‘Watchmen’ falls shy of super status

Nick Temple, Copy Editor
May 19, 2009
Filed under Uncategorized

Comic book movies are usually hit-or-miss affairs. The adaptations of brainy, articulate graphic novels loved by nerdy fans are hated for being oversimplified by Hollywood, and loved by the masses for their whizz-bang action, while the mainstream comics become complicated stories loved by the nerds and loathed by the average moviegoer.

“Watchmen” is something altogether different: a brainy, articulate graphic novel that has experienced both critical and commercial success. The experience that comes with it is just as unique –  a shockingly average film that makes a complicated story into a whizz-bang romp through a pretty flat world.

The novel, published as a 12-part limited series in the mid-80s, is a massive story, arching across many years of history (much of which writer Alan Moore, of “V for Vendetta” fame, rewrites in the process) and weaving together the lives of dozens of multi-faceted characters into a tapestry of crazy. Set in an otherworld America where masked heroes helped the U.S. win the war in Vietnam and elect Richard Nixon to a third term, Watchmen tells the story of has-been vigilantes facing the very real risk of nuclear war with the Soviets.

Fans of the series have been waiting for a film adaptation since the conflicted costumed heroes first saw the light of day in 1986. After 20 years in development hell, “300” director Zach Snyder has finally brought Moore’s magnum opus to the big screen as the first blockbuster movie of 2009.

Snyder’s big-screen adaptation is a no-holds-barred action movie, opening, like the book, with the murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), choreographed to Nat King Cole’s classic song “Unforgettable.” The action starts early and carries straight on until the movie’s final earth-shaking moments.

The film makes a great action movie, with excellent performances from Morgan’s The Comedian, and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, along with many others. Unfortunately, the performances from actress Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter and Billy Crudup as Doctor Manhattan leave something to be desired.

The characters of Moore’s ‘Watchmen’ are deep, complex, flawed beings – far removed from the idealized heroes such as Batman and Superman –  at war with themselves and each other.

The characters of Snyder’s film are, unfortunately, flawed for different reasons. Although most, if not all, of the performances are at least action-movie worthy, the “Watchmen” legacy is too much for the movie to live up to. Moore’s book is a character-driven plot, focused on what goes on between and within the major players, whereas Snyder’s film is more concerned with the story itself.

By itself, “Watchmen” would be an excellent action movie. But as it is, within the long shadow of Alan Moore, the film leaves much to be desired.

“Watchmen” is a solid action film, a mediocre adaptation and an excellent companion to Moore’s original. Is “Watchmen” perfect? Far from it.

But isn’t that the point? In the world of the Watchmen, even our heroes are miles from perfection.