Watchmen aka The Joke that Took Itself Seriously

Cheapie night tuesday, off to see the new Hollywood child; Watchmen.
Reviews abound, critics praise and fans delight.
What's not to like? The team that gave us 300 is back on again, including Tyler Bates.
This should be quite the evening.

It was.

3 hours worth of evening to be exact.

Now now, I know what you're all thinking; damn, she's going to go off the handle again, drag the movie in the mud and point out all the horrible faults she found.

And you'd be right... partially.

I didn't enjoy Watchmen but I liked it and here's why:

Firstly, Watchmen culture was respected to a T. I'm not a big fan myself but when you think of a comic who's made to be serious and yet poke fun at all the stereotypical comic genres, you're left to wonder how a movie can translate that well without falling into ridicule. Watchmen does. If you're not interested in the carefully embedded subtleties ingrained in the design and plot and just want to enjoy a superhero movie that's okay, you can still like the movie but don't get your hopes too high. Now on the other hand, if you're a hardcore fan, you're in for a delectable treat because Watchmen delivers superbly.

Delivery from the actors was consistent, with one exception, Malin Akerman, in the role of Silk Spectre. She gives no dimension to the character, her delivery is flat, naive and inconsistent. Patrick Wilson shapes up as the movie goes, fitting more and more comfortably in his role as Nite Owl and Billy Crudup is quite convincing in the role of Dr. Manhattan, which in itself was quite a character to portray. Rorschach really steals the show though, Jackie Haley giving tangible realism and depth to a character that could've easily been butchered by satyre.

Stylistically speaking, Watchmen suceeds. Costumes, makeup, effects, props and sets are crafted meticulously with precision and care to fidelity. It's all in the details.

Tyler Bates was disapointing though. Loud, 80's music served as background, very intrusive, very omnipresent and sometimes so obviously delivering a message, you're left to ask yourself, "huh... do they think I'm that stupid I wouldn't get it?" As a viewer, you feel underestimated. Were has all the 300 epic-ness gone? There was so much potential there.

Storywise it where it falls short. Being a satyre, Watchmen has for objective to expose the weak sides of comic book stories, from psychologically deranged heroes that realistically speaking shouldn't even be accepted by any normal societies to dysfunctional relationships where impotence can only be cured by a round of heroïsm and sex with a multi-bodied "electrical" being is possible, even though he keeps an eye on his nuclear reactor in the other room at the same time.

It's all about pushing the boundairies. Watchmen shows this in a true fashion.

But nothing binds these things together. The plot is thin, at best and in the end, you are left with a sense of "huh..." which doesn't imply afterthought or even speculation. You watch it, you leave it. Or you don't.

No main story, no backbone, which in my opinion, is essential in a movie. Maybe not in a television series, but in a 3 hour feature? I think yes!

Which lastly brings me to... yes... 3 hours. Urgh. That, if I need to simply gratuitously bash at something about Watchmen, it would be the length. Too long, way too long for what it's worth. The little juicy tidbits are interesting, don't get me wrong, but they serve no other purpose than to expose another satyre of comic book heroes and deviate us from the main point too often. Entertaining yes, distracting, very much.

By the end, people were leaving. Either because they couldn't take it anymore or it was simply too late. I almost wished I'd left myself but my moviegoer principles held me back... for no good reason I discovered as the credits rolled. Meh.

So in the end, go see it, early if you fall asleep easily when it's dark. Don't expect anything and you won't be worried about anything.

In the meantime, I'll continue salivating on Wolverine Origins.

Aaridys
Wit is educated insolence. Aristotle

Humeur: Happy
Musique: "England to Oz" David Hirschfelder Australia OST