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Watchmen (2009)

Director: Zack Snyder

Time Out rating

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82 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

The most celebrated graphic novel ever written, ‘Watchmen’ takes place in an alternate 1985 teetering on the brink of nuclear Armageddon, as a group of retired superheroes reunite to track down mysterious masked assassin. The graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons was a self-reflexive comment on the entire genre and explored the fine boundary between the masked vigilante, the dirty civil servant and the dictatorial fascist. It has long been thought unfilmable: a direct translation, it was argued, would be overlong, punishingly bleak, bewilderingly convoluted and wildly uncommercial.

Which is exactly the film '300' director Zack Snyder has delivered. With the exception of an altered (and, it must be said, slightly improved) denouement, Snyder and his screenwriters have changed almost nothing from the original text. Costumes, sets, visual effects, the framing of shots and sequences, all the choicest lines of dialogue, even the music selections come directly from the novel. With all of these decisions taken out of the director's hands, what's left for Snyder to do?

Snyder's biggest impact is felt in the action sequences, which are also the film's weakest scenes: overstylised, repetitive and pornographically violent. Violence is the major theme of Moore’s book: it’s questionable efficacy in solving global problems, the conflicted, animalistic thrill of crushing one’s enemies. Snyder rides roughshod over such subtleties: 'Watchmen' may be the nastiest blockbuster ever devised. It luxuriates in snapping bones and literal explosions of gore. It's here that the gulf between comic and movie becomes most clear: Gibbons's drawings were often shocking, but they served a purpose. Snyder employs violence for the rush, and while this approach is sometimes brutally effective, it's also deeply crass.

The casting throws up mixed results: Patrick Wilson is agreeably vulnerable as Nite Owl, while Jackie Earl Haley makes for a supremely effective, unsettling Rorschach. But these two seasoned professionals stand out in a cast chosen for their physical similarity to Gibbons's drawings. Thankless female figurehead Silk Spectre demands an actress of real grace and vulnerability: Malin Akerman’s bland, soap-opera performance barely scratches the surface, while Matthew Goode's vacuous portrayal of the power-hungry Ozymandias suggests annoyed playboy rather than World's Smartest Man. But they can hardly be blamed: Snyder repeatedly fluffs the film's emotional peaks, blundering through on his way to another action setpiece.

But, try as he might, Snyder can't sabotage the sheer majesty of the source material. The breadth and grandeur of Moore’s globe-spanning narrative still astounds, and to see Gibbons’s iconic images writ vast and messy across the screen packs an undeniable sentimental punch. Like the book, there’s an impressive visual and narrative density here, cramming a bewildering amount of information into already overloaded scenes. The characters may be undermined by Snyder’s glib, hasty approach, but they still resonate, as do the overriding themes of power, corruption and human frailty.

But 'Watchmen' is still going to be the ultimate tough sell: there will be those who view the film as a bewildering mishmash of underexplored themes, thinly sketched characters and noisy, excessive violence. They're probably right: any work of popular art which demands prior knowledge must be deemed a failure. And yet, there’s something admirable about the entire enterprise: its ungainly size, its unrelenting weirdness, its willful, challenging intensity. Neophytes should probably steer clear, but for longterm fans of the source work this will be a hugely pleasurable, if ultimately unenlightening experience.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2011, 5 – 11 March, 2009

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User reviews of this film

Dave said...

Posted on Jul 01 2011 21:01 You are all clearly wrong one star review people. This film is amazing!! If you like nothing else about it, the fiery cum shot is worth 5 stars alone. I laughed so hard I pooed a bit.

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Andy S said...

Posted on Mar 15 2011 10:16 Waited a while before seeing this...tried the graphic novel but got too bored. This was ok. The most interesting character was Cameloen really. Dr Manhatten was a bore but liked the idea of how Superheroes might have shaped US history.
Overall? Glad I only paid £3 for the dvd!

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aleyna said...

Posted on Sep 14 2010 09:46 damn good film watch love it have it! and im only 12

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Thomas Noctor said...

Posted on Aug 17 2010 12:35 This film was ok, watchable, it would have been way better if 'Doctor Manhattan' wasn't a character. If it was all humans who are basic super heros it would have been better, like Kick Ass for example, which was way better! That being said it was dark and interesting at times. The midget scene in the bathroom created a laugh for Me! Did Doctor Manhattan need humans with him in Nam? Why didn't he save the pregnant woman? Would a woman sleep with a man who beat her and almost raped her? I really doubt it! Wouldn't watch it again, this one is for the 'ok' pile. Nothing bad nor not a great film! Watch it and be your own judge!

