Sunday, March 22, 2009

Alan Moore's "Watchmen" in a movie: not fantastic but not bad either

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Finally decided to see “Watchmen” in the movies tonight.
I wasn’t at all sure that I really wanted to see it.
You see I was one of the few people out there that wasn’t crazy over the “V for Vendetta” movie though I really liked the graphic/comic series. The story and actors were good, and the movie wasn’t bad but it wasn’t what I wanted it to be.
Alan Moore wasn’t at all behind the Hollywood production of “Watchmen” so…
By the way Alan Moore is really rather odd but damn good at writing interesting series and being himself I suppose. He’s in “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman” as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been a long time “graphic (for lack of any better term) novel” reader, though not a fanatic.
Couldn’t afford to be one. Started with comics, and underground comics, Heavy Metal before it turned into well… whatever. I still have the first 3 years worth saved around here somewhere and a few Fat Freddy’s Cat too. Began reading comics and graphic novels early on (Once upon a time I wanted to be an illustrator and went to college for Advertising Art and Design) and never stopped loving the comic/graphic medium to this day.

Unfortunately I got rid of all my comic books (girls weren’t supposed to read them: grow up and all) so when I moved out of parents house they were all given away.
Based on my reaction to the comic book tables at a few I-Con/Otacon visits I’ll never go to a comic-con I’d just sit and cry. Sadly, I had just about everything all the original stuff.
It’s not their monetary value that I get upset about it’s just that it makes me want them back to read and have. I loved comic books with a passion. It would have been better if I realized my interests were mine before I tried to “grow up” and be someone that I wasn’t as comfortable with.
Ah well, water under the bridge.


Back to Watchmen: I had mixed feelings about this movie. Yes, I enjoyed it and it followed the story all right… It wasn’t as gory as it could have been, yet not too watered down either.
Full frontal male nudity sort of (it’s CGI of course). Though Dr. Manhattan was done fairly well and the other characters were fine, I found something lacking in the movie. Maybe it’s because I enjoyed the comic series? I think I’ll have to see it again to fully decide if I really liked it or not, sometimes I have an attitude towards a movie and it effects the viewing. Certainly entertaining enough.

The distraction problem I had with the movie was that I couldn’t get Zena Warrior Princess out of my head (not that Laurie/Silk Spectre was anything like zena really I think it was her haircut, dark with bangs, or something)
Now Zena alone wasn’t too bad if it wasn’t coupled with a strange association in my mind between the unmasked Night Owl (Dan Dreiberg) and Chevy Chase of SNL/Fletch era. I know that’s weird and I seriously don’t get it myself but it took me more than half the movie before I wasn’t distracted by it. Don’t know why Chase got in my head but it definitely wouldn’t have even occurred to anyone young anyway. It’s just weird, maybe it was the glasses, or his mannerisms, no clue.

I’ll watch it again at some point, to give it a fairer chance.
Thumbs up I guess… but with reservations. Btw: semi-gratuitous comic book sex is thankfully far shorter than the silly Night Owl/Silk Spectre scene in Watchmen (seriously hitting the fire button… really lame) Don’t listen to me however, go see it whether you read the comics or not, you’ll probably like it… It was reasonably violent though so if you don’t like blood, etc., you might not. Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian were pretty good castings.

Some comic/graphic novels make better cross overs for movies than others especially if you’ve read them previously: for instance I loved Sin City and thought The Crow was absolutely stunning.
Pretty hard to compare with The Crow, at least in my mind.

I’ve said before that I have odd taste in movies and reading materials for a female it seems.

G’night,

Laura

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