Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder is based off of the critically acclaimed graphic novel. The novel is the winner of the Hugo Award and is in TIME magazines top 100 novels. All of the fans of the book have long awaited a film adaption of the masterpiece, and, in 2009, they got it.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding whether or not the film would be any good for many reasons. One of them being that movies never seem to live up to the expectations fans' have from the text. The next was that this was a very dark, different type of graphic novel that might shock viewers with its tone. In fact, this ended up being the case. The movie bombed at the global box office only making 185 million on a 130 million dollar budget. In addition to that, the film agitated fans of the novel due to the differences Snyder made in the adaption. But, does all of this mean it is a bad movie? This movie grasps the darkness and despair evoked from the novel while putting a new and innovative twist to modernize the plot. This movie is a visual and storytelling masterpiece as it introduces and develops these intriguing and complex characters.
The opening scene immediately set the tone for the rest of the movie. It tunes into Eddie Blake, also known as the Comedian, flipping through the channels. When he finally finds a show that soothes him, he is interrupted by an intruder. They then get into a brutal fight in which the Comedian is heavily outmatched. Nat King Cole's Unforgettable plays in the background presenting the perfect contrast. The song is used perfectly as it ends with the Comedian being thrown out the window in slow motion, inevitably falling to his death. The scene set the tone for the movie by letting us know we could expect a visual treasure within a complex narrative. I really felt the impact of this fight when the song ends and the Comedian's bloody smiley-face pin descends.
The narrative of the movie follows an alternate history where superheroes exist and cease to exist. You know right off the bat that this is an alternative history as it plays Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' while giving us a slow motion (near stills) montage of the rise and fall of masked heroes. We can see how these heroes were treated and why they were needed. For example, in the montage, it shows two women slaughtered in bed for being homosexual. As the montage follows the dark alternate timeline, it also sets up stories for these characters in the future. One of many examples of this is it shows a young boy in anger which we later find out is Rorschach. It also exhibits how President Nixon has been elected for a fourth term. It further displays that the Minutemen were the first group of heroes shown in a more tolerable time. Then, as the Watchmen come along, you can see the hate and apathy of society develop eventually leading to Nixon banning masked vigilantes. Thus, creating the bases for the movie's narrative.
The plot, while sensible and cutting-edge, is purely character driven. The movie has this group of characters struggling to find a sense of direction in their lives. We are first introduced to the Comedian, portrayed by Jeffery Dean Morgan, who is the connective tissue for a large portion of the movie. But, don't let the name fool you, he is not funny at all. In fact, he is quite savage in nature. At his funeral, we really get to see who he was as it shows each of the Watchmen's flashbacks of encounters with him. In Dr. Manhattan's flashback, they are shown at a bar in Vietnam, after winning the war. A woman then walks in telling the Comedian that they need to talk about the baby they are going to have. Upset with her assertive behavior, he shoots her, killing her and her unborn child.
The next character that is filled with complexity is Rorschach. His true identity is Walter Kovacs but the world merely knows him as the masked, ruthless vigilante. He is portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley who breaks through and gives us the best performance of the film. He really obtains this character giving us the dark and brutal person that his character is. For example, after Rorschach has been arrested, he discusses how he became the killer that he is. He goes into great detail giving us inhuman visuals to follow his narration. It shows how a girl has been killed by a crazed murderer who is then beaten to death by Rorschach with a large knife. He states how after this, Walter Kovacs no longer existed. His character is unlikable and unpleasant but you can see the inner struggle he has and the attachment he has to the Watchmen. He is given narrating his journal over the course of the movie which really lets us step into his shoes and see what he sees.
