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| Blogs > rm_smosmof2 > Echoes from the sand pit |
Watchmen
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Watchmen I'm such a freak on the subject I just had to publish my opinion on the subject. Quibbles. That's about all I can make is quibbles. It would have been nice to have included information about where Rorshak's mask came from, but since that was one of the most artificial parts of the book, it's probably just as well that it was ignored. I'd have prefered Dylan's own versions of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Desolation Row", but then, I've heard that Dylan himself prefered Hendrix' arrangement, so who am I to quibble? I was also delighted at the inclusion of a couple of Leonard Cohen songs. I've become such a Cohen freak in recent years. So many pieces of it are, to me, letter perfect, that I can't fault the missing pieces. In one of the reviews, they indicate that a Director's Cut, with an additional 25 minutes, will be in the theatres in June, and the DVD of the "Black Freighter" will be out in a couple of weeks, but neither of these are necessary to the main story, which struck me as being startlingly complete. But then, I have to admit that I'm too close to the source to be able to see the film as anything but an extention of the original. If there's anything lacking in the storytelling, I can't see it. I actually prefer this version of the ending. It's the kind of self-referential piece that the original story needed, but lacked. Performances: no complaints whatsoever, with special praise for Jackie Earl Haley's Rorshak and Kovaks. Both letter perfect. Trying to express my pleasure at the list of small performances that were great would take too long. If there were any weak notes, the treatment of Nixon might be considered one. What we see on the screen is more of a caricature than a realistic interpretation. But, as I said when I started, that's a quibble. The showing I attended was only about 40% full. Possibly due to the fact that it was a Friday morning show. I'm intensely curious to see what kind of audiences this draws. Lord knows that this film has received enough advance hype that it should have reached its target audience, but it remains to be seen if this can bring in the general audience who has no idea what the source material was. I was at a bookstore a week ago, and couldn't believe the number of supplementary books that have been released in conjunction with the release of the film, but we don't get to expect to see any Burger King give aways for this film. Interesting also is the fact that this follows in the wake of Dark Knight Returns, which probably wouldn't have existed without the existence of the original material, or Miller's Dark Knight. Watchmen and Dark Knight had such an impact on the field at the time that it's hard to determine now what the field would have been like without them. |
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3/16/2009 6:32 pm |
I saw it night before last, and will spare you my review. LOL. Never having read the graphic novel, and being completely unfamiliar with the story, my assessment is irrelevant and purely film-biased. But the point is that I'm thrilled you had a great weekend (previous post) and that you've finally gotten to see one of your favourites up on the screen. Nothing like soaking it all in and communing with the story & characters you love so much. So glad to see your review!! *HUGS*
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Actually, I'm very much interested in hearing the opinions of people who weren't familiar with the original material. As I said in the review itself, I'm too close to the material to be able to see it clearly, and I'm curious as to whether the same things that work for me will work for someone not already intimately acquainted with it, who's studied panels to eke out details crammed into the background (one of the disadvantages to converting the story to film--you can't just cram detail in the background that way and still make it accessible to the audience....).
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