WATCHMEN (2009)

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"You people don't get it. I'm not stuck in here with YOU. You're stuck in here with ME!"

The first thing that I'd like to iterate with my review, is that I've never read the graphic novel that this movie was based on, so any opinions that I have FOR the movie, are based solely on my experience with the MOVIE. Do note, however, that I plan to read the graphic novel, and I plan to read it as soon as I can grub up the ridiculously-priced twenty-five bucks they want for the paperback. Anyway, anything I expected from this movie was met, and if anything, it was met at a far higher standard than I had initially thought it would be. I mean, to be honest, one of the trailers I saw, looked a bit campy, but I wasn't to be left faithless. I expected a relatively good movie, that would make for a great night at the movies... What I got was so much more COMPLEX. And what I learned, is that many people weren't kidding when they said that this wasn't your average everyday Superhero movie... It had many aspects (Blue penis, perhaps?) that make it a movie that shouldn't be viewed by the little tykes that love to go see Superhero movies. This brings me to a funny story. Well... I thought it was funny, anyway. While I was sitting in the waiting area that my local theater had put in, a family (Husband, Wife, and about a seven or eight-year-old kid), sat down and waited with us. I initially thought that they were there to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," since that's still playing at my theater, but as I got up to take my place in the line that was forming to go INTO the theater for the movie, the family got up and got in line. I never thought anything of it, of course, but by the end of the movie after the shock-awe wore off, my thought was, "I wonder how long it took them to decide this wasn't the proper superhero film for their son to see." Anyway, it was a great superhero film, and what I loved most about it, was the fact that it WASN'T your average everyday superhero movie. It showed the problems that most people would face when taking on an alternate identity, or seeing so much bad shit in the world. It didn't hold back on anything, and I respect that VERY much. Also, I don't care what ANYONE says... The soundtrack for this movie was AWESOME!

Our director, as you know, is veteran of such awesome films as "300," which is also based from a graphic novel, but also a film which I personally didn't care for (At ALL), but I know that many loved it, which was the 2004 remake of George A. Romero's classic film, "Dawn of the Dead." I fully and completely agree with the statement that has been emblazoned upon all of the posters for "Watchmen," saying that Zack Snyder is a visionary director... I also would like to point out to those who think he's not VISIONARY, since he never does anything that's his own, that it's not stating his originality, it's stating that he has great vision for movies, and.... CLEARLY..... he DOES. He's big into slow-mo scenes, which can become taxing if you do them the wrong way, and use them too much ("Wanted," anyone?), but Snyder's slow-mo scenes are there, but they're not so obtrusive. They add an awesome flavor to the film, which really increases it's level of kickassness. I believe that if anyone were to do this film, that Zack Snyder was DEFINITELY the best man for the job... I know, I've never read the Graphic Novel, so I can't say much to that respect, but I don't think that if someone else had done this film, that it've had the same impact on me as it has in Snyder's hands, and I commend him greatly on that aspect. He definitely knew what he was doing when he decided to take on this film. This films writers are David Hayter and Alex Tse, who both do, from what I hear from fans of the Graphic Novel so far, a great job of developing it into a movie. I really like how they put together the movie, and it really works nice for it. I know, I know, this part for me is merely speculation, but it's hard to explain my meaning, so I hope you understand. Anyway, it's based, as all of you know, from a Graphic Novel, of the same name, done by Alan Moore and David Gibbons. It's known as one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time, and if, like I hear, it IS this good, then it DEFINITELY deserves the title, from what I've seen in this movie. Seriously a great job from the writing and directing team for this movie.

