"A masterpiece such as Watchmen deserves more than just a Director's cut."
The film.
.......................................
Does the director's cut do the adaption any justice?
Yes.
Read on.
There are superhero movies and then they are superhero movies. No previous film of this nature can come close to the realism and brilliance of Watchmen. Of all my previous reviews none have ever had this much content thrown in. I've been a big fan of Watchmen ever since I heard of it on television. I had the read the graphic novel once and become fascinated with it, but that wasn't enough so I read it over and over again. Every time I read the novel, I could only imagine how this would be if it were a movie; who would they get to act? Who would direct?
So it has been two years of waiting that's right, two years of anticipation. I would look at the doomsday clock as it ticked, every hour that passed as it got closer to release day. So was it worth the two year wait? hell yes! As I read updates, as the movie pre-production went along, I was happy and satisfied with casting and the most importantly the announcement the director, Zack Snyder who I absolutely adore. His work on 300 which was released in 2007 was brilliant and innovative. Snyder is a director with a vision like no other and an intelligent scope to match Kubrick. Watchmen has a lot going for it, the characters have been made multi layered and represent the original masterpiece accurately.
As a comic book fan and fanboy you intricately observe every page of the graphic novel. I had my fingers crossed for the film, hoping it would not destroy the original source work. Many other films have done so in the past. For instance, Alan Moore's From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V for Vendetta.
So where do I begin? Ok, the opening sequence is as unforgettable as it is brilliant. An opening sequence to go into the annals of movie history as one of the greatest opening scenes in a film. We see The Comedian also know as Edward Blake brewing over something as he watches television while he listens to Nat King Cole's Unforgettable. We're stunned as an intruder breaks in and then perhaps one of the best fist fights I've ever seen on screen ensues. The Comedian is eventually thrown out of his apartment window dying on the ground below with the beautiful sound of Bob Dylan's music commencing as we see the Minutemen all up to the watchmen.
Luckily it did not disappoint, the story remains the same. Watchmen is based in an alternate history, in which costumed heroes are a part of everyday life. Set in 1985, an ex-costumed hero known as The Comedian (Jeffrey dean Morgan) is brutally murdered and the only costumed vigilante still active, Rorschach pronounced Rorshack (Jackie earl Haley) begins to investigate his murder, suspecting someone is out to kill of the masked crime fighters. He regroups the old crew, a group of now retired heroes; Dan Drienberg also known as Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Laurie Juspesiec also known as Silk Spectre II (Malin Ackerman), Adrian Veidt also known as Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and a fully naked blue superhero, the only character with actual superpowers, Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup) who into a superhero as a result of a nuclear experiment gone horribly wrong. Together they relive The Comedian's past as they slowly unravel who may be behind the killings. The film features many historical characters which make it more realistic. Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro, Khrushchev, JFK and Henry Kissinger are featured to name but a few. I also credit Zack Snyder's brilliance for his cinematography which can give only give a fan a tear in the eye.
I say this because I was fortunate enough to experience the premiere in IMAX and to see the brilliant direction of Snyder get finally shown on the world's biggest screening format. Dr Manhattan describing his life story, going back and forth in time is dramatically brilliant especially on the IMAX screen. It exactly as the graphic novel, adapted page by page, frame by frame. It is beyond any mans helm but Snyder's.
A beautiful script and dialogue written by Alex Tse and David Hayter matches up to the graphic novel written by Alan Moore.
The movie has the best soundtracks I've heard since Forrest Gump, featuring some of the finest artists of all time, including Bob Dylan, Nat King Cole, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen and Jimi Hendrix. I respect the music of Tyler Bates who also composed the score for 300.
One of the things I really loved about Watchmen was the fact that it had vulnerable, more human heroes, rather than heroes that were impervious to almost everything. It had realistic dimensions and dialogue was far superior to films such as Spiderman and The Dark Knight. It didn't have any "go yeah, go, go get em" bull shit which is seen in almost every American superhero film.
And I say this to any critic who dares to imply that Watchmen is trying too hard to be a pop culture Classic. It doesn't have to try, it has already achieved that goal, and moreover it is a great movie which has taken years to make and has finally been made and well worth your time.
So go get your movie tickets and your popcorn, not that this is your average popcorn 'flick', I think this is something more.
I normally don't sit around for a two and a half hour movie but with watchmen, I didn't get bored and would have stayed for 5 more hours and watched it over again. If there was a director's cut I would go and see it again because I'm keen to see what has been edited out. This is how films are supposed to be made and I hope the industry takes a page out of Snyder's book on this one.
I give it 5 stars.
Luckily my prayer has been answered, there is a director's cut.
Special Features:
• Maximum Movie Mode (BD exclusive split-screen, on-camera commentary)
• Watchmen: Focus Points
• The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics
• Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes (BD exclusive)
• Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (BD exclusive)
• Music Video: Desolation Row (My Chemical Romance)
• Digital Copy (theatrical version)
• BD-Live
Now for me the actual theatrical release did not do the comic any justice, so buying this product made me believe that this film was the first Alan Moore adapted work that was done well.
To start there is about 30 minutes of footage that we didn't see in the actual release, which includes a fight scene with Rorschach and the detectives, more on the bean juice scene, more on sally Jupiter's past, Doc Manhattan describing why he has the mark on his forhead, Dan and Hollis watching him go mad on T.V, interrogation scene with Laurie and the location of Doc on mars. The best part of the cut is the death of Hollis Mason it is perhaps one of the greatest scene's i have ever seen in film the background music does everything justice. Dan taking attacking a knot head as revenge on Hollis. The shootout by hired hitman Roy Chess is much more brutal- e.g. more blood and gore, fingers blown off. Conversation between Dr. Long and Rorschach is extended. Longer jail-break scene with arguments between Rorschach and Laurie. Prison guards open fire on Dan's ship. Longer conversation between Dr. M and L on Mars. Riot scene is longer with more conversation between the Comedian and the rioters. Agent Forbes (Fulvio Cecere) has a larger role as the government agent in charge of handling all the Watchmen.
Something else that caught my attention was maximum movie mode in which director Zack Snyder pop's up on the screen with two monitors, telling us on interesting shooting points used on the film. Two documentaries the comic that changed comics treated me as a big fan, it looked at the themes and analysis of the graphic novel and should really make the movie goer who never read the book pick it up.
Real super heroes, real vigilantes looks at some real life heroes such as the Guardian Angels and New York subway gunman Bernard Goetz and compares them to Rorschach and others.
Mechanics technologies of a fantastic world should make that bored scientist who always looks at the scientific aspects of things in films entertained. It basically looks at some possible scientific realities behind the comic such as quantum physics and so on.
To add on a digital copy.
BD-live included.
So in the end for the director's cut it earns 5 starts from me.
I think to that critic, who went thinking the film was bad and trying too hard, should see this version and maybe he will take back everything and see what real film is all about with such greatly directed extra footage.
But to such a big fan like me, i really don't think with all this footage that it completely made me feel whole again. I was expecting something of a five longer minute shot towards the end with Doc Manhattan and his newly created legion on mars and perhaps a digitally re-animated Bubastis re-appearing on the land of Antarctica as a blue lynx. Not to mention one final hiss of Rorschach in the fade out.
But perhaps it's not the end.
Zack Snyder is ready to treat the fans with the upcoming ultimate cut, in which i will be first in line and maybe we will get that last five minutes.
Can't wait for the ultimate cut.
DVD Release Dates
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