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Rottenwatch: WATCHMEN
- Thread starter DevelopmentArrested
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twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
... so, as a Watchmen virgin, should I see the movie or read the graphic novel first?
Fun Factor
Formerly FTWer
Dead said:can't wait!
OMG did Alan Moore do that?
LOL He must HATE HATE the fact it is getting good reviews now.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
twinturbo2 said:
READ FIRST. go. now!!!!
polyh3dron
Banned
Just like seeing it on a normal screen. It won't take advantage of the screen's height like select scenes of The Dark Knight did. You may as well go see it in a normal theater, the seats are comfier and in a digitally projected theater the audio will be just as good.Decado said:
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
All work and no play make Jack a... uhh....
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Snaku said:
Will remove as soon as he updates...
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
updated OP. thanks so much man.
Rabid Wolverine
Member
Got my IMAX tickets booked for next Friday.
Never read a thing about Watchmen but the Trailers look fantastic.
Never read a thing about Watchmen but the Trailers look fantastic.
Buttonbasher
Member
Doubtful. Alan Moore writes the stuff, not illustrates. Plus I doubt he would go to the trouble for something he doesn't care about.FTWer said:
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Catalix said:
Aww shucks!
Attention Toronto/GTA Gaffers:
Want to see Watchmen in advance? March 3rd to be exact?
Here is how this will work:
Pretty late, I know :/ You have 2 days!
This is the real deal for I just got a tickets to the show
(My friend's friend's friend is the one organizing it so my friend asked her friend's friend to get me a ticket).polyh3dron
Banned
Fuck, why are there no cool advance screenings like this for LA?
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
shagg_187 said:Aww shucks!
Attention Toronto/GTA Gaffers:
Want to see Watchmen in advance? March 3rd to be exact?
Here is how this will work:
Pretty late, I know :/ You have 2 days!
This is the real deal for I just got a tickets to the show
the onyl problem is that the screening is at bloor cinema.. i'll enter but id prefer a bigger screen.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
ezekial45 said:
As I suggested, I really hope that your thread becomes the spoiler thread (with appropriate thread title) instead of this one.
Expendable.
Member
Pretty sure I'm seeing a press screening on Monday! Can't wait. I may do a podcast review for my website with others that have seen it. Will let GAF know!
AlkalineSolo
Neo Member
Got a chance to see a screening of 'watchmen' at the alamo drafthouse in Austin, Tx the other night. before the movie started harry knowles addressed the crowd. and everyone screamed and cheered. The crowd seemed positive throughout the entire movie, with the theater abrupting in cheers and applause a couple times during the film.
My first thought after the movie ended was that if you didn't read the comics, it might be a hard movie to follow. it's a really dense film, with basically the entire story crammed into a nearly 3 hour film. This is great for fans, but can lead to many scenes feeling long and cumbersome. As well as confusing throughout. The movie, like the graphic novel, jumps through different periods in time rather quickly, and if you aren't paying close attention, it can be a little much.
Visually the film is absolutely amazing. Everything from the way it was shot to the special effects are top notch. The opening scene is particularly jarring. Another interesting aspect of the film is that the entire soundtrack is taken from the 70's and 80's. For the most part, this helps add to the feel of the movie, and reminds viewers of the era the film takes place. There are a few times, however, where the soundtrack is distracting from the experience. An awkward dinner scene accompanied by '99 red balloons' immediately springs to mind.
i'm not going to get in to the actors. Most of the super heroes are represented well, Rorschach
especially. And the origin story of Dr Manhattan is an exceptional scene, which seems to have been taken word for word from the comics.
The one big gripe I have with the film is a jailbreak late in the movie. The action sequence is extended from what is seen in the graphic novel, and really makes the otherwise 'real' comstumed heroes feel inauthentic. To me, this was just put in to keep the audience interested, and really didn't add to the story or character development at all. That plus the entire sequence has a really annoying techno soundtrack playing over it the whole time which really turned me off to it.
In the end, though, I seriously love this movie. It's amazing to me that zack snyder was able to retain so much of the source material in the film. It's just as unique and mature as the graphic novel. Much of the dialogue is exactly the same. and all of the changes that were made make sense. I really want to see it again, because I think it's something that needs to be seen more than once to fully grasp.
