essential tothe story. The use of music was very good in the film and a nicesubstitute for Moore's quotes in the graphic novel. My only misgivingsare the drawn out action sequences which at times make the filmsomething in between and art house movie and an action film. The actingis terrific. Each actor really captures the character brilliantly andthe fact that they play the characterts throughout their loives is animpressive proof of their acting abilities.

jmonek1 2012-05-08 14:57:49

Wow! As epic as they come.

This is my first time writing an IMDb review but after seeing WatchmenI thought it was important to tell people how brilliant this filmactually is. It is breathtaking and I have to say a masterpiece. MaybeI'm reading too much into what I saw because I have not read thegraphic novel myself. But honest to God I don't know what more any ofyou fanboys could possibly want. I have not (since Lord of the Rings)seen a director pay such painstaking detail and attention to a movie.The music was cleverly chosen and the characters were all brilliant.Jackie Earle Haley was superb as the tormented Rorschach as was JeffreyDean Morgan as The Comedian. Billy Crudup's Dr Manhattan added a stillpeacefulness to the film and was able to inspire the awe of a god. Idid not find it confusing but compelling and challenging. Moviegoersare too lazy today. I have watched many a flick were the plot isrecapped over and over again. Its insulting to the intelligence of theaudience and I'm glad Hayter and Tse stirred clear away from that.I truly recommend this. It is a fantastic experience!

PixieLis 2012-05-06 16:39:11

Somehow offensive and boring at the same time.

There were so many things to get upset about it this film I almostbecame bored of hearing myself express them.Almost.From lovable, misunderstood rapist "The Comedian" and the defence ofhim somewhere along the lines of "Yeah, but all humans are animals", tothe unnecessary use of a small girl being kidnapped and thrown to dogs(this is a comic book film, hardly the time for that sort of brevity) Ionly laughed once during the film and that was during the hilarious sexscene (which whilst being totally inappropriately porny also kind ofreminded me of how it feels to walk in on your ageing parents shagging)To make sure that this was definitely the worst sex scene of any movie,ever, they used the beautiful track "Hallelujah" which is somethingakin to if they they played "always look on the bright side of life" atDiana's funeral. Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.On the plus side, its also depressingly long, so you have enough timeto fully appreciate quite how crap a film this is.

tankeredbell 2012-05-06 05:38:51

If you weren't a fan of the graphic novel....

You may not like the movie. I hadn't even heard of Watchmen until oneSimpsons episode and even then wasn't sure what the big deal was whenthey were filming right outside my house. I went expecting loads ofaction, great story lines and just all around mouth dropping greatness.I was honestly sorely mistaken. I feel as though the previews tookevery good scene of the movie and the rest were just filler. There aresome really good scenes that weren't from the trailer, particularlythose of Rorschach but other parts just seemed so useless.The action was great when it was there, and the graphics were amazing,but that seems like all it was. I felt they were trying to hard withthe slow-motion shots and the dramatic effects. It was almost like theywere using it solely because it was what made 300 so popular. But itwas overdone, I believe. The acting I felt was great, but I could havedone without the sex scenes (one in particular) It just felt silly towatch really. Maybe its more of a GN fan kind of thing, because somepeople really enjoyed it *rolls eyes* The soundtrack was interesting,it was appropriate when you stopped to think about it, but when youfirst heard each song it sort of made you pause and ask, "really?"Overall I suppose its a decent movie (though 3 hours may have been toolong), but it wasn't worth getting home at 3:30 this morning.

Sputnoidal 2012-05-05 16:16:11

Sorry I Watched The Watchmen

I went to see this movie with high hopes for a good story with goodspecial effects. I had enjoyed Zack Snyder's other movies.Unfortunately The Watchmen turned out to be a real disappointment andcontained some of the most offensive material ever filmed.What I really found objectionable and exploitive were the scenesdepicting a child's body being eaten by dogs during one of Rorschach'sflashbacks. Can someone please explain the value of this depiction tome? I am aware that the death and murder of children has been broachedand depicted in other movies, Gone Baby Gone comes to mind. But thiswas far more graphic and sadistic than anything I have ever seen.I have long felt that movie makers were crossing a line in portrayingthe terrorizing of and violence towards children. I have alwaysbelieved that in crossing this line we are doing irreparable damage toour society which already has enough problems protecting our children.I just don't understand what would make a filmmaker sink to the levelSnyder has sunk to in this movie.I have to be candid and say that I would not have recommended thismovies anyway. It was pretty tedious in parts and was difficult tofollow. The special effects cannot make up for poor writing.People should be warned to stay away from this film.

