Did You Like Watchmen's Movie Adaptation?

[Coldman42]

Yes.

This movie let me do something i never get to do. See the movie THEN read the book. Honestly i liked the ending in the movie better then the alien thing the book had. I do wish there was potential for a sequel, but we all know there isn't...

Well there was a possibility for something the way they ended it in the movie, but i'm sure it will never be. My idea was all the energy released over the world with Dr. Manhattan's explosions would let the survivors get some minor and varied abilities and super powers creating a sort of Heroes or X-Men universe to play with. Unfortunately it's already been done...

 

[Silva]

It was a well-crafted film, no question about that. It's one of my favourites, alongside Sin City and other graphic novels put into high budget film.

However, I was disturbed by how much people identified with Rorschach. He's meant to be a character representation of the dark side of his times, an extreme conservative like his fellow superheroes, who fire on peaceful protesters. And as a character, he seems to represent the way the old comic books of the "Golden Age", like Superman, were very conservative, pro-war, and pro-American, in the most negative light as he, like the rest of the Watchmen, is corrupted by his so-called victories.

Yet a lot of those I've heard talking about Watchmen seem to love him directly for his beliefs, when he's meant to show how twisted that whole ideology of the war hero who hates civilian life can be. In short, they love him for the wrong reasons, so I feel that the message of the film is mostly lost on them. And if those people got the wrong idea, maybe the film was too subtle for a mainstream flick, and this may have detracted from its ratings.

What WAS cool about Rorschach, as I see it, was his love for truth, even if it has some bad consequences. I like how the ending is so open-ended when it comes to that. That made him stand out to me compared to the other characters, who really were cowards underneath their masks, what with their mental issues and their bowing before a new world order without further question after a quick fight and some talk. The fact that these characters had such weaknesses was good for character development, and a high for the show, but it was very hard for some viewers to identify with heroes who were perhaps too obviously flawed.

The film is at its weakest in that some of it is Dark and Edgy just for the feel of it or because it's supposed to be cool, rather than a realistic depiction of the setting of the 1980's. I personally have a deep hatred for that kind of cardboard pessimism, though I see, and manage to like, a lot of films like that these days. Optimism and maturity are possible in certain combinations, like in Amelie; it's just that graphic novels and therefore the films based on them - so far - haven't gotten there yet, at least not in the limelight.

Most of all, I look forward to a graphic novel/film of Watchmen's calibre that walks that mature yet optimistic tightrope. Dark and Edgy, while it makes for some interesting film noir style visuals, is getting very well-covered.

 

[Klepa]

Movie was alright. Snyder should do something not based on comics, most of his ideas that deviated from the novel, were pretty good, in my opinion. I thought the intro sequence was damn good, and so was the decision to dump the squid.

My biggest problem with the movie was the horribly misplaced music. Ride of the Valkyries, All along the watchtower, Hallelujah, Sounds of Silence.. Gah. There was other stuff as well, but the misplaced music is something that I remember.

 

[XJ-0461]

I've read the comic, and seen the movie. While I feel that the comic was better, I still really liked the movie.

 

[Always_Remain]

I liked it a lot, i do prefer the directors cut which is about 3hrs long.

And yes i have read the comic, and i prefer the movie ending by far, the squid thing didn't really work for me.

Same. I was just like WHAT DA FUCK!?

 

[Zorg Machine]

personally, I believe that it is the best movie in it's genre and generally, a fantastic movie.

and btw, the alien octopus was fucking retarded and I will never understand the people who believe that it was better than the movie ending.

 

[AMX58]

have not read the book but I really liked the movie

 

[Strid]

I've read Watchmen and I thought that the movie was great and that it captured the character really well.
I also like the music that they used in the movie, it fit in really well and matched the scenes.

