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Watchmen

Sorry, fans. I never read the comic book, and I didn't like the movie.

It was eye candy, no doubt about that. With Zack Snyder at the helm, you can expect a real visual treat. But somehow the story just doesn't cut it.

The first rule in film adaptation is that someone without prior knowledge of the adapted material should still be able to appreciate the story. The adaptation should stand alone. That said, screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse should take the blame. Yes, I know people said that the comic book was unfilmable, but they said the same thing about Lord of the Rings, and look what Peter Jackson was able to pull off. Some screenplays take decades to write; all it requires is effort and a lot of creativity.

Well, there's the sexy Malin Åkerman, anyway, who kept my mind preoccupied most of the time. I love her hair. It looks good on her. Some things kept bothering me though, like why does Rorschach's mask keep changing all the time? Yes I know it's a reference to the Rorshach inkblot test, but why? Why does his mask do it, but not his face? Is it some kind of special mask? They never bothered to explain it.

Another thing that bothered me was the fact that they cut out a lot of shots in the lovemaking scene (another demented decision by the Philippine censors). They already gave it an R-18 rating, and they've been showing Dr. Manhattan's penis dangling all the time, so why did they even bother shortening the love scenes? It's not like there would be children in the audience, what with all the free-flowing blood and gore.

Anyway, this is my opinion, and go see it for yourself if you're a fan of the comic book. But like I said, a great adaptation should stand alone, and this film is not too friendly with people who have no idea about the comic book whatsoever.



Watchmen. UK. 2009.

Rating: Six out of ten.

6 comments :

Anonymous said...

"sexy Malin Akerman, ... I love her hair" LOL! yes, I'm sure her hair is the thing...

i heard this movie was crap. and overly violent. and i agree adaptations must stand alone. i like the muse song in the trailer though!

tina said...

you really have a penchant for mentioning how sexy/attractive the lead actress in a movie is... is it a guy thing? :P

i was planning on watching the movie before reading the comics, 'cause i tend to hate adaptations and seeing the adaptation first sort of lessens the disappointment XP (yeah, peter jackson's lotr was awesome XD i didn't have too many quibbles about it. hehe.) as for watchmen... since i'm not familiar with the comics, i'll probably still be disappointed with the movie if it's as sloppily done as you say :( i guess i'll just go straight to the comics...

@tina: watch it. don't let the reviews stop you. though don't blame me if you feel you've been ripped off hahaha.

and no, it's not a guy thing. it's just me. :D

Anonymous said...

Rorshachs's mask was, in fact, made of special fabric that changes appearance randomly.

If memory serves, he got it from the textile factory/shop/random place(?) where he worked. Or something.

Myka said...

Dr. Manhattan made the fabric... out of space dust.

And, Malin Akerman? I read a review somewhere calling her the Jar Jar Binks of this movie, and I agree. Though her hair shines through the whole film.

Rorschach WINS.

@One Tamad: wow. nerd!

@Myka: nerdette! hahaha. although i think her hair would look good on you haha.

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