A superhero movie without any big stars, a runtime of over two and a half hours, and a bleak view of human nature. Zack Snyder - director of “300” - brought the previously considered unfilmable graphic novel “Watchmen” to the big screen this weekend. Snyder simply took the impossible and meticulously reconstructed on screen what Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons put down on paper. There are places where Snyder left out negligible plot elements or made minor changes but overall the film does justice to the tone of the seminal work. Not for the faint of heart, “Watchmen” is for the patient, the thinker, and the brooder.
In an alternate reality America, superheroes are real. They come into being around World War II, cleaning the streets of crime and gangs. In this world, even heroes have frailties and human weaknesses. Some die in the line of duty, others go crazy. A new team of heroes replace the old. A true “super-powered” hero is born after a freak science accident. Dr. Manhattan becomes a deterrent against Soviet aggression in the Cold War. Eventually, America tires of its masked heroes and their methods, outlawing them. Several years later, in the mid-1980s, someone kills one of the retired masked do-gooders, The Comedian. This sets off a chain of events which threatens the world, bringing those forgotten back into the spotlight.
Most of the synopsis above happens in the opening 15 minutes of the film.
“Watchmen” is so jam-packed full of individual stories, details, and history that taking in the entire breadth of the story will be difficult for the uninitiated (those who didn’t read the source material). The major plot elements and character motivations are clear enough. Each scene is artfully laid out, the story unfolding naturally with just the right amount of details. The audience watches the smiley button flip through the air as the Comedian is pummeled to death. We watch the twitching facial mannerisms of the unmasked Rorschach or the lack of expression in the all-powerful Dr. Manhattan.
The fight scenes are stupendous to watch, as exciting and jaw-dropping as the action in “300.” Snyder's flair for action sequences - and his slow mo/freeze frame signature - lends a real style to the battles without overshadowing what’s happening. There is so much important back story for each character that Snyder made liberal use of flashbacks to encompass everything. Maybe he relied on these parts too much in the second act of the film, slowing the forward momentum of the current crisis. The music chosen to play in the background - whether its Bob Dylan, another artist, or the musical score - compliments the scenes remarkably well, eliciting unexpected nostalgia for a past that never was.
“Watchmen” deconstructs audience’s presumptions of who a superhero is. Is it anyone who wears a mask and proclaims to fight in injustice? In this movie that is not always true. What lengths should heroes go to while protecting the innocent, punishing the guilty, saving the world? When should they compromise their own morals to do what’s right? Who are they to judge? Each character comes to his own conclusions about these conundrums. “Watchmen” is not meant to make you feel better but to consider that maybe the world is better off without superheroes?
This film version of the graphic novel is faithful to a fault. Almost everything true believers wanted is in the film, which explains the length. Fans will be deconstructing this movie for years, arguing over what should have been taken out or left in. The important thing is that Snyder had the tenacity and vision to tell the story the best he could. If audiences are left feeling unsettled by the cynical ending, perhaps Snyder did his job all too well.
Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language.
