"Simply the 'best' movie of 2009 so far."
The Doomsday Clock has reached zero-hour at long last; is the end result an explosive success or a meltdown of nuclear proportions?
Now, the story may confuse some. For me it did'nt, i have seen the novel a long time ago but forgot most of it.
And this may seem weird but it did'nt confuse me i though it was GREAT!
This movie is simply amazing! Never have i seen a tight story line and this deep in a long time. Zack Snyder has proven he is a great film maker.
Watchmen is not a pleasant movie. It's not comfortable and jarring and pungent. Anyone who thinks it's always easy to say what's "right" and what's "wrong" in every situation will not like this one little bit. It is not for children, or for anyone who sees the world in black-and-white. And everyone else will be left unsettled by it.
The plot, set in 1985, follows a world where masked superheroes exist and have been a part of the world for years. While there is only one person with actual superhuman abilities-that of research scientist Jon Osterman who became the blue-skinned, quantum physics-based superhuman Dr. Manhattan (Crudup)-there are a host of men and women who have picked up a mask and fought crime. In this dystopian 1985, Richard Nixon is still president in his fourth term thanks to Dr. Manhattan's dominating win for the U.S. in Vietnam and the United States and Soviet Union are still on the brink of nuclear war, with the infamous Doomsday Clock set at five minutes to midnight. After public outcry of vigilantism, superheroes have been outlawed since 1977; yet Rorschach (Haley), a masked right-wing reactionary ignores the law and continues to fight a one-man battle against crime and corruption in New York City. When an ex-government spook one of the old members of the group of heroes known as the Comedian (Morgan) is murdered, Rorschach suspects someone of killing off costumed heroes and tries to enlist the help of his old ally Dan Dreiberg (Wilson), the second Nite Owl, to discover what's going on. Once an attempted assassination of Adrian Veidt (Goode)-the genius once known as Ozymandius-comes to light, Dreiberg and Rorschach enlist the aid of Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend Laurie Juspeczyk (Akerman), who once took up the mantle of the Silk Spectre from her mother (Gugino). The three work to uncover a conspiracy as the Doomsday Clock is pushed closer and closer to midnight by the ever-closer threat of nuclear war.
The cast holds itself up quite well for the most part. Jackie Earle Haley is ideal as the uncompromising Rorschach, who movies the plot of the movie along with his unwavering dedication. Haley plays Rorschach with exactly the kind of tone we would hope, disgusted with the state of the world and refusing to give into the corruption, often to his own personal detriment. He speaks with a raspy tone that, unlike Christian Bale's distracting growl in the Batman films, enhances the character instead of detracting. As the Comedian, Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays it cool, making Edward Blake a man who is nearly impossible to like for the things that he does, but finding enough of an emotional connection that you can never quite find yourself hating him. While those two roles are surely the meatiest, it is perhaps Billy Crudup who gives the best performance, playing Dr. Manhattan's disconnected emotional state amazingly well. It is a role that could easily be played too strong or not strong enough, but Crudup is able to walk that line exceptionally well, letting the godlike character have a few slight moments of humanity when needed and holding back when that is appropriate. It is frightening to consider that Keanu Reeves was once considered for the good Doctor and a joy to watch Crudup knowing that he has succeeded in such a difficult role. Patrick Wilson plays Dan Dreiberg appropriately given the character's point in the story and really finds his strength in the role toward the latter half of the film, but fails early on to find the emotional connection needed to make Dan very likable. He also has little chemistry with Malin Akerman, who occasionally falters in bringing emotional depth to her character or credibility to some of the less accessible dialogue. Matthew Goode makes an excellent Adrian Veidt, playing the character far more sympathetic than might be possible for other actors and investing himself completely in the role. In minor roles, Carla Gugino charms up the screen as Sally Jupiter, Laurie's mother and the original Silk Spectre, and Robert Wisden's Nixon is a rather difficult pill to swallow, perhaps simply to the great performance we were recently treated to of Frank Langella as the same man in Frost/Nixon.
Of course, as might be expected the film is very visual effects-laden, and almost to a shot they are carried off beautifully. Snyder's flair for such effects is far less heavy-handed than they were in 300, and it is to the movie's extreme benefit that this is the case. Without the exceptionally stylized comic-bookish blood spatters and environments the audience is able to immerse themselves more fully in the story. Instead of providing those sorts of visuals, Snyder and the multiple digital effects teams focus on such work as Rorschach's iconic shifting mask and Dr. Manhattan's cerulean blue body, complete with genitalia in yet another spot of faithfulness to the book, the wondrous clockwork construction Manhattan creates once he's far-removed from the other characters and the other digital effects.
Obviously this is a film that fans of the source material will find a lot within to like;the big question is how those who haven't read the graphic novel will feel. The dense plot may leave non-fans scratching their head, as there is a lot to cover even considering the two hour and forty-three minute length. Certainly, the changing of the details surrounding the ending will help those who haven't read the original accept the story, and that sacrifice had to be made in the interests of accessibility. Audiences unfamiliar with Moore and Gibbons's work will occasionally find themselves trying to catch up. Luckily, Snyder paces things well, and despite the intimidating running time the film never seems too long or to be moving too fast or slow. He still has something to learn about adding more substance to his style, but with as much substance as he has from the source material here he never makes the film lack for story, and those who have come in with a blind eye to the comic book should be able to enjoy it as much as the fanatics, although perhaps in a very different way. Either way, Watchmen stands as a testament to Snyder's growth as a filmmaker, especially considering he has done something that no one ever thought was possible-make an adaptation of Alan Moore's iconic work that honors and enhances the story for a big screen. There is perhaps no greater praise that can be bestowed upon Snyder than that.
Overall, this movie was great.
Good action,story,effects & all out comic book fun.
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