Visuals are something that this movie goes above and beyond with. There are just so many different things that I loved visually about the movie, and so I'm going to have to cut back a bit on my explanations, and let things be a surprise for some of you out there. There are so many in this movie (I mean, it IS a two hour and forty-five minute film, after all), so I'll name some that'll peak your interest, I think. I think the first visual that I want to mention, is one that I absolutely thought was awesome throughout the entire movie, which would be Rorschach's mask. The inkblot moving around to form all sorts of different Rorschach paintings was just so fucking awesome, I thought, and it made for a pretty fucking eerie thing in the movie, too. The one thing I wondered about it, though, was how it worked. I know that it's computer generated in REAL life, I meant that I wanted to know what the story was behind it in the movie. Maybe, when I read the book, it'll explain that. The visuals used for Dr. Manhattan (If you can get over the blue penis) was pretty awesome. All of the different things he did to kill people, or destroy tanks, was just fucking awesome, and made for a fun thing to see. Another thing that I thought was visually awesome throughout the movie, would be all of the hero's costumes. They all looked wicked. Rorschach's was cool, as I said, Nite Owl II was pretty effing awesome, as well, especially his snow suit for when they went to Antarctica. Silk Spectre II's costume looked great, too, and the same goes for The Comedian and Ozymandias's costume as well. They all looked great, and added awesomeness to the movie. The amount of blood in this movie was crazy, and I loved every minute of it. That's another thing that they did well with the movie. I don't know about how much blood was in the graphic novel, but since everyone whose READ the graphic novel and seen the movie, that I've talked to so far, has said it's incredibly faithful, so I have to guess that it did good in that aspect. So if you're a person who enjoys visuals, and had doubts about this film, first off, it's Zack Snyder, are you nuts? Secondly, you don't have to worry because it DEFINITELY delivers in visuals, and it delivers WELL. Definitely a great visual experience (Especially if you see it at an UltraScreen, like I did!).

Alright, so, since I've never read the Graphic Novel, this part in my review is only going to be based on my opinion of the movie and it's story, as well as some speculations from what hear from the fans of the Graphic Novel, who've seen the movie as well. I think that as far as storyline goes, this movie kicks almost every other superhero movie's ass. It's storyline is so complex, but at the same time, it's complexity can be easy to follow, provided you PAY ATTENTION. What I mean by this, is that in the case of most complex movies, it's very hard to follow along, and keep track of events. With this superhero movie, you get events, problems, everything, BUT, as long as you pay attention, it's very easy to follow. It IS, as some have said, a lot to take in at one glance, and I REALLY hope to get back at least once more to see it again, but it's such an awesome movie, and if you miss the theater experience, then you're a damn fool. It's definitely an excellent movie. What I REALLY liked about this movie, as I've mentioned before already, is that this isn't your average, everyday superhero movie. It's so much more... This one really shows what it's like for superheroes who have to have dual-identities, as well as seeing all of the evils in the world. It's truly a spectacular movie, and I can't wait for the director's cut movie, so that I can get the full three and a half hours of movie. As far as story goes, there's a lot going on as far as underlying plots, so it'll be hard to put together a summary of everything, but I think I can manage the basic gist of things. The United States is under the watch of Richard Nixon, whose been elected for a third term, however, the entire country is in fear as imminent nuclear disaster from Russia appears. Nixon has passed a law, banning superhero's masks, so everyone has retired from the business, but it seems that someone is going after, and killing, masked heroes. Now, a superhero, who HASN'T let go of his old ways, has begun to head a search for what has happened, and what WILL happen. It just seems like no one is willing to help. If you love a good story, then you'll love this movie. From the moment this movie starts, to the end, you're enrapt in a huge, and epic movie, that you won't even want to get up to PEE for. It's just so awesome, and it'll keep your interest every step of the way. I'm definitely going to have to pick up the Graphic Novel because as far as other fans of the Graphic Novel have said, it does a great job of capturing the Graphic Novel for film. Awesome storyline to go with an awesome movie.

