Review of Watchmen (2001) by Cameron H — 20 Dec 2014

Having never read the comic book, I was surprised by what I took from Watchmen. I expected its dark and paranoid atmosphere, fueled by the historical context of the Cold War almost definitely breaking out into nuclear missile fire, to be what I liked the most. Not the case. What struck me the most were the superheroes and supervillains of no superhuman powers (minus Dr. Manhattan, a reborn man who can perceive and manipulate time and space in badass ways) and distinctly different agendas and views on the human race. I could make a chart out of these agendas. Night Owl and Silk Spectre II (whose mother, the first Silk Spectre, was of the original Minutemen during the 1940s) prefer small-scale and short-term victories, wanting to save one life without having to risk another's life. They let the country handle appropriate punishments. Rorschach, who wears an inkblot mask, also prefers small-scale and short-term victories, but has little forgiveness for those who do moral wrong. When given the opportunity, he takes matters in his own hands. The Comedian, an original Minuteman and later Watchman whose opening sequence death is one of the film's main mysteries, has little forgiveness for those who do relative wrong. That is, if you are not on board with the Comedian, he will not hold back any punches (or bullets). Ozymandias prefers long-term victories, with a love for the human race undermined by less humane and seemingly farfetched ambitions. And the aforementioned Dr. Manhattan loses all faith and compassion for humanity, letting them choose their fate. Watchmen is similar to supergroups like Justice League and Avengers, where these superheroes are mostly human and easily distinguishable. Watchmen goes one step further in that there is no common cause between characters.

I am even more surprised that I managed to follow character development, given the thickness of the storyline. In the film's first half-hour, someone kills off a character as part of a possible attempt to eliminate the Watchmen, the history of the Watchmen is outlined through a comic-stylish opening credits sequence to the tune of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", each main character is introduced, and so is the fear of the U.S. or the Soviet Union sending out nukes at any minute. With a running time of nearly three hours, I was nevertheless afraid that the film could not resolve all of the proposed conflicts. Yet it was done. Thank you, comic creator Alan Moore... albeit with a confusing narrative that involves non-chronological flashbacks. Thank you, director Zack Snyder. What helps less is a lack of playfulness in the movie. It's not that I was bored without humour for too long, but even when characters were out of the dark, they still seemed afraid to smile. I have never been more interested in reading a comic book than now. If I read the book before the movie, I may have disappointed myself. Thankfully, I can say that the strongest elements of the story of Watchmen far outweigh the scattered, grave direction of the film adaptation.