Watchmen

Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley

Directed by: Zack Synder 

Rating: ★★★

By this point in time, you must know about the torrid history of Watchmen, as it has been heavily advertised and dissected in the press. Based on a hugely successful comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen as a movie has been in development hell since the early 90’s. Many people have claimed it was unfilmable, because of its sweeping narrative and spectacular and icon imagery, and many fans are still unconvinced that director Synder will be able to do the comic, which has a huge fan following, any justice.

The plot? Well it is hard to explain, but it starts with an assignation that makes three former superheroes come out of hiding to investigate what is going on. That is the basic plot, and by saying the rest I think it would spoil it. But it is mainly a complex political web that draws the lives of the characters in and out of one another, with the saving the world aspect as a subplot that comes closer to the fore as the story progresses. I think that not knowing the storyline makes the film much more interesting and watchable (take my word for it!).

As you can tell from the stars above, I liked it. I liked it a lot. But I hadn’t read the comic before I had seen the film, so to make sure I wrote an objective review as possible, I went to the cinema with two friends of mine who had both previously read the original source material so that they could tell me their views on the film. One of them loved it, and the other hated it. I think Watchmen is a ‘Marmite’ type of film- you either get it or you don’t. And I personally don’t think many people in the general public will. It is the kind of film that the critics love because it has ‘deep’ political meanings and is well directed so I was careful not to jump on their bandwagon. As a superhero film, I’m not sure it works, but as a political action/drama centred a gang of former superheroes, it is great.

For starters, three things about this film bugged me. The soundtrack made me wince (especially during the sex scene- why was ‘Hallelujah’ playing in the background?), the plot was at points incomprehensible (and this is why reading the book before is a good idea) and the character of Dr Manhattan (played by Billy Crudup) was dry. But these critiques aside, everything else was brilliant. The direction was great: the film looked dazzling- drawing you in from the very beginning until the end. The images were very iconic and memorable- doing the comic books justice as well as giving the film depth and style.

The acting was also very good- Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffery Dean Morgan as The Comedian stole the show with two dominating performances. Patrick Wilson who played the Nightowl was also very good, and although Malin Akerman as the second Silk Spectre wasn’t as convincing as the rest, she looked the part and held her own. Saying that, both Billy Crudup (Dr Manhattan) and Matthew Goode (Ozymandias) were not very good in their roles, but mainly because their characters were bland and forgettable, although crucial to the plot.

The special effects are amazing: Rorschach’s changing ink-blotted face is a marvel and the fight scenes look very slick and cool. And that is something else I must come on to: the action scenes. After seeing 300, I had high hopes for the director, and he did not let me down. The action sequences were by far the best parts of the film, and although the Matrix style slow motion shots were overused and unoriginal, the beat-um-up gory action was very exciting. The best part of the film was when a few of the characters break into a prison to help one of their friends, only to be encountered by some very angry and very aggressive inmates.

The gore is not for the faint of heart: you will see some very grisly bits that make you grit your teeth in disgust. One of these moments includes a bone being snapped out of an arm, and another features a meat clever and a bald head. Oh dear. But after all this is an 18 rated film, but judging by how some the audience reacted to the naked Dr Manhattan, whose neon blue penis is on show throughout the entire film, you wouldn’t have guessed it.

The overall tone of the film is very dark and unknowingly uncertain, as it takes quite a time before the final unveiling of why everything has happened to be revealed. This helps add an unpredictable quality to the film, but only if you have not read the book.

Although the story is pretty flat and drags on for longer then it should, Watchmen is a spectacle to behold, as it pleases the eye as well as the brain, since it gets you thinking about political issues you might not otherwise ponder. It isn’t the revelation that people are saying it is, but it done have a very uncharacteristically different feel, with a strongly anti-Hollywood ending. It is refreshing to see such a different move, something that isn’t your usually Hollywood hogwash.

So if you like regular superhero films, like Spiderman, you might not like Watchmen, because it is a lot more edgy, and is definitely not a happy clappy piece of cinema. Watchmen is the kind of film that everyone will have an opinion about, from the doting fans to the unaware masses. So go and watch it, and the only thing I can guarantee you is this: you will either love it, or you will hate it.