 

[captainwillies]

In the Book there is a subplot where artists and scientists go missing Ozymandias

I liked it and I enjoyed the movies end much more than

Spoiler

the magical space octopus

I haven't read the novel, although I did enjoy the movie quite a bit, but I simply have to ask; what magical space octopus?

alright

Spoiler

In the Book there is a subplot where artists and scientists go missing. it turns out Ozymandias had them design a (no joke) super magic octopus that he teleports into new york to destroy the city with its psychic wave and make the world leaders focus on destroying the evils of the intergalactic space octopus army rather than each other... and Dr. Manhattan still leaves for no reason

Seriously? The movie ending makes a whole lot more sense...

the way stickman puts it makes me wonder if he's even read the novel or just read the story synopsis of wikipedia.

think of it like this: all through the story you have no idea who the villain is or what hes planing then when the villain is revealed you still fail to piece everything until the very end. as said the missing sciencist/artists subplot isn't in the film because they didn't need the monster. so as a re-cap Ozymandias tricks Dr. Manhattan into thinking hes giving people cancer to make him leave earth we're he then forges his own space alien and (using imperfect teleportation technology) sends it to New york city.

also side explanation: teleportation is notoriously hard to master, but thats just it ozy didn't want to master it, he didn't care if it teleported half sticking out of a building thats just what he wanted. and in an extremely enclosed city like New york something suddenly taking up already used space actually sends out a "shock wave" of energy which didn't destroy many buildings "per se" but did instantly kill millions of people which is shown in the novel on a glorious 2 page landscape spread, deliciously displaying the mass slaughter that was achieved *Gore Boner*!

@topic

i see it the same way as i viewed the transition of "fight club" from book to movie. the book/novel was amazing and reading it i try to imagine how i myself would visualize it on the screen. then once viewing the movie I realize although a few key scenes may have been altered and others left out i can still marvel at the genius of the director in his efforts to smear up the plot-holes with his own imagination(cement) and still come out with a master piece.

things they left out that i think could have improved the movie:
-a huge chunk of Dr.Manhattans juicy dialogue on the shape of "time".
-the scene we're the silk spertres mother kisses the picture of the comedian at the end of the story arc completing her character. ( this may have been included in the directors cut)
-dialogue between ozy and night owl about catching bullets!
-the scene transition from Dr.Manhattans thoughts on Vietnam back to the Comedians Funeral

things they added or changes that i really liked
-the flash-backs that the original night owl gets as he is about to be murdered by the gang of knot-heads. (this was a fantastic addition deserving much praise for rounding a side-character better than what was done in the novel)
-impressive scene weave of the rise and fall of original "the minutemen"
-"the Dr.Manhattan threat" was very done very well

 

[magic conch]

fantastic adaptation, novel is better, but the film was as good an adaptation as it could be. a few parts of the film were actually done better in my opinion too. rorschach's death in the comic was just not fleshed out nearly enough for a main character.

 

[Jonesy911]

The film failed to represent the novel in so many ways, the story is a puddle compared to the vast sea that is "WATCHMEN"

 

[LiquidGrape]

Doctor Kermode, take it away!

 

[MetalDooley]

I've seen the movie and read the graphic novel and to be fair the movie is a damn good adaptation of something many people thought was unfilmable.Plus the movie ending was much better than the graphic novel ending

 

[FaithorFire]

I did like it, although I hadn't read the novel yet when I saw it. I picked up the novel after liking the movie, and ended up deciding I preferred the novel.

 

[Custard_Angel]

As an adaptation it missed some things, changed some things, added some things. So it lacked at times, but that didn't change the effect of the movie.

As a movie it was brilliant. I hadn't ever read Watchmen before watching the movie yet I still walked out with a clear picture of the characters and their motivations. It was entertaining, dense, well acted and directed and was an all around quality movie.

 

[TheTaco007]

I loved it. Most of the people I met said it was too slow, but I was 3/4 done with the graphic novel at the time of first seeing it, so it was really good for me. Especially the extended edition...

 

[Hollock]

yeah it's in the top four best super hero movie
[sub][sub] Watchmen, kick-ass, Dark Knight, Spiderman 2[/sub][/sub]

 

[reg42]

I didn't read the novel or anything, but I liked it enough.
It was too long though, I got a bit bored towards the end.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Yea it thought it was really good!

It was a bit over hyped, but still a great film.