The astounding success of comic book movies in recent years has prompted the release of Watchmen, the long-awaited film adaptation of the celebrated 1987 comic book of the same name. After spending more than 20 years in development, the critically acclaimed tale about retired superheroes has made it to the silver screen with the direction of 300’s Zack Snyder. Watchmen is a complex, visually stunning film that will please fans of the comic book and the genre, but those with only a passing interest may want to wait for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The film takes place in 1985 in a world very different from our own. A full-blown war with the Soviet Union is imminent, Richard Nixon has been in office for more than a decade and masked heroes were once public figures in the fight against crime, though most have been forced to retire by popular demand. The murder of Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a government-employed hero called The Comedian, leads the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to believe that there is a killer hunting former heroes. Rorschach sets out to warn his fellow members of the defunct crime fighting team, the Watchmen: Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode), who built a corporate empire off of his alter ego, Ozymandias; Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson), the Nite Owl; Laurie Juspeczyk (Malin Åkerman), who took up the mantle of her mother, the Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino); and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a scientist who achieved superhero status the old-fashioned way — a laboratory experiment gone awry. As the investigation continues, more misfortunes befall the former heroes and a sinister conspiracy emerges. Millions of lives are in danger, and the only ones who may be able to prevent disaster are the heroes the public is so eager to condemn.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “Gee, that sounds really long and involved,” you’re not wrong. Watchmen is complicated and very detailed. Every character is complex, and the story spans decades. The film is extremely faithful to the source material — perhaps too faithful. Only a few subplots have been eliminated and certain elements have been changed, but they are relatively trivial. An adaptation is supposed to be a synthesis of the source material and the creativity of the filmmakers, the result of which is a film that can stand on its own. Watchmen is a direct translation that depends heavily on prior knowledge and enjoyment of the comic book.
Whatever the flaws of the story the filmmakers chose to tell, the film is well made. It looks great. The integration of special effects and live action is seamless. The colors are brilliant and the shadows deep and suffocating. Well-chosen, iconic songs are scattered throughout the film, and they are often used ironically and sometimes a little too self-consciously. All of the actors give strong performances, though Wilson, Haley and Gugino are the standouts.
Watchmen clocks in at two hours and 42 minutes, but the time passes easily enough. For some viewers this will prove unbearable, but fans will crave more. Ultimately, Watchmen is a visually impressive, complex and entertaining look at the dark side of a well-loved genre.
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