Watchmen

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

I caught an pre-release screening with some friends tonight and we were all disappointed with this one.

Even with all the promo's, I think this is going to be a big flop overall. It might possibly become a cult classic with die hard "graphic novel" fans but quite a few people got up and walked out of the movie tonight.

A super hero movie full of super heros without any super powers -- they just know how to fight better (or dirtier) than the bad guys. Only one guy has special powers and he sells out in the end. Even with all the kills I felt it was very slow paced movie. Not only does it totally warp history (which could be ok if done properly) but it keeps jumping back-&-forth from the fictional 40's through a fictional mid-80's (with Nixon on his 4th or 5th term as President). BTW, we won Vietnam and a super hero on the grassy knoll shot Kennedy.

Its a dark story full of graphic violence, plenty of nudity and most of it is male (or CGI male) or always accompanied by a male. Dr Manhattan (the blue glow man) is nude for most of the movie and I guess the director likes CGI penis. If you like the bloody kills, they do add a new look to the gore & x-ray deaths. To be fair though, I think some things bugged me more because I saw how many bright-eyed little kids were in the audience. I think some parents thought it was going to be a PG-13 super hero movie like Spiderman or X-Men. Nope! This dark tale of evil good guys easily earns its R rating several times. - But its not the first time I wondered how parents felt okay to have their pre-teen kids watch some things.

I think the target demographic is the 30-50 year old overweight male virgin addicted to dark comic books, err ah, I mean "graphic novels".....

In short, I didn't like it.

[Da-Chief]

Heh.. Don't hold back..

This movie is from the Graphic Novel, it was meant to be this way. If folks had done some research prior they would have known it would have been shot this way.

One thing though HMC, evidently the real "DORITOS" Stained finger crowd who never take their comic's out of the bag, are a bit pissed at it as well. Evidently it didn't follow exactly to "PLAN".

;-)

I don't know.. will have to think about this one.. Thanks though you might have saved me some money till DVD comes out.

D/C

[Da-Chief]

HMC,
BTW, I put this out on my facebook account as well so folks would read your write-up. I mainly put it out, as I am sure some parents want to bring their kids to the movie.

I had no idea it was as graphic as you put out.

Oh well, like I said, DVD for me, sucks because I actually like comic's etc..

Thanks!

D/C

[AndiRRT]

Thanks for posting this Chief PJ. John wanted to take Evan to see it. Now I have to bust their bubble. Grateful for the warning.

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

Billy Crudup (Dr Manhattan) was just pitching the movie on the Daily Show and he basically said the intent of the movie was to turn the notion of superheroes on its head (good guys aren’t good or virtuous and may be amoral and disturbed). He described the other superhero characters (or “vigilantes” … “dressed up in costumes” as he put it) as “Psychopaths, sicko-paths, and fetishes”

[ambulancedriver]

I dont know I saw it last night and thought it was pretty awesome. I have never been a fan of graphic novels. In fact I could not make it through 300 with out falling asleep, but watching this on the big screen was pretty cool. The way it was shot was awesome. Before I got in to medicine I was a Photographer and I can really appreciate the visual side of the film. I would agree that the movie was about the anti-hero. It kinda reminded me of the last Batman in that regard. Also I will say the grotesque sex scenes where a little much for a superhero film. And the blood and fight scenes were awesome. All over I would say that I will watch it again. And for the record I am 23, fit, and not a comic fan. So I guess I fall out of the Mid- 30's, over weight, dorito's stained, virgin category. And finally the Music was bad ass.

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

I need more than special effects, cinematography, and visual stimulation to consider a movie good, but this would not be the first time my opinion differred from the masses.

All the hype is saying that this is going to be the first block buster of the year and audiences will go to it in droves. Most of the audience review soundbites I heard today on the local news radio were on the visual effects. However the comments seemed to all be hand selected as not a single critical comment was made (well, one critical comment but that was spun into a compliment). Yet the screening I attended was packed at the beginning with an excited audience eager to see the movie but by the end there were plenty of open seats and no buzz in the crowd as they exited the theater.

I find the ads and promo's to be rather misleading as well.

I liked Rorschach character and that he always stood on his prinicples (even in hacking up the child molester or torturing the bad guy). I thought the visual effect on some of the kills was rather interesting and they did put a new look on what I call x-ray death (where you see the skeleton as the body disintegrates) The Mars scences were interesting too but IMHO the visual effects aren't enough to carry the film. And not too many "pretty awesome" movies have "grotesque sex scenes".