The next, and most powerful character I want to discuss is Dr. Manahattan, also known as Jon Osterman. He is given a very believable and dramatic performance by Billy Crudup as he captures the character's detachment from humanity. He is given the ability to manipulate matter at his will due to a science experiment gone wrong. You can see how this starts to change him. The narrative of this character is how he is slowly becoming less and less human causing him to make questionable decisions. For example, while in an interview he is asked about the threat of nuclear war and answers, "A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally there's no discernible difference." This shows how his powers and inhuman traits are creating his detachment. This is important in the plot because the United States is relying on him. The threat of nuclear war with the Russians is the driving force for all of the characters' actions in the film. And, with Manhattan being so powerful, they hope that he can save them from global destruction.
Moreover, the next, and arguably the protagonist of the film, is Nite Owl, also known as Dan Dreiberg who is portrayed by Patrick Wilson. He is by far the most humanized character by being what looks to be just an average guy. His character struggles with the banning of masked heroes due to the fact that this became a part of his true identity. He is seen a plethora of different times throughout the film being depressed over no longer fighting crime. In addition, Silk Spectre, whose real name is Laurie Juspeczyk, is portrayed by Malin Akerman and is first the love interest for both Dr. Mahnattan and Nite Owl in the film. She leaves Jon for Dan due to Jon's inhuman emotions. So, as she and Dan are about to make love for the first time, Dan could not focus or participate because of his torn identity.
The last character from the film that I want to discuss is Ozymandias, also known as Adrian Veidt brought to life by Matthew Goode. He is the antagonist of the film but we are not aware of this until the end of the movie. He was a member of the Watchmen having genius intellect and enhanced speed/strength. His is the only member of the Watchmen to have revealed his true identity to the rest of the world. He is also a billionaire who is working with Dr. Manhattan to recreate his powers to use for free, renewable energy. However, we later learn that his intentions were not this at all. He planned to use the recreation of Manhattan's powers to kill millions of people. He wanted to do this to, in his eyes, avoid nuclear war. His idea of killing millions to save billions is a complex concept which caused a lot of controversy. This shows exactly who is character is. He is a man among a God who wants to be the world's savior. His plan is not that of normal villain as he is actually trying to save people by killing them.
All of these characters give us multiple perspectives on the world as we see it. They create an emotional connection with each other that you can feel while watching. These different character stories all connect to give a bigger plot. This movie is, in my eyes, a movie with a plot, which is then divided into different subplots and perspectives from each developed character. The characters are brought together by the death of the Comedian which makes everyone rethink the decisions they've made. It amazes me how all of these characters are intertwined and connected in such a way that adds to the general plot which is averting nuclear war. It ends all of this with Ozymandias killing millions of people over selected cities across the world. Rorschach did not want to accept this so he threatened to tell the world that it was Ozymandias not Dr. Manhattan. This would undo the effects of all the deaths that Ozymandias intended. So, Dr. Manhattan, aware of the situation, agreed that he would take the blame for the deaths hoping that the world would come to peace after such a tragedy. But, Rorschach would have not allowed for this to happen. Thus, resulting in the most emotional scene of the movie. Rorschach explains that he will never stop and says that Dr. Manhattan will have to kill him. As he shouts, "Do it!" while crying in despair, he is incinerated by Dr. Manhattan. The movie then ends with a newspaper company receiving Rorschach's journal which contains the truth. Thus, making us question what would happen next.
In conclusion, this movie leaves you with several questions. Should Dr. Manhattan have killed Rorschach? Was Ozymandias's plan justified? Will the falsified reality hold up? These are thoughts that all of us had as the movie closed. It does such a great job of making the viewer question what is right and what is wrong. A movie with such complexity and unfamiliarity creates such an original piece of art. It takes us to an alternate reality while still expanding upon themes that relate to society today. Not only does the story thrive through its character development and plot, but it also flourished further through masterful visuals, a state-of-the-art soundtrack, and dark tone. This movie is a different kind of comic book movie. It is one of the most unique movies I have seen in my lifetime and I would highly recommend it. Not all movies need to dig into what makes humanity good and have a happy ending. This movie breaks stereotypes with its innovative style and complex storytelling. Thus, this is not only one of my favorite comic book adaptions but one of my favorite movies of all time.
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