Jackie Earle Haley, known for roles in other movies such as "The Day of the Locust," where he plays Adore, "The Bad News Bears," "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training," and "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan" where, in all three, he plays the character, Kelly Leak, as well as the movie "Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence," where he plays Frank Jessup, and "All the King's Men" where he plays Sugar Boy, he's also had parts and roles in such shows as "Murder She Wrote," "MacGyver," "The Love Boat," "The Waltons," and "Planet of the Apes, stars in this movie as the main character of this story, Rorschach. Rorschach is a superhero, who once belonged to the prestigious group called the Watchmen. However, as Nixon placed a law saying that heroes were restricted from wearing masks, the Watchmen broke up, but Rorschach wasn't going to let go of his old ways that easily. When we first meet Rorschach, it is after the death of The Comedian, and Rorschach is entering into the late hero's home, searching for answers because he knows that it wasn't a normal killer that killed The Comedian. It would have taken more than that to kill The Comedian. Rorschach knows that someone is taking out costumed heroes, and he is completely intent to find the answers to WHY and WHO did it, so that he can wring their necks. He immediately goes to his old friend Dan Dreiberg, who was also a Watchmen, and tries to get his help. However, Dan is content with his life, and doesn't immediately believe him. Rorschach continues to go on with his investigation, but something goes wrong, as he finds out. There is a big organization behind something, and the Comedian's death means more than he'd initially thought it meant. However, Rorschach walks right into a trap and he is thrown into prison, so now he has to rely on his own skills to get out and find the truth before something goes wrong. While he's in prison, though, he finds that MANY of the people in there had been put in there because of HIM, and he's got to prove that he's NOT scared of them. Rorschach isn't your everyday hero. He won't hesitate to cleave in a man's head, or throw boiling oil into someone's face, as long as justice is served. The mask is all he's got because it's all he knows, and with Nixon's stupid new law, it's trying to stop him from living the only thing he knows, how to fight crime and catch the bad guy. Jackie Earle Haley's performance in this movie was STUNNING. He just NAILED the role, and played the whole, vigilante bent on justice thing REALLY well. He also did a great job of showing how he was WITHOUT the mask, and playing what it was like for Rorschach to NOT wear his mask. His performance was stunning, and the character that he plays, in my book, is the DEFINITION of badass. Jackie Earle Haley, DEFINITELY has my vote to play Freddy Kruger, like he was interested in, after seeing him in this, I'll tell you that much. He was so awesome in this movie, that's what I'm trying to get out, and his acting was even better. The way he speaks and moves even, bring that Rorschach mask to life! He makes this a definite role that you feel for because he KNOWS something isn't right, and he KNOWS that he has to stop whatever is going on, lest the world be in danger. It's his goal, and no one wants to help him. You just wanna shout "WE KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT RORSCHACH!" Jackie Earle Haley was MOST DEFINITELY a GREAT casting choice for this role.

Billy Crudup, known for his roles in movies such as "Sleepers," where he plays Tommy Marcano, "Snitch," where he plays Teddy, "Without Limits," where he plays Steve Prefontaine, "Waking the Dead," where he plays Fielding Pierce, "Almost Famous," where he plays Russell Hammond, "Big Fish," where he plays Will Bloom, "Mission: Impossible III," where he plays Musgrave, and "The Good Shepherd," where he plays Arch Cummings, and he's even going to be in the movie "Public Enemies," which I'm REALLY looking forward to, where he will play J. Edgar Hoover, stars in this movie as Jon Osterman, otherwise known as Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan is a blue man, but he is really the only one of the heroes in this film that has a superpower. Dr. Manhattan was created as the result of an accidental science experiment. This experiment destroyed his entire body, but soon, he started to reform, into this glowing blue form. He had the ability to control all matter, and even grow at will, or make copies of himself. The one thing about Dr. Manhattan, though, is that he has lost the ability to feel any emotions, and it's starting to tax on his relationships, especially the one with Laurie Jupiter. He loves her like nothing else, but his need to do work, and what he's ask, as well as his lack of emotion, and the fact that he seems to be pulling away from humanity, is taxing on everything. However, Dr. Manhattan is the one superhero that still does his work legally, working for the government to stop wars and stop everything. He worked in Vietnam to stop the war completely, by personally being asked by Nixon himself. He worked with the Comedian on this assignment, and it was the first instant where he began to realize that he was losing touch with humanity. Now, he finds out that The Comedian is dead, well... He KNEW it... he can also see into his future, but he doesn't really FEEL things, he just remembers. Anyway, Rorschach visits him and Laurie at their home in a science research lab, and tries to warn them both that someone is taking out masked superheroes. However, Dr. Manhattan doesn't see this. He's more worried about the fact that he is being counted on to stop the imminent nuclear war, and that he's doing research for Adrian Veight. He sends Rorschach away, by means of his teleportation ability, and continues with his research. Soon, though, Laurie gets fed up with his lifestyles, and the way that he asks, and she leaves him. This is the last straw for Dr. Manhattan because Laurie was the one human that he seemed to care about. He leaves EARTH ITSELF to get away from the pain, however, this causes turmoil with the Earth, as they try and figure out how to deal with this impending nuclear doom. Billy Crudup does a great job with this role. He really gets that whole emotionless feel that was needed for this character down VERY well. His performance was so awesome in this film, and he made this character so badass, I can't even begin to express my feeling for it. You do feel for this character, too, since he's losing any emotions that he might have once had, and it's starting to ruin everything as it goes along for him. It's REALLY hard to talk about, since I might spoil things, but you DO feel sorry for him throughout the film. Billy Crudup was MOST DEFINITELY another great casting choice for this film.

