For years, many have tried to create a film version of Alan Moore's expansive, dense graphic novel Watchmen. Directors who have tried but failed in the past have ranged from Terry Gilliam to Paul Greengrass, and the choice of 300 director Zack Snyder at first seems like a huge step down from that pool of talent. But Snyder's film is a surprisingly well-made and faithful adaptation of the source.
Watchmen takes place in an alternate 1985, where America has won the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon is on his fifth term as president, and superheroes have been outlawed by the government. The central plot revolves around the death of the retired superhero The Comedian (Jeffery Dean Morgan). The murder is being investigated by the outlaw superhero Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), The Comedian's former partner on the crime fighting team called the Watchmen. As he investigates the other members of the team including Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan, the only one of the Watchmen with actual superpowers, a horrifying plot is brought to light.
The most astounding thing about Watchmen is how Snyder and his production team brought this alternative America to life. After an amazing opening credits sequence that details how America got the way it is in the movie, every set is packed with detail that makes the world feel eerily similar, yet completely different from what that time was like. Even for those who don't like the movie, it's hard to ignore the stunning achievement of the production. The production team is aided by mostly fantastic performances, although there are a few weak links.
The biggest challenge for the movie is condensing the plot of the book into a movie. The book was very complexly written, with multiple background stories and layers of exposition. The film does a respectful job keeping what's important to the story in and throwing other scenes out. However, some important moments are missing, and others seem rushed, not giving them the full impact that's in the book. The moments in the movie that do work are incredible. There are just not enough of them.
Watchmen is a movie with as many highlights as lowlights, but it's never boring, despite its nearly three-hour running time.
3 Culture
Ethan Goldsmith
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