Why I Won’t Be Watching The Watchmen
As a die-hard comic fan, the release of a major superhero movie brings with it numerous invites from friends to catch it as early as possible. In the case of Watchmen, however, I’ve felt I had to decline, despite screenwriter David Hayter’s pleas. At first I thought it was because I’m not really enamoured with the source material, though it has been over a decade since I read the original comics, and it’s entirely possible that I’m at a point in my life where I could better appreciate it. It wasn’t until I read Sean’s most recent Open Forum Friday that I realized the truth. The closer to the source material an adaptation is, the less likely I am to be interested.
Sin City is to blame. I enjoyed the comics, and the concept of an entirely faithful adaptation was appealing to me, but watching the movie was one of the more boring cinematic experiences of my life. It wasn’t that the movie version of Sin City was bad. Far from it, and if I hadn’t already read the comics I might feel differently. But by being so ridiculously true to the comics, Robert Rodriguez didn’t introduce anything that I hadn’t experienced already elsewhere. Therefore, the promise that Watchmen stays faithful to the comics has triggered the opposite of the expected response for me; indifference. Judging by some of the comments here on Film Junk I’m not alone in feeling this way. Does anyone else feel the same?
Comments (25)
I didn’t read the Watchmen book, I also found Sin City really boring, and I’m generally not really into comics or graphic novels, but I enjoyed the Watchmen movie.
Posted by Vince on March 13th, 2009I must say I take the totally opposite view. Sin City was absolutely fantastic as a movie in both substance and style.
Watchmen follows in much the same vein but doesn’t quite acheive with Sin City did
Posted by Fisher on March 13th, 2009Its just Watchmen, not THE Watchmen…
Posted by Coldleftovers on March 13th, 2009To be fair, when speaking of an object and not just a title, the word “the” is perfectly acceptable. Saying “I didn’t read Watchmen book” just sounds silly and is inaccurate.
This from someone who also bristles when people call the title “The Watchmen.”
Posted by Dave on March 13th, 2009you’re reasoning is valid, however, i feel you should give it a look anyway. it’s worth seeing just for the technical aspects. the special effects were great and the fact that snyder seems to be the only director (as of late) that can film a fight scene or action sequence without using a damn shakey-cam effect is a wonder to behold.
Posted by Bry on March 13th, 2009yeah but he makes up with that with liberal use of slow motion!
Posted by Fisher on March 13th, 2009Dave is right, Coldleftovers. My intent with the title was to play off the phrase “Who Watches The Watchmen?” You’ll also notice that I use the title correctly in the body of the post itself. I would like to thank you, though. I had bet a friend that someone would erroneously call me out on that within the first five comments. Congratulations!
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009Thanks for making the case for Watchmen, Bry, but I’m rarely interested in modern special effects as separated from the story, and I usually get my fill of decent action choreography from outside Hollywood.
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009i did watch the watchmen but i have to agree with your point! because i am so familiar with the graphic novel the first half of the movie it felt like i was watching a movie i had seen before! not that it was bad, it was just so true to the novel that i even knew the lines that characters were gonna say ahead of time! Up until the changed ending it felt like that! I still really enjoyed the experience and can’t wait to watch it on my brandnew 42″!
Posted by bert belgium on March 13th, 2009I don’t understand the refusal to watch something because of a devotion to the source material. It’s strange how people feel they have to cut themselves off from new experiences like this. Why not just give it a try? Of course, you could have already biased yourself too much already so no matter what you might hate it. But then again, who knows?
You can probably tell that I really liked the film.
Posted by Paul on March 13th, 2009I really liked Sin City, because no one had seen that literal a translation before. Using the colors as the book did, and the use of white as shadow, I was mesmerized. It doesn’t hold up as well through repeat viewings for me, but I still hold it in high regard.
I also loved Watchmen. Yes, I had seen most of it before in the comic book, and yes, it certainly has it’s flaws, with the over-use of slow motion, and stylized ight sequences. Even still, the actors and their characterizations carried me through to the end, and I walked away with great satisfaction. Only one scene really nags at me, and it comes from something a friend of a friend pointed out. Night Owl and Silk Spectre II point out the difference between them and Rorschach using the fact that Rorschach kills as the example, then in the film, there’s a whole scene showing them killing several gang members a short time later. That bugs me. They could have given them a beat-down, without killing them, and it would’ve maintained integrity of the characters.