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watchmen sucks said...

Posted on Mar 28 2010 17:39 failed stylized movie.should learn from me & perhaps do more research on american history once again.nonsense to be precise.

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blib said...

Posted on Sep 10 2009 12:31 Marc you go on about IQ and then spoil it by calling people "friggin retards" for not agreeing with you. Is "awesome" the only adjective you could manage aswell. Anyhoo as reviewed, the film IN MY OPINION was a mess, a hotch potch of ideas, thrown together. Couldn't decide what it wanted to be.a latter day "last ation hero" Lot of king's new clothes on here methinks.

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Godbluff said...

Posted on Jun 01 2009 22:52 Those that were bored with this film should instead watch films designed for people who have no concentrations span and actually enjoy predictability. Ha! You got taken in and found yourself in a cinema with an intelligent movie. That'll teach you to only look at the posters when deciding on a film. Go see Wolverine and Transformers 2 instead - you'll like those - they won't hurt your poor brain cells.

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Syd said...

Posted on Jun 01 2009 17:40 I believe that most of these people who thought that this movie is boring, have no complete thought about it what so ever. I think that if you actually TRIED to pay attention and TRIED to get to actually know what's going on in the movie, you'd enjoy it. But, from my personal opinion, you really have to read the comic to REALLY enjoy it. I have not read the comic but about one time, but my girlfriend had told me that she was a fan. So I shelled out 10$ for her and me to go see the movie. I sat there, and for the first, let's say...hour or so it was quite boring. But as I sat there, and I thought about what was going on, and thought about the complexity and characters. It started to get more and more interesting. Though it was three hours, by about half-way into the movie it was AWESOME. Rorschach (for all those idiots out there who don't know how to spell it cause you were too busy explaining to your boyfriend/girlfriend how much you want to leave so you can make a move on them...) was one of the most complexing and difficult characters to understand, and for me, the whole hour story of how he was meant to be WAS appropriate. But, to me, you have to know the whole story and the background of the story to be interested in ANYTHING. It just seems that most of the reviews on here were from people who won't take their time to pay attention to anything except themselves. I myself am not that patient either, (I have ADD) but i still sit there for three hours. But, boring is just what you don't like. (or in my opinion) Boring is just what you don't want to think about.

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andy said...

Posted on Apr 23 2009 13:49 this film was a load of ****. there was only a few good moments in it like the sex scenes. if you would like to sleep for 3 hours and pay for it watch this film.

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Treborus said...

Posted on Apr 07 2009 16:42 I dont know..mybe its me but from all the gen u get before a film hits the screen u know if its ur "Thang" well in in advance , u might be let down 4 various reasons but in essence its why u go & shell out ur dosh ...so I cant grasp why any wud go & moan in the most gormless brain dead way ...more fool u for not usin ur " brain" , ur eyes , ur ears before going ...such revues are are waste of MY TIME

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miles said...

Posted on Apr 06 2009 12:10 besides all the studio hype and all the made up good reviews -a miserable blue turd which has bombed badly in usa -not even recovered its cost -much less the marketing expenses and it is a total loss when it comes to any entertainment or artistic merit -just one big yawn-even the silly marley and me is better than this crap

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Johnny said...

Posted on Apr 03 2009 21:52 You only need to look at the other reviews listed here to know this is a love it or hate it film. The movie mirrors the source material so closely I can't believe any fan of the graphic novel won't enjoy this. I am (a fan) and I thought the film was great. Anyone else will probably wonder what the hell is going on. If you have not read the comic, don't expect 'The Dark Knight' or 'Spiderman'. The violence in this film is not quite as disposable as in those super hero movies you might have become acustomed to. Go and watch the movie - keep an open mind and you might even enjoy it.

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Ross said...

Posted on Apr 03 2009 11:23 I loved this film, i've never read any of the graphic novel and had never even heard of the film until it came out, my girlfriend is a HUGE fan of the graphic novel and was chomping at the bit (that means getting excited, for all you moron's and chav's out there) to see this film and we both thought it was fantastic. watch it in an IMAX cinema too as it's even better that way.

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Treborus said...

Posted on Apr 02 2009 18:07 From word of mouth to watching the promos , with increasing interest I read the extremes of view - love , hate - rarely indifference - I went with mixed feelings to see it - well - what ever I was expecting out of the usual super hero genre - I saw the unexpected - a very interesting attempt at a very unusual story , which kept me intregued to it,s end . I,d like to see it again & await the extended Dvd . I recomend it .

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Greg said...

Posted on Apr 01 2009 13:50 this film is pretty rubbish! go see mall cop or the knowing!!!!

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