My first thought after the movie ended was that if you didn't read the comics, it might be a hard movie to follow. it's a really dense film, with basically the entire story crammed into a nearly 3 hour film. This is great for fans, but can lead to many scenes feeling long and cumbersome. As well as confusing throughout. The movie, like the graphic novel, jumps through different periods in time rather quickly, and if you aren't paying close attention, it can be a little much.
Visually the film is absolutely amazing. Everything from the way it was shot to the special effects are top notch. The opening scene is particularly jarring. Another interesting aspect of the film is that the entire soundtrack is taken from the 70's and 80's. For the most part, this helps add to the feel of the movie, and reminds viewers of the era the film takes place. There are a few times, however, where the soundtrack is distracting from the experience. An awkward dinner scene accompanied by '99 red balloons' immediately springs to mind.
i'm not going to get in to the actors. Most of the super heroes are represented well, Rorschach
especially. And the origin story of Dr Manhattan is an exceptional scene, which seems to have been taken word for word from the comics.
The one big gripe I have with the film is a jailbreak late in the movie. The action sequence is extended from what is seen in the graphic novel, and really makes the otherwise 'real' comstumed heroes feel inauthentic. To me, this was just put in to keep the audience interested, and really didn't add to the story or character development at all. That plus the entire sequence has a really annoying techno soundtrack playing over it the whole time which really turned me off to it.
In the end, though, I seriously love this movie. It's amazing to me that zack snyder was able to retain so much of the source material in the film. It's just as unique and mature as the graphic novel. Much of the dialogue is exactly the same. and all of the changes that were made make sense. I really want to see it again, because I think it's something that needs to be seen more than once to fully grasp.
twinturbo2 said:
Well, it depends. I saw it with a couple of friends who had basically next to no prior Watchmen knowledge, but knew we were going to see a slightly different "superhero movie", and they still enjoyed it immensely. It is a pretty damn long and multilayered experience though (and I can't wait to see it again in the theater and later on blu-ray, because there is just so so much detail in it), so I would recommend that you at least read up on the Watchmen universe, if you can find a good spoiler-free write-up somewhere. On the other hand, if you think that spoiling yourself the story won't affect your enjoying of the movie, then by all means read the graphic novel. I'm actually really glad that I went in already knowing the story and all the characters, so I could fully concentrate on the cinematography, which is, I think, amazing.
Also, I think you'll understand the motivation behind the characters' decisions better if you read the comic first. I thought the movie did a fantastic job as far as character development is concerned, especially considering how many vigilantes there are. But obviously they simply couldn't include every little scene, every little information from the heroes' history. (I mean, even the Moore and Gibbons chose not to, that's why in the book you get to read the text in between chapters, right?
) This is true especially for Adrian alias Ozymandias and the movie's final 30-40 minutes. It's not like everything is not explained or that it doesn't make sense, because it does. It's just that there's quite a bit of narration at the end and everything feels a bit compressed, as if they had to rush a little to keep the film from reaching the 3 hour target, or something. But I had a slight problem with the comic's ending anyway, so maybe it's just me. I guess what I'm saying is that you're probably good one way or another.Anyways, if you guys have specific questions about the movie you want answered, I'd be happy to provide them. I'll be sure to spoiler-tag everything, if I can manage to find out how to do that.
nidopal said:
Beware, major story spoiler below.
It's pretty similar to the comic, really, but it's like a shorter version. Much of the dialog between Jon and Laurie is essentially the same. And Jon turns ("I changed my mind.") his opinion on human life just as quickly as in the comic, after Laurie realizes that Blake was her father. As I said in the post above, I felt that they rushed this final part a little. If I remember correctly while Laurie and Jon are talking on Mars, in the movie Rorschach and Daniel are already flying to Antarctica, while in the comic these two scenes (Mars -> the breaking into Veidt's headquarters) are presented in a linear fashion. I dunno, maybe that's how I felt because in the movie there are no Black Freighter parts to slow everything down and no newsstand man / black guy intermezzos whatsoever. But other than that, it's really faithful to the graphic novel.
