Justin Thorn

Watchmen is like no superhero movie you have ever seen. In fact it could be described as the anti-superhero movie. You would never know this ahead of time judging by the deceptively flashy trailers that were released to promote the film to a wide audience. That is of course unless you have read the highly acclaimed 12 part graphic novel Watchmen that was released in 1986. TIME magazine even included the four hundred page series in its Top 100 english novels of the 20th century. An honor rarely seen for a medium of its kind. Some have even referred to it as the “Citizen Kane of comic books”. As pretentious as that claim may seem the source material really does carry with it a lot of weight. This explains its continued popularity over the past twenty years.

Since the turn of the century the “superhero” movie genre has grown in such popularity to the point of blockbuster summer titles becoming almost expected annually. Most of these movies can be classified into two categories. The first and simplest form is the kid friendly one filled with brightly colored scenes that tell a very linear, easily predictable story. Take a superhero and explain how he/she became super. Introduce a villain complete with backstory and add one damsel in distress for good measure. (a.k.a. Spider-Man). The second form is a more mature take on the first formula but is set in a darker, grimier world. (a.k.a. The Dark Knight). Watchmen can not be classified under either of those two categories and for better or worse, rightfully stands on its own.

The film does an incredible job introducing us to the complex world the story is set in with a title sequence that can only be described as brilliant. (spoiler warning: watch it here). The audience is quickly taken on a journey through the Minutemen’s history that illustrates their effects on memorable historic events of the mid 20th century world. This is accomplished through a series of slow motion snapshots that spans 4 decades in just five minutes time. The result grabs you by surprise and clearly sets the stage for the rest of the story to unfold over the next 2 hours and 40 minutes. While that may seem like a long time, considering the amount of complex dialog and backstories of the six major characters, the time goes by quickly and sometimes leaves you feeling parts of it were rushed.

The year is 1985. The US won the Vietnam War thanks to our secret weapon Dr. Manhattan. The only super hero of the Watchmen that has any true super powers. Thanks to the success in Vietnam, President Nixon has been re-elected for his fifth term and faces a tough decision. The USA and USSR are at the brink of nuclear war in the form of WWIII. Masked vigilantes like the Watchmen have been outlawed by the government since 1977 leaving the streets worn and suffering from years of crime that has escalated beyond law enforcements control. One of the few remaining Watchmen from the original group, named The Comedian, was just murdered. This spreads fear amongst the rest of the group who has been in retirement for years. They begin to realize their days may also be numbered and if their true identities are revealed it will surely be lights out for them. They must reunite and work together to find out who is behind this murder and do anything to stop him.

Over the next two hours of the film you are introduced to all of the main characters who are 2nd generation masked vigilantes. You are exposed to their origin stories through rapid flashbacks that occur in random, non-linear fashions just like the graphic novel. These layers upon layers of story overlap with other characters showing their relationship to one another. You also learn of the parent’s roles in the first generation of Minutemen. The two characters that stand out the most in these segments are the previously mentioned Dr. Manhattan with his god-like powers and Rorschach who is dark and twisted enough to make The Dark Knight’s Joker look like a Disney character (slight exaggeration). This leaves Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II’s characters somewhat overshadowed by the others.

As everyone’s stories unfold you witness bursts of violence from time to time. Each character has their own fighting style that you have plenty of time to study thanks to the super slow motion editing by the director, Zack Snyder. He was made famous for this same technique in his last movie’s over the top battle scenes in “300”. The violence ranges from your standard hand to hand combat (Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II) to more extreme and graphic forms (Rorschack). There are times during many of Rorschacks scenes that are so excessive with gruesome and grisly images that you may find yourself wanting to look away. Think of the car scene in Pulp Fiction times 1000 and you will get the idea. Lots of blood and guts dripping everywhere.

On the opposite end of the spectrum there are eerily quiet scenes. Most notable of which is Dr Manhattan in the solitude of space on Mars as he gathers his thoughts and contemplates the fate of humanity and life in general. This epic scene in particular brought similar feelings that I experienced watching Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey. While the pacing of the film overall can feel a bit uneven and sometimes jarring, it is this constant contrast from one scene to the next that kept me interested for the duration. This was certainly aided by the appropriate soundtrack and great cinematography that cohesively mixed everything together.

Longtime fans of the novel will undoubtedly enjoy Watchmen the movie and be pleased to see it is a faithful recreation of the source material (with the exception of the ending). For those who are unfamiliar with the story, like myself, there will be mixed feelings. If you enter the theater with an open mind and don’t try to compare Watchmen to other comic book movies you will probably enjoy its surprising level of sophistication. Especially if you are a sci-fi fan and not squeamish about gore or nudity. However, if you buy a ticket expecting to see 3 hours of non-stop, tag team superhero battles done X-Men style you will undoubtedly leave the theater early in disappointment.

Whether Watchmen has what it takes to become a mainstream commercial success remains to be seen. Judging by the mixed reviews its doubtful. Regardless, it is destined to become a cult favorite for years to come. Thanks to the complex dialog and extreme attention to detail in every scene this makes it the type of film that rewards repeated viewings. There is always something new to be discovered. Overall Watchmen is a thought provoking film that has no clear good guy or bad guy. That is just part of what helps make it special.

If you are like me and have not read the graphic novel yet you may enjoy the new motion comic just released recently. It retells the original story in a standard comic book panel format with minimal animation. Weighing in at over 5 hours of video it clearly offers a more complete look at the world of Watchmen than the movie can.

If you have seen Watchmen let me know your thoughts.