Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again

Who Watches the Watchmen? I Do!

After scrambling around for a ride and driving one of the most anxious hours to get to the nearest IMAX theatre, I finally got to sit down and enjoy a movie I had been waiting months to see. Of course, the place was packed, even at 11am, and I was stuck in the front right corner of the theatre (talk about neck cramps), but I still enjoyed myself immensely watching one of the best graphic novels brought to life on the big screen. What a spectacle it was; sold out shows hours in advance can attest to that.

Going into the theatre, I knew I was going to witness a beautifully made film, especially since I saw Zack Snyder’s 300 and was amazed. Snyder once again takes on the job of transcribing a graphic novel to a film and he does it masterfully. The film feels like a comic book and a reality at the same time. His cast is brilliantly assembled with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian, Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II, and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Billy Crudup as a CGI-ed Dr. Manhattan, Matthew Goode as Ozymandias and Carla Gugino as Silk Spectre also round out the cast. The actors did an amazing job of bringing to life their 2D counterparts, and Snyder did an equally amazing job at creating the alternate universe in which the story takes place.

The film does a few major things differently from the graphic novel but overall, it was quite true to the story and themes. Of course, some changes were necessary, if only to shorten the length of the film (it is hard to keep an audience for more than three hours after all). I liked the update of the costumes and the fact that Rorschach’s inkblot was ever changing (since it changed in every panel in the novel), but I would have loved to see the minor characters a bit more. Of course, since the ending was changed and the comic within the comic was released on DVD instead, it is understandable why a lot of the minor characters were only briefly seen. There may not be a real squid, but the ending of film was just as powerful as in the graphic novel. While there may be changes from the graphic novel, I feel that the film is still very faithful to its theme.

I do have to say, however, out of the entire movie, the part that got me the most was the opening credits. In five minutes, Snyder was able to sum up a whole passage of time regarding the history of vigilantes to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” There are many parallels to what has actually happened in history, most striking of which is the recreation of the JFK assassination. There is also a revamp of the famous J-Day photograph and even a semblance to the Last Supper at Sally Jupiter’s retirement party. Most importantly, it shows the evolution of the Watchmen in their place in history and helps give background to those who have not read the graphic novel.

Whether or not you have read Watchmen, this movie is one you should not miss. Comic book fan or no, the film has a theme that everyone can relate to, not to mention wonderful character development. Watchmen is not an action movie, it is a mystery drama, so anyone who likes this type of film will want to watch. Every viewer will be able to find something they like about Watchmen, if they are able to sit through almost three hours that is.