Who Watches the Watchmen?

We all do. Except Alan Moore.

Watchmen has a lot to recommend as a film. In many ways the logical culmination of what started with Batman Begins, the Watchmen film is at its core a deconstruction of the super hero genre. Of course, the book came out two decades ago to rave reviews and instant cult status, but we are talking about the movie. For now. Zack Snyder's follow up to the visually stunning but ultimately pointless 300 is dense, dark, and beautiful in all the ways 300 was not. A relatively compelling whodunit that is ultimately eclipsed by the specter of nuclear war, the plot almost exactly mirrors that of Alan Moore's book. In fact, save for the costumes and an ending that actually makes some sense, the film is almost a shot for shot remake of the book. This, however, isn't necessarily a good thing.

I say that not because, as other reviewers have opined, the film feels stifled by its fidelity to the source material. Rather, I'd submit that the plot of the original just ain't all that good. In fact, the plot isn't even close to the point of the book. The subtleties in Moore's writing are difficult, if not impossible, to translate on screen, making the plot ever more important. And while there are some great bits in both book and film, there is a certain lack of narrative cohesion.

Snyder, to his credit dodges this by making Watchmen look simply amazing. Ever a fan of slow motion fight scenes, Snyder has found his niche in comic book films. And, if this whole thing doesn't work out, porn. Sex scenes, rape scenes, Dr. Manhattan's penis in every other shot, it's all there (lest you doubt, Leonidas has an 8 pack and some deformed lesbians he'd like to show you). The look is far different from the comic, and you rarely get the sense of impending doom that Moore was striving for in the 80's. So, while the story is the same, the feel is not.

What really holds the film back though is its choice of focus. While focus is placed appropriately on Rorschach (perhaps the best comic book character ever) and Dr. Manhattan, the lack thereof on Veidt/Ozymandias was a terrible, terrible choice. Spending a great deal of time on Nite Owl, Laurie, and their naked bodies seems far less important than advancing Veidt's character. In the end, the Nite Owl storyline does almost nothing to advance the plot, and while Patrick Wilson still does a good job as Nite Owl, Maline Ackerman makes Laurie even more dull and annoying than in the book. Matthew Goode was no great shakes as Veidt either, but Veidt as a character plays a far more important role in the storyline.

On the other hand, Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach is a sight to behold. Rivaling Heath Ledger's Joker, Haley's demented, sociopathic, and tragic Rorshach is the (weird) moral center of the film. Uncompromising and brutal, he embodies all that people fear and love about the "heroes" of Watchmen. At the same time, his psychosis is always at the ready, while the rest are intent on burying it in "normal life". Snyder pulls Rorschach off perfectly, and he is reason enough to go see the film.

So, the question is: Is Watchmen good? Short answer is yes. There are great action scenes, the opening credits set to Dylan's "The Times They Are A'Changing" is fucking awesome, and the new ending is far superior to the book. The film's biggest problem, and the one that it grapples with for most of its long running time, is how to get across the nihilism and philosophical underpinnings of the comic while at the same time being entertaining as a movie. The weirdness of the comic, i.e. when Dr. Manhattan leaves Earth for Mars, doesn't really work on screen, whereas in the comic it feels right at home. Alan Moore once said Watchmen is unfilmable. While he is wrong in the strictest sense, I think his sentiment is correct. The comic book medium is perfectly suited to his vigilante super hero opus, while a film is not. On the other hand, Watchmen the film is much more entertaining and could stand alone without the book. I think if Snyder had taken a few more artistic liberties and allowed his adapatation to breathe a little, Watchmen could rival The Dark Knight and Spiderman 2. As it is, still a worthy addition to the comic book film genre.