Confessions are in order. I’ve read the “Watchmen” graphic novel multiple times, and my expectations for the film were not high, partly because of something director Zach Snyder said in a few interviews. Here’s one quote from comic book magazine Wizard:
“If I can do a two-hour advertisement for the book, then I’ve succeeded,” he said.
After seeing the film, I believe Snyder should consider it a success.
“Watchmen” isn’t a typical superhero story for a comic book or movie, so the film is interesting on a superficial level and might encourage someone to pick up the book.
At the same time, its success as an advertisement makes “Watchmen” an obviously flawed film.
Much of the soundtrack is flagrantly stupid or ineffective (think “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel during a funeral scene). Matthew Goode’s Ozymandias didn’t strike me as the most intelligent man on the planet, and Malin Akerman’s Silk Spectre II is little more than a sex toy. Many of the action scenes draw heavily from “The Matrix,” “Equilibrium” and the like, presumably to appeal to a broader audience.
But certain aspects of the film are genuinely inspired. Jackie Earl Haley, who disturbed me in “Little Children,” is impressive as the masked vigilante Rorschach, whose popularity as a character is matched by his insanity. A poor performance from Haley would have been disastrous, considering Rorschach is a prominent narrator of the story. When Rorschach confronts a child killer, you can hear his frightened breath push its way out of his mask. Haley makes a madman very human, and his Batman voice is better than Christian Bale’s.
Patrick Wilson, another “Little Children” cast member, is almost as effective with his turn as Nite Owl, the nerdy ornithologist crusader whose sex drug is costumed fighting. Billy Crudup is suitably distant as the godlike Dr. Manhattan, whose naked blue body took some audience members by surprise.
The other notable performance is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian. Like Haley with Rorschach, Morgan is able to make his insane character understandable.
And yes, even though the soundtrack is sometimes laughable, the entertaining opening credits sequence benefits from Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”
But I still have to ask myself if I would have enjoyed the credits sequence as much if I had not already known these characters.
Hell, would I have been able to follow the movie in general without my substantial exposure to the comic book?
That’s the tough question.
I do remember sitting with an unusually quiet audience. Perhaps they were concentrating on the show, or maybe I coincidentally watched the film with a league of polite humans.
Regardless, “Watchmen” has a lot of exposition and flashbacks for a film. It was somewhat like watching a dream and definitely not akin to standard superhero movie experiences.
Like the book, it begins as a murder mystery but blossoms into character studies before ending on a philosophical note. Most superhero movies start off with origins and end with fighting and usually triumph.
If you’re a fan of “Watchmen” and still haven’t visited the theater, don’t expect a masterpiece. The movie can be enjoyed as a twist on the superhero film or a peek at Cold War paranoia, but Snyder doesn’t deliver the material with the intelligence or wit of Alan Moore.
Why would he if he was satisfied with making an advertisement?
If you’re new to “Watchmen,” perhaps add half of a star to this review and pay attention.