Malin Akerman, known for roles in such movies as "The Circle," where she played Tess, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," where she played Lione, "The Brothers Solomon," where she played Tara, "The Heartbreak Kid," where she played Lila, "Heavy Petting," where she played Daphne, "Bye Bye Sally," where she played Sally Grimshaw, and "27 Dresses," where she played Tess, and she's had small roles, orbit pieces in shows such as "Love Monkey," where she played Kira Dungen in an episode, "The Comeback," where she played Juna Millken for twelve episodes, "Witchblade," where she played Karen Bronte in one episode, and "Doc," where she played Maddy Dodge in one episode, stars in this movie as Laurie Jupiter, also known as Silk Spectre II. Laurie Jupiter is the daughter of Sally Jupiter, who was once a Minuteman (The original team of superheroes who protected piece), who wore the original name of "Silk Spectre." She's always lived with the fact that her mother (Played by Carla Gugino of "Night at the Museum") was a drunk, and lived in a retirement home in Florida, but it's always bothered her as well. When Laurie learns, though, that Eddie Blake, The Comedian, had been killed, she has her boyfriend, Jon Osterman, A.K.A. Dr. Manhattan, teleport her there so that she could see her mother. She's mad at her mother for being so nice to him, though, since he raped her, but this is only one of Laurie's many problems. She's also started to have a lot of trouble with Jon, mostly that she's scared for him since he's starting to lose his humanity, and he's already lost emotion, it seems. She can't deal with it anymore, and when Rorschach comes to their place on night warning them that someone was picking off costumed heroes, she starts to feel more worried. Not about the killer, but about Jon, he seemed sad about it, and he also hid something from her, even though it was for her protection. One night, she and Jon get into a fight, though it's not really a fight, since Jon doesn't get angry. She leaves, and she runs to Dan Dreiburg, one of her old Watchmen friends, and she realizes that she loves him, all this time. Soon, they both begin to reminisce about the olden times, and go out and save someone from a fire, she has fun, but she also decides to save Rorschach from Prison and find out what really IS going on. All this time she has missed being a superhero, and she didn't know it. Now, with the chance to save the world, she jumps at it, but the thing that worries her, is the fact that Jon is missing, and the world is in danger of Nuclear War, but Jon is the only one who can save them. Malin Akerman does magnificently in this role, and she really makes this character a strong one, but also one that has a lot of internal issues, and though she may pretend to be strong, you can tell that many things are eating her up inside. She really nails the characters emotional status, and because of this status, the one that makes you sense the things eating her up inside, you really FEEL for this character throughout the entire movie. Malin Akerman was MOST DEFINITELY yet another great casting choice for this movie.

