“The book is always better than the movie.”
As I sat in the theater last Monday and waited for the opening credits and the beginning of Watchmen, that all too true saying repeated in my mind. For decades Hollywood has pilfered great novels—and most of the time squandered them to mediocrity or downright failure. A very small percentage have been adapted to the silver screen to the delight of readers, even fewer still well-done adaptations of sci-fi/fantasy/comic book stories. Carrie, Contact, The Green Mile, The Lord of the Rings, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Iron Man—these adaptations have proven a great movie can come from books and graphic novels.
Would I be able to add Watchmen to that list?
Almost.
So much I can almost taste it.
Alan Moore, the man who wrote Watchmen and who is also responsible for V For Vendetta, once related he didn’t think Watchmen could be adapted in an honest way:
“There are things that we did with Watchmen that could only work in a comic, and were indeed designed to show off things that other media can’t.”
Alan Moore is right—to a point. Like many Hollywood adaptations from other sources, a lost in translation moment happens when it comes to elements of the original source. A graphic novel like Watchmen is extremely complex, working on many levels, and it would be impossible to try to interweave all of those threads, many of them taking place in characters’ thoughts, into one coherent film—a medium that simply does not allow for it.
The shortcomings of the film Watchmen lie in that place.
First, let me speak to those people who have not read the graphic novel.
Before the movie started, I asked my date and the two people sitting next to us whether or not they had read the graphic novel. All three had not. As the movie ended and the lights came up, they all unanimously said they loved the film, one enjoying it as much as he had enjoyed last year's The Dark Knight. I think that is high praise and should certainly not be ignored. The movie, if one comes at it with a clean slate, is absolutely fantastic and as a person who can separate himself from the graphic novel, I believe that as well. The overall story, the individual character stories, the literary merit of the tale—all wonderful. The set up was done right and the movie has a satisfying climax that will leave you thinking for days after viewing it.
Now, for those of you who are fans of the graphic novel.
Director Zach Snyder, who also directed CGI slow motion extravaganza 300, has done a more than adequate job with Watchmen. I firmly believe that. When Snyder was announced on the project I turned a bit green, as 300 really did nothing for me and I abhor heavy use of slow motion and CGI. But Snyder proved himself with this material—material that is arguably one of the hardest to adapt to film—and the care he put into it is evident. Like 300, Snyder brings the comic book to life, many scenes from the movie carved directly from the pages of the graphic novel. Even the story construction follows the graphic novel, which I found to be quite enjoyable.
But returning to my earlier comments concerning a loss in the translation, Snyder simply wasn't going to be able to incorporate every single nuance of the graphic novel in the movie.
For instance, almost all scenes taking place at the newsstand in the graphic novel are absent from the movie. The commentary on world events from the newsstand owner helped drive the narrative in the graphic novel, setting up some of the more delicate points Moore wanted to make. Without the owner, and to some extent without the Tales of the Black Freighter sub-storyline, Moore's commentary on humanity, our abuse of lies to gain power, and our place in the world among enemies was lessened drastically.
The ending has also been changed from the graphic novel. The original ending contained an aspect that I feel would not have worked with the movie going populace. True blood fans of the graphic novel will howl at the change, but it worked for me. The overall story is complete and the movie's new ending works just as well as the graphic novel ending—for me, it resonated stronger due to our currrent world political climate.
Enough about the story. What else?
The movie is rated "R" and certainly deserves the mark. Gratuitous sex, gratuitous violence. All works within the context of the story.
I truly enjoyed the sub-story of Dr. Manhattan. It was handled brilliantly and actually choked me up a bit.
I didn't feel the long running time of the movie. Not at all. It could have been three hours and I wouldn't have noticed. Just be sure you manage your liquid intake before the movie! Or sit at the end of an aisle.
The acting was more solid than I thought it would be. Jackie Earle Haley, who plays Rorschach, put in a fantastic performance. Rorschach will be a fan favorite. Dr. Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup, seemed as real to me as Gollum and his voice was as smooth and as indifferent as it should have been. As Silk Spectre II, Malin Akerman is going to come out of this movie a new star of Hollywood.
The soundtrack is great. It is mostly derived from 70's and 80's music, all of which fit the scenes they are ascribed to. Only one song felt slightly off.
All in all, as a fan of the graphic novel and an avid movie-goer, I really enjoyed Watchmen. As I sat there waiting for the movie to start, I got shivers, realizing I was going to be watching Watchmen! I was not really disappointed. It is a solid movie, well worth the expensive weekend night cost of a ticket, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
But if you are an avid fan of the graphic novel, go into the viewing with an understanding that not everything from the graphic novel could be put into the movie. It's just not possible.
And at least we will always have the graphic novel Watchmen!
The movie can't take that from us!
If the Watchmen is as good as 300 was I'll probably enjoy it a great deal. I like graphic comics, they are alot more edgier than the norm. The Dark Knight graphic comic when Robin was killed by the Joker was great, so I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I also understand why they are releasing it now and not in the summer--less competition with this year's summer movies, ergo possibility of bigger revenues from box office intact.
The soundtrack alone would attract me. I prefer 70s and 80s music to the 90s and most of today's music.:)
I recently got to see the animated version of the Graphic comic on On-Demand. It is completely animated Chapters 1-10 broken up into 2 chapters each. I haven't read the comic, but this will do until I get to see the movie and buy the book. It looks reallly good. I like Dr. Manhatten and Rohrschach best. Two very interesting characters. Dr. Manhatten reminds me of iceman in marvel comics, but he can do interplanetary travel which is really cool.
God, I want to see this movie now.
Francine