Justin Bailey
------ ------
Dead said:
If you're going to go see the movie soon, it's probably too late to read the book first, since you should really never go straight from one medium to another like that (will sour the one you do second 100% of the time). If you have some patience, though, I'd suggest reading the book first and coming back to the film in six months or so when you can give it a fair shake, or the other way around with the movie first if you're impatient.
Regardless of how the movie is, the book is something that very much should be experienced. It's powerful, scarily well-layered and nuanced (take a look at the script afterwards, you'll go wide-eyed), all without losing its accessibility. Pretty fuckin' brilliant, basically.
Regardless of how the movie is, the book is something that very much should be experienced. It's powerful, scarily well-layered and nuanced (take a look at the script afterwards, you'll go wide-eyed), all without losing its accessibility. Pretty fuckin' brilliant, basically.
The Lamonster
Member
I've been telling my friends that it doesn't really matter whether you see the book or the movie first, just as long as you make sure to read the book at some point.EviLore said:
and that Alan Moore .jpg is fucking brilliant.
It's like the opposite for me because I just can't imagine them doing the graphic novel proper justice. although I won't hate on it for that, since there's just no way to cram that whole thing into a 2-3 hour movie and have it be even close to capturing both the feeling and all of the little moments in the story. The trailer did look relatively faithful to the comic, but I know it can't be as faithful as I'd like. about the only way they could have a faithful adaptation is an animated miniseries that covers the entire graphic novel, including the parallel story with Tales of the Black Freighter.Solo said:
Why are so many Watchmen fans not willing to say that they are hyped for this movie? Most of my friends who are big fans just won't let themselves get hyped cause they say "The novel can never be properly represented..blah blah".
I enjoyed Watchmen the graphic novel alot, but I feel like Snyder gave enough OTPHJ's to enough execs to have been able to create a movie that is faithful to the novel and to it's dedicated fans. LETS ALL GO SEE IT AND LOVE THE MOVIE!
I enjoyed Watchmen the graphic novel alot, but I feel like Snyder gave enough OTPHJ's to enough execs to have been able to create a movie that is faithful to the novel and to it's dedicated fans. LETS ALL GO SEE IT AND LOVE THE MOVIE!
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Watchmen is pretty much designed to work at its maximum in the graphic novel medium, it can't really be matched. I'm excited for the film, but it just can not match the book.exarkun said:
I don't read many books, this is kind of my first time where a book I truly cared about was adapted.:lol i think I'm handling it well.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
exarkun said:
I'm hyped as hell, and I fully expect it to fall short. Just like Dune when I saw that back in the 80's-- no matter what comes of it, THEY MADE WATCHMEN INTO A FUCKING MOVIE!
I only hope it doesn't flop/turn out awful so I have to explain (yet again) that this Moore guy writes great comics even if the movie versions are not that good.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
So... WCM.com had a contest that started as a joke by Dave Gibbons (i.e. "Sum up watchmen in as little words as possible). Here are the winners hand-picked by Gibbons himself:
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
2nd one is the best. It's got a bit of cadence to it.shagg_187 said:
Ignatz Mouse said:I'm hyped as hell, and I fully expect it to fall short. Just like Dune when I saw that back in the 80's-- no matter what comes of it, THEY MADE WATCHMEN INTO A FUCKING MOVIE!
I only hope it doesn't flop/turn out awful so I have to explain (yet again) that this Moore guy writes great comics even if the movie versions are not that good.
V for Vendetta was pretty awesome, though for that one I read the book after I saw the movie.
And I never thought about the fact that this is the first time that a book that they really cared about was being turned into a movie. Maybe I should be more sensitive?
Coin Return
Loose Slot
2 more rotten reviews have been posted:
What a douche.
polyh3dron
Banned
3rd rate Chandler-esque narration?
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Buttonbasher said:
But fits so well into peoples' misappropriations about him! Can we just assume he did it, the way people assume he wrote the graphic novel Watchmen even though the Motion Comic doesn't mention him once.
I'm skeptical.
;D
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
just the clips i've watched online have made my head explode, showering the surrounding area with rainbow colored pools of nerdjoy. my expectations are fully realistic: i just want to see someone try to put this on screen.
i'll take the failures in stride and let my jaw drop where appropriate.
i'll take the failures in stride and let my jaw drop where appropriate.
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