Patrick Wilson, known for his roles in movies such as "My Sister's Wedding," where he played Quinn, "The Alamo," where he played William Travis, "Phantom of the Opera," where he plays Raoul, "Hard Candy," where he plays Jeff Kohlver, "Little Children," where he played Brad Adamson, "Running with Scissors," where he played Michael Shephard, "Brothers Three: An American Gothic," where he played Peter, "Lakeview Terrace," where he played Chris Mattson, and "Passengers," where he played Eric, as well as a role in the Television Show, "Angels in America," where he played Joe Pitt for six episodes, stars in this movie as Dan Dreiburg, also known as Nite Owl II. Dan was once a Watchmen, and he was the one that had all the technology, and special suits, a result of his wealthy father's passing. He got the title of Nite Owl II, from the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason (Played by Stephen McHattie of "Shoot 'Em Up"). As a result, he and Mason worked up a strong friendship, and continue to have beers together on appointed nights, to catch up and reminisce about old battles. Since Nixon's law was passed banning costumed heroes from wearing their masks, Dan has been living a normal life, and he's always been happy, but he also keeps all of his old gadgets and such, a thing that could be because he still wants his identity secret, but could also be because he likes to reminisce about the life. He's also always had a crush, or rather instant love sight, with Laurie Jupiter, and when she wants to go to dinner with him, to catch up and talk about the old times, he is there to meet her. They have a good time, and he finds out that Laurie doesn't miss the superhero business at all, and is also happy. However, Rorschach had also visited him before Laurie called, and told him about the Comedian's death. At first Dan isn't sure whether he agrees with this assumption that someone is taking out costumed heroes, but then he thinks that there's a possibility because The Comedian wouldn't have been taken out very easily. The first one he warns is their old friend, Adrian Veight. Adrian doesn't think there's trouble, but Dan tells him to look out anyway. While he's at dinner with Laurie, though, she tells him about her troubles with Jon. One night, a while after this dinner and conversation, Laurie shows up at his home, having just gotten into a fight with Jon, and she didn't know where else to go. Soon, they're in his basement where he keeps all of his old Nite Owl gadgets, and they reminisce more. Soon, Laurie comes to him, and they make love. After, they both decide to go out and patrol, because they both miss the superhero business. They do good, too, and save an entire group of people from a burning building. After this, Dan and Laurie decide to break Rorschach out of jail, and help him to try and figure things out because they both think that something might actually be going down. Something big. Patrick Wilson does a great job at playing Dan Dreiburg, and he REALLY makes the character what it is. His shock at what is happening around him is genuine, and he's great at playing the lovestruck man. His intentions are nothing but good in this film, and he really does great at working with Jackie Earle Haley's character, Rorschach, showing they both have a great onscreen chemistry friendship wise. You feel for this character because of all the hell he gets for always thinking positively, and that's the point of the character, I think. He's the good one, who wants nothing but peace and justice, but must also deal with all the real evils around him. Patrick Wilson was MOST DEFINITELY ANOTHER great casting choice for this movie.

