I watched the Watchmen

SPOILER-FREE ZONE

I dug it, but I have no clue whether it was a good flick or not. I'm too acquainted with the source material. I just know it as a fantastic adaptation.

I didn't see many trailers for Watchmen, but I only recall one that gave the merest inkling that this wasn't a typical superhero flick. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, though, because, c'mon, it was rated-R. And it earned that rating.* Leave the kiddies at home, folks.

The best review I’ve read said that a lot happened which we watched with interest, but we cared little for the characters, if at all. In my case, I cared most for Rorschach (of all people). Although I was very happy with most of the costume translations, Rorschach was best without the mask. That little actor really impressed me.

Overall, the casting was excellent. I never thought I'd say that, but after having watched it once (so far) Veidt is the only character who didn't quite seem to fit in the actor's skin. I didn't think most of the actors had many opportunities to stretch their thespian muscles, so I don't blame them for not inspiring an emotional investment (as opposed to a shallow, rubber-necking equivalent).

The story was about as fractured and distended as the graphic novel. The flow lost momentum a little too often, but when it picked up, again, it held on tight and so did I.

As a comic fan, I'm very glad they made this flick. I'm glad they waited until they had a better budget. I'm glad they picked filmmakers who were faithful enough to the source material without being completely slavish. I'm also glad they waited after we'd been exposed to more traditional comic flicks, so we'd recognize the film for the departure it is from most comic flicks (just as the graphic novel set itself apart from most comics of its time).

Maybe after a few more viewings, I'll be able to view it less as a fanboy and more as a regular movie-goer.


EDIT: I agree with the reviewers who commented on the added and unnecessary brutality. More on that after the flick has been out for a while; I may post a spoilerific addendum at that time.





* - Quick aside: Just imagine an R-rated Batman flick. Mmmm.
For that matter, imagine if The Dark Knight had been rated-R. Wow.