** SPOILER ALERT BELOW * *

How did your audience react to the beating and attempted rape of the Silk Spectre? My audience felt it went overboard (even with Silk's ending smirk of S&M pleasure). They didn't like the graphic tug-of-war with the little girl's butchered leg as the child molester's dogs fought over her remains either.

The only resemblance I see with Batman (Dark Knight) are the costumed characters without super-powers and a bit of the so called anti-hero ending where the so-called hero agrees to allow the public to perceive him as a villian for the greater good of society at large. However, where Batman is clearly a good guy with good intentions who arguable performs heroically -- Dr Manhattan is none of those. Rorschach is the most consistent good guy and the closest hero the movie has but Dr Manhattan murders him and allows Ozymandias to live.

I expect good size crowd this weekend, but we'll see how Watchmen's box office rates after the 3rd weekend.

[Doc77]

I was thoroughly disappointed with the movie. The guys took me out to this movie as a birthday gift on the 6th and all 8 of us thought it was horrible. Complete waste of time and not worth seeing... even for free.

[Taylor]

I loved it and Im definatly not part of the dorito crowd. Guess you just need liberal-leaning sensabilities like me to enjoy it, lol.

But come on, you cant say that Rorschach was not a baddass

[8404]

...you just need liberal-leaning sensabilities like me...

LMAO Taylor, that is too funny. LLS skills, that's the ticket!

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

I loved it

I said I liked Rorschach character and that he always stood on his prinicples.


However, what did you love about the movie?

[KentuckyBoy]

In fact I could not make it through 300 with out falling asleep...


Please schedule yourself a mental exam as soon as possible.

[slgbaby]

I have 2 boys 22 and 24 one loved it the other hated it.

[AO1(AW)]

Hmm, DVD or not to DVD that is the question that preoccupies my mind....

I loved 300 and the previews of this looked pretty good to me...I had no idea who the Watchmen were until this movie came out, I had to Google them and read about them on Wikipedia! LOL.

[indy]

ahh, wikipedia...the most scholarly of scholarly sources... :D

(with tongue planted firmly in cheek...)

[AO1(AW)]

LMAO Indy....

[AO1(AW)]

Ack I went and saw it this afternoon...it was raining out, can you blame me? Wasn't all that bad my butt fell asleep...2 hours and 45 minutes plus previews and ads, damn. Could have seen less of Dr. Manhattens blue *parts*....yeeeeeah, wierd.

[MexDoc]

i didnt like it either...my gf was the only girl in the theater...after two hours we walked out..oddly i feel the need to rent it to see what happened in the end...and the guy who made a comment about 300 should get his mancard revoked...that movie is a pre-req to be a man...i seen a 13 year old girl walk in to that movie and left with a full grown beard

[Da-Chief]

MEXDOC LMAO Trying to find my ass from laughing so hard.. that and buying the girl a razor..

Too Funny

D/C

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

...that movie is a pre-req to be a man...

I don't know. Before you try revoking man cards, you need to remember that not all men like looking at men wearing leather speedo's with flowing capes and firm muscles glistening with sweat. Many a comment has been made about how homoerotic "300" is.

But then that crowd is *all man* too now aren't they...


How's this review:
http://www.houstonpress.com/2007-03-08/film/300/
300
It's Spartan hotties versus Persian trannies in Zack Snyder's far-too-faithful Frank Miller adaptation
By Nathan Lee, Houston Press,



I had a youtube parody of 300 put to "It's Raining Men" but I guess YouTube deleted it
youtube.com/watch?v=pi2t58CRmbU

[MexDoc]

I don't know. Before you try revoking man cards, you need to remember that not all men like looking at men wearing leather speedo's with flowing capes and firm muscles glistening with sweat.

you just made me feel the same feeling that i got when i was told santa claus wasn't real :err:

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

LMAO!! Hahaha!!

[Taylor]

I said I liked Rorschach character and that he always stood on his prinicples.


However, what did you love about the movie?

You know, Chief, I had this nice, long, circumspective answer all nice and typed out, but when i while revising the website reloaded and said I wasnt logged in.

Im sorry Chief, but that answer was 7 paragraphs long, I cant type it again, lol.