The other two Watchmen in this film are Ozymandias (Played by Matthew Goode of "Brideshead Revisited") and The Comedian (Played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan of "Grey's Anatomy"). The opening of this movie, is a scene with The Comedian, who, in my opinion, is really the epicenter of the whole film. All the events are set into motion for the film by his death, and it makes the story so spectacular. Anyway, you see The Comedian sitting down on his couch, watching a movie, and enjoying some alcoholic beverage in a glass. However, you also see a shadow under the door, and he notices it, too. The door is then kicked in, and The Comedian stands up, ready for anything. A masked stranger enters, and you get the words "It was only a matter of time," from The Comedian, before he is beaten to death, though he puts up a good fight, and then thrown out of a window. From that point on in the film, you get flashbacks of The Comedian, and you learn that The Comedian's sense of humor was known only to himself. He was a complex man, a womanizer you might say. He beats women up, gets the pregnant, and then leaves them to fend for themselves. One of the most memorable scenes of The Comedian's ruthlessness in this film, is when he is raping Sally Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre. It just shows that he's got problems. He's not one of these goody two shoes superheroes. He sees the world for what it REALLY is, dried up, evil, and merciless, and he's grown tired of all of it. He worked with Dr. Manhattan, at stopping the war in Vietnam, and he enjoyed bringing down these ruthless people because it was good, but there are other reasons for it, too. You might feel The Comedian was a bad guy, watching this film, but he wasn't. He was a man whose grown sick of the world's bullshit, and he also had a bit of a problem, but he was a superhero, so he chose to work for good. Ozymandias is the one Watchmen who gained a lot from the downfall of the masked generation. He sold his Superhero identity, Ozymandias, as a profitable thing, spawning shows, action figures, and further comics to make him money. The thing about Adrian Veight, the true identity of Ozymandias, is that he's the smartest man in the world, or so they say. He's a good man, though, and that is shown by his help to create an energy source that will make the need for Fossil Fuels non-existent, and save people money and troubles. He deals with press and everything, but he takes it all gracefully. It is never known if he misses the superhero days or not, but the profit he makes makes it clear that he's probably not done with it yet, exactly. One day, as he is approached by a group of angry business men about his decision with something that'll cut off Fossil Fuels fast and completely, and these businessmen don't think that's a good idea. But Adrian is the smartest man alive, and he's also very rich, so he tells them to bugger off, and that if they made this public, he'd make sure that they'd go down for it. As these men are leaving, a man arrives with a package, but he drops this package and pulls out a gun, and starts to shoot the place up, Adrian is there in a flash, and brings the man down, but before Adrian can get something out of this man, the man swallows a cyanide pill, and dies. Adrian now knows that Dan was right, and so was Rorschach, but he wonders what the plot of this whole thing is. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays his character wonderfully, accurately portraying a man whose been exposed to all the evil of the world, and is tired of it all, and is starting to break down inside. You feel sorry for his character because no one really understands him, and even though he is a jerk, and his jokes aren't that understandable, you still feel sorry, which shows that he played his character VERY well, making him MOST DEFINITELY YET ANOTHER great casting choice for this movie. Matthew Goode does a great job with his character, Ozymandias, as well, and really makes it a charismatic one. He seems to be just like Dr. Manhattan with his sort of otherworldly stare, and his every-questioning demeanor, but this is just because Adrian is the smartest man alive, and Matthew Goode just plays this out perfectly, making it an awesome character. You don't really feel for Ozymandias, though, and it is NOT because Matthew Goode does bad, but because his role is different from the others, and it doesn't seem as if he's having any struggles with anything at all, but his portrayal of the character is magnificent, nonetheless, and it makes him yet another DEFINITELY great casting choice for this movie.

All in all, this was a film that, like last years big superhero flick, "The Dark Knight," lived up to all of the hype that was surrounding it. I now understand why they call "Watchmen" the most celebrated Graphic Novel of all time because this was fantastic. The director of this film may not have any films that are his own ideas, but the fact that he is a true visionary cannot be disputed. He does wonderfully with every aspect of this film, and he just makes it incredible. All of the angles and all of the filters and everything that the director chose for this film WORKED, and they just made the film so exciting to view. He definitely is a great director, and any film of his after this one that he does, I will definitely be there to see. The writers of this film do a great job with it. I know it wasn't there story, but they do a great job at creating a screenplay for this story, and really bring it all to life well. I know I've never read the Graphic Novel, but so far all I hear from readers of the Graphic Novel that have also seen the movie, is that this movie does a great job of showing what the Graphic Novel was, and that just makes these writers even greater at their job. The visuals of this movie are absolutely amazing, and really help the film along. From Rorschach's mask to the blood level to all of the powers that Dr. Manhattan has, this film does a great job with their visuals, and it really does a great job at making this film what it is, and that is a visually stunning film. Another thing that this film is, is a massively complex and enjoyable story. The storyline of this film is so amazing, and it's also executed very well. It's a story that is unlike any other superhero story you'll ever see, and it's just done amazingly. I know, I need to read the Graphic Novel, and after seeing this movie, that need that I have felt to read this Graphic Novel has grown larger, and to be honest, I didn't think that that was possible because I wanted to read that Graphic Novel like none other. This storyline was definitely a great one. The acting is what ties everything about this movie together. All of the actors of this movie deliver POWERFUL performances that are ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY convincing, ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY believable, and ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY realistic, and their characters are delivered as characters that you can really feel for, and in some cases even RELATE TO, on variously different levels. So if you had any doubts about this film, let me tell you that you need to drop them all, and go see this movie NOW. This is one of the most amazing films that you will ever see, and missing the theater experience and waiting for the DVD will make you want to beat yourself over the head with a hardcover copy of the Graphic Novel. So believe me and go and see this movie because you will have absolutely NO regrets. I know I didn't have any. So go and see this, it's an absolutely amazing film!!!!!