Posted by Deven Science on March 13th, 2009To be clear, I’m not arguing whether Sin City or Watchmen are any good or not. I believe Sin City was very well-done. I’m saying that for some people fidelity to already familiar source material makes an adaptation boring. Unless the movie has greater differences from the original than sound and motion, I wouldn’t consider it a “new experience”. I may as well watch the motion comic.
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009The Watchmen novel was awesome, the movie was better than I expected. Great, great time.
Posted by Laserbeard on March 13th, 2009PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR ASSUMPTIONS DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Geek.
Done!
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009So, let me understand this correctly.
Posted by Dan on March 13th, 2009You won’t see a movie because someone else disliked it?
You won’t see the movie because it might be disappointing compared to the material?
How about you make your own opinion.
I love the book. Its easily one of my favorites of all time, and the movie in its own right is a masterpiece. Yes, everything isn’t the same. Yes, it left things out. Did it deliver a great movie and compelling storyline? Yes.
Also, as a side note.
Posted by Dan on March 13th, 2009Watch Heckler with Jamie Kennedy. Then tell me if your job still has relevance.
Dan, you did not understand this correctly.
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009I read the book and saw the movie. I felt what was left out and what was changed was just and added to the cinematic adaptation. Don’t assume you’ll hate it.
Posted by Matt on March 13th, 2009I’m of the same opinion regarding faithful comic book adaptations. Boring.
Hopefully the upcoming New Yorker Cartoons The Movie will take some liberties with the enshrined source material. LOL.
Posted by Rusty James on March 13th, 2009Thanks for the info, Matt, though from what I gather there weren’t enough changes for me to reconsider. Good for others, not so much for me. C’est la vie.
They’ve already made a New Yorker cartoon movie, Rusty. The Addams Family. Though I would kill for a full-on Thurber movie.
Posted by Wintle on March 13th, 2009I happen to be watching Sin City right now for the first time. (I picked it up for $2.50.) I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. Why didn’t someone tell me that Carla Gugino was necked in it? I would have watched it sooner.
Wintle, I now have a new excuse for not watching The Dark Knight. It probably rehashes all the good and evil thematic elements that I’ve seen in the comics.
BTW, I don’t think “be” and “the” should be capitalized in the title of your post. Ha ha. We should correct all the sloppy grammatical shortcuts people use in their comments. Ha ha.
Posted by Reed Farrington on March 13th, 2009I’m glad you mentioned Robert Rodriguez and Sin City. He keep saying, “It’s a exact copy of Sin City, I didn’t change a thing.” over and over and over. And you know what, he didn’t because he is lazy filmmaker and the easiest thing was for him to hide behind the book and not work to develop the book into it’s own thing, in a new medium, and really honor the sources material by actually making a good movie. We just saw a GREAT filmmaker take some source material and make it better, expand it, and make it bend to the new requirements of it’s new medium and that work is called THE DARK KNIGHT based on The Killing Joke. Synder, Rodriguez and any other directors that hide behind the frame by frame, true recreation of the graphic novel are weak filmmakers and not willing to work and get it right.
Posted by rus in chicago on March 13th, 2009I loved they way they bridged different generations throughout Watchmen, both with props (like the floppy discs) and with music
Posted by coffee on March 14th, 2009Where is that panel at the top of the post from? I certainly don’t remember it from the comic.
Posted by Finn on March 15th, 2009I owe the Film Junk community an apology. I finally saw Watchmen last night and really enjoyed it! If you read the book and were entertained you need to see this in the theatre. I have a new respect for Synder as he worked his ass off on this thing – you really feel like you’re in the world of the Watchmen.
This film is a study in textures, the way they created Rorshach’s mask, the large amount of money they spent on rain, the detailed costumes, the hot grease on the Rorshach’s attacker, way Synder filmed characters thru windows and doorways, the wide shots on Mars, all are amazing. He really worked overtime and pushed all departments to get the feel of the graphic novel right.
I agree with Kevin Smith on the Slash Filmcast (yes, I cheat on filmjunk) that Warner Bros. needs all of our respect for green lighting this version of Wartchmen and what they did on Dark Knight. Like Kevin said, they are the place to be for kickass movies these days.
Posted by rus in chicago on March 16th, 2009I like a lot of the changes/omissions Synder choose; removing the floating segways, the hot coffee rescue, Black Freighter, etc. I can see how everyone can be down on the changed ended, but I loved so much of the origin stories I didn’t care at that point. What Synder should have done is make Dr. Manhattan more of an aloof “free agentâ€, than he is, that way the ended would have been stronger (more plausible). As it stands now, the Russians would think the U.S. and Dr. Manhattan are pulling a fast one on them and not be so quick to agree to a truce.
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