Jon Death 2012-05-05 02:38:50

Absolutely DREADFUL

No real story here, no real direction, no real ANYTHING. This movie hada lot of action and special effects, that's the only explanation as towhy the ratings are so high. Only one character actually has powerswhile the rest are just sort of vigilantes in fancy outfits. The soundtrack, effects and action are likely what made this film asuccess with the kids and drug crowd. As far as kids go, the sex scenein this film as well as the murder make it completely inappropriate.Point blank, the sex scene wasn't even necessary and was quite raunchyfor being in a movie the producers know damn well is going to be seenby families at the theater and at home on DVD. By the time this movie ends, you realize you just watched 3 hours ofnonsense that went absolutely nowhere. No revelation, no bad guygetting swift justice-NOTHING. I could probably ramble for about 15paragraphs as to why this movie is sewer lining. I finish what I start and this film made me regret that.

Nigel Andrews 2012-05-03 06:48:15

So what is missing? A little of the original's madness and a lot of its aesthetic high-wire walking.

letsgetthosenerds 2012-05-02 11:36:00

My Watchmen Review

Check out A True Fans Watchmen review! This is a true review. This iswhat you and your buddies are talking about when your going to the carafter the movies. Click the link below to get the full review ofWatchmen the movie. http://www.squidoo.com/WatchmenReview THANKSEVERYONE! The movie is so true to the comic. More then comic book movieI have ever seen. You can watch the movie and go page by page like itwas one of it is one of those classic read a longs with the book andcassette. You will love the movie so much more if you just pick up thebook before you see it. Also if you read the watching the watchmen itgoes hand and hand as a guide to how it was put together. A must havefor any fan.

a-kralev 2012-04-29 14:40:03

Do not judge a book by its cover

After having seen this movie, I am left puzzled, speechless, lost inthoughts, left with many questions about the characters.I have not read the comic series; in fact I was not even aware thatthis movie was derived from a comic series, and due to the somewhat"strange" movie poster, I prepared myself to watch another Hollywoodflick about heroes, with cheesy lines, half-hearted acting, horriblestoryline, men with a fetish for costumes and pseudo-identities, etc.I was surprised in many ways. 1st, that Hollywood was actually capableof delivering something so thought provoking, so deep as I could haveonly expected it from books. I personally have only read very few booksin my life, as I do not have the patience, loose concentration andinterest very fast. Hence, as I am sure my previous comment labels mefor my generation, I consider movies my "book collection." Having read several reviews of this movie now, it is hard for me toestablish credit either to the comic series write Andy Moor or thedirector of the movie Zack Snyder. In my opinion Andy Moor deservesgreat respect for packaging a bizarre presentation of reality, in theform of men in costumes, labeled as heroes, in order to deliver amessage, making it more appealing for the masses. On the other hand, Iam very happy that there are directors out there with such a keen eyefor detail, understand the message, transforming it in another form.Zack Snyder in my opinion is just as gifted as Andy Moor.

Karen DW 2012-04-29 01:47:13

Loved the book, almost hated the movie

I went to see the movie this weekend and must admit I ended up almosthating it (yes, I've read the book... several times even). The maincause for me not liking the movie at all, is because almost everymessage in the novel doesn't come across well because of bad acting orbecause it just plainly isn't there. Jackie Earle Haley was very goodplaying Rorschach, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson were OK, butthe rest failed IMHO.Ah well, to make my comment pleasantly readable I'll provide a quicksummary of good & bad points:THE GOOD:- The visuals were pretty good (except for Antarctica and Mars).THE BAD:- Movie pace didn't feel right... some parts felt dreadfully slow &some rushed;- Apart from the movie score itself, terrible choice of music thatdidn't fit the scenes mood-wise;- The people in the city come across as 0 dimensional characters withno opinion, because lack of dialogue. This has serious consequences forthe viewer caring about the movie's ending;- Overall, the acting reminded me of an average soap opera. The wordscoming out of some people's mouths didn't sound convincing (especiallyMalin Akerman did a poor job);- A lot of important themes in the book were not presented in the rightmanner, also some were non-present (fe. discrimination); - Too much unnecessary violence that didn't suit the characters (fe.Dan & Laurie bluntly killing their assailants in the alley fight). ZackSnyder appears to have some kind of gore fetish; - The main characters all possess superhuman strength (fe. Lauriekicking someone 7 yards back denting a dumpster), making themunbelievable as ordinary people;- (Minor) plot holes (the origin of Bubastis, Dr Manhatten's powers &the exact reasons for the Comedian getting killed unexplained); - Character changes (Ozymandias is depicted as an evil villain by,among other things, getting people purposely shot in the Veidt hallscene); - The easter eggs were a bit too much, badly affecting the seriousnessof some of the film's messages (saw at least two 300 references +Veidt's computer has a map called 'BOYS' ?? Come on, he's too focusedon his master plan to be messing around with sh*t like that & ifanything, he should be depicted as asexual);- *MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD* Altered ending didn't make much sense... thecountries are supposed to join forces against a God having the power toobliterate the entire Earth with a single snap of the fingers? Thebook's ending was a way more thought through, reasonable, plan. I really wanted to like this movie and was looking forward to seeingit, but alas...RATING: 4 out of 10

