The Watchmen

So, yesterday I went to see The Watchmen. I knew it was something I just needed to see, as a film person and also as a comic-book-hero person. Because I am both of those things, I made sure to look into the plot and characters before and I was really happy with what the film did with the comic material. First of all the comic itself was an extremely original work, from the characters to the plot, and also still incredibly relevant to the world today. This I believe as opposed to The Spirit, which (pardon me) sucked, and Sin City, which I liked and enjoyed, but Watchmen was still good without relying on excessive (though at times graphic) violence. Not to mention, I totally adore Zack Snyder for 300, which was a visual spectacle in itself. Watchmen was also visually and aesthetically pleasing. That’s what I love most about comic-to-movie makes because it’s all about the scenes, and not just how they are played out, but how they will look, how they will feel because of the look, like everything is arranged just so to give this over-all effect. I feel like not a lot of directors are concerned enough with the details anymore. (For example: In He’s Just Not That Into You, albeit this movie is not a cinematic gem, it bothered me to no end when there was a scene with Jennifer Aniston and she was talking to her sisters and then all the sudden it cut to her hemming her dress for about 2 seconds and then went back to her face. It was totally unnecessary, chopped up, and put together with very little thought. That BOTHERED me.)
So anyway, the plot is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of everyday society. They helped fight and win the war in Vietnam and now America is in a spoiled state of “immoral indulgences” (wait this is an alternate world?) and the Cold War is heating up. The superheroes have either retired or now work for the government. When The Comedian is murdered, the other Watchmen come out to retirement to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. They uncover a conspiracy with links to their shared past and horrible consequences for the future of humanity.
I think lots of the characters serve as satirical representations for the common American during this time in history, especially with the changes in history. There’s The Silk Spectre, who is the “every woman” of the 50’s; the Comedian, this world’s version of the American Cowboy; The Night Owl, the boy scout (and not in a Batman way) who still believes in truth and justice although the whole world around him is corrupt; and the genetically super-humanized Dr. Manhattan who serves as a God-like Jiminy Cricket with all the human sensitivities of a scientist with lab rats. There’s also Rorschach, the extremist of the group? He’s kind of like the outcast of the outcasts, just a little crazier than the average nut, and yet his craziness is what keeps him on the good side. He is like the Night Owl in that he believes in justice, but he’s more like an eye for an eye type of guy.
There was one part that stood out the most to me, maybe because I’m a girl and I like Love, but it really hit a personal chord. The world is about to be blown to nuclear hell and Laurie (The Silk Spectre) goes to Dr. Manhattan to ask him to save it (they’re on Mars…). Dr. Manhattan has kind of lost sight of humanity, and lost a big part of his own humanity because he is so God-like- all knowing, omnipresent, etc. Laurie is still trying to see the good in humanity and knows it’s worth saving, but she is still trying to fight her own demons and doubts about life and the world. Then there is this great part when Dr. Manhattan is describing the miracle of human coupling and child birth and how at odds with the universe the whole process is, and yet it happens, it’s possible. And then he goes on to infer that all that happens, has a purpose, every cellular change, changes for a reason, known or unknown. I guess I just like to hold onto the idea that good can come from bad, that everything has a reason and purpose, like in 13 Conversations About The Same Thing. Like diamonds, they're beautiful, more so than their obvious luster and value, but because they came from coal. I like it, is all I’m saying.
The Watchmen was good by me, gold star.