Joe Stemme 2012-04-26 14:53:22

WATCHMEN - review of the movie and only the movie

I haven't read the graphic novel, so I went into this as purely a movieto be viewed as a work unto itself.It has ideas. Weighty ones. Ones that most blockbusters these daysdon't even attempt. It took courage not to "update" the story to thepresent and to nix Nixon (who, despite FROST/NIXON, is very far removedfrom the core audience, much more so than in the mid-80s when it waswritten).I liked it's look for the most part. The effects were good, but nowherenear as spectacular as many would have it. But, to the uninitiated,it's an underwhelming mess. I can see why this has divided audiencesand critics. Those familiar with the graphic novel or just ready togroove with the effects and action seem to have liked it, but othershave been mixed. I am in the second camp. The Dr. Manhatten storyline works in the main, and Jackie Earle Haleyis the best thing in the film as Rorschach (though, at times, his partof the tale seems to come from a different place than the rest). But,the biggest problem, dramatically. are the performances of MalinAckerman and Patrick Wilson. Dan, I assume is trying be diffident, butWilson's performance just doesn't work. Ackerman fills out her suitnicely, but it all falls apart once she begins to speak. Their scenestogether are performed like something that would appear in a straightto DVD release, not a huge studio film. And, the makeup on Ackerman isso caked on (even when not in costume) that you swear there wouldlayers like rings on a tree if you scraped her face. Even that makeupjob is better than the laughably poor "old age" appliances on CarlaGugino! Crikey, the comical Katherine Helmond plastic surgery makeup inBRAZIL looks more realistic!But, as I noted, I didn't find the film totally without merit. But, ONFILM, WATCHMEN doesn't work. I also hadn't read V FOR VENDETTA, ROAD TOPERDITION or A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and they were all good to very goodFILMS. The key is not to be ultra faithful to the source (as many areapplauding WATCHMEN for being), but to find a way to make the sourcematerial work dramatically on film - even to those who hadn't read theoriginal material. WATCHMEN fails that test.******* SPOILERS***************I understand that the ending is different in the novel. Here, you can'thelp but shake the notion that it would be a matter of a few months (acouple of years at the most), when nations would go back to being asthey were before. Besides, if Dr.Manhatten is in "another galaxy" whatexactly is the threat that would bind nations?

2012-04-25 21:20:24

Watchmen

This is one of the best comic book adapations I have ever seen, Most of the douches who gave this movie a bad review loved Spiderman 3 and Orgins: Wolverine. This movie was so spot on the comic book it made me weep.

Moustafa_Q 2012-04-24 18:34:51

Essence of abstraction in parable

Piece of subtle art. Maybe a masterpiece. Doubtlessly a special storyabout the ambiguity of existence. Tale in Kafka style aboutimpossibility of victory or surviving in a perpetual strange world. Thelife is, in this film, only exercise of adaptation. Lesson about limitsand original sin, about the frailty of innocence and error of his ways.Nite Owl is another Joseph K. Images of Trial and same ambiguous woman.And Watchmen is symbol of basic crisis who has many aspects likechimeric wars or unavailing search of truth/essence/golden age.Methaphor or parable, the movie is history of disappointed's evolution.War, peace, business or lie are only details of gelatin-time. Hypocrisyis a mask. Love- a convention. The sacrifice- only method to hopeunderstanding a painful reality.

2012-04-24 12:58:58

Beautiful

First off, this is not a superhero movie. This is a movie about superheroes. This is a beautiful film and makes all those Marvel movies seem like child's play.The irony of the story and the build-up is bigger than any movie I have ever seen. Character definition is perfect, with each one being not explained, but developed. This movie is probably misunderstood by many (probably because they were expecting another Fantastic Four) and in this form, will never reach its deserved "attention" so to speak. If you are wanting to spend a Friday night with "entertainment", this film is not for you. It is meant to be watched with a clear mind.