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Rottenwatch: WATCHMEN

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I've been a fan of the comic since junior high(early 90's). And I have to say, I found the movie a bit dull. I'm not exactly sure why, either. It's a competent adaptation but it's just missing the comic's soul. Strange.

EDIT: Also, I feel like some of the ideas in the comic are outdated. Nobody's fault, it just seems quaint considering the changes the world has gone through since 1986.
 
After watching it, i suffered from the slightly depressing restlessness where i question my own merit and contributions to the world wishing i had the talent to create something meaningful. This feeling is reserved for only the movie that impact me visually/imaginatively like the lord of the ring films. I definetly need to see it again.
 
Buttonbasher said:
What kind of idiot parents would think this is a good movie to bring their freaking baby to?

3 Babies in this viewing.

Smart move parents. Hope you and your young one loved that scene with the hands.
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My first movie was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I was one.
 
Cosmic Bus said:
Thought this was quite terrible, and the sort of movie that is almost better critiqued by throwing adjectives at it (jumbled, clumsy, stilted, ugly, boring, awkward, inept, laughable, poorly-paced...) rather than attempting to detail everything that was so wrong.

Not having read the book, I can only hope that the dialogue was mostly rewritten for the script, because it was wincingly bad in many instances, and hearty congratulations to Snyder for managing to accumulate the worst uses of popular music in a film since Vanilla Sky.
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Much of the dialog was verbatim. It works way better on the page.
 
So, I watched this tonight with a few other people.

Having never read the graphic novel and having no background on the story, the movie was just fucking weird/awkward to me, in so many ways. The cheesiness and pretentious attitudes of the characters was off the charts for me, so much so that it was difficult to get emotionally invested or take anything seriously. The hanging blue cock certainly didnt help matters either. You just knew that was the only thing anyone was staring at, any scene it was in.

Some thing simply aren't meant to be adapted to live action- fluorescent, omnipotent naked blue men (attempting to have sex) being part of that category.

I guess you could say I just didn't 'get' it.
 
Slurpy said:
So, I watched this tonight with a few other people.

Having never read the graphic novel and having no background on the story, the movie was just fucking weird/awkward to me, in so many ways. The cheesiness and pretentious attitudes of the characters was off the charts for me, so much so that it was difficult to get emotionally invested or take anything seriously. The hanging blue cock certainly didnt help matters either. You just knew that was the only thing anyone was staring at, any scene it was in.

Some thing simply aren't meant to be adapted to live action- fluorescent, omnipotent naked blue men (attempting to have sex) being part of that category.

I guess you could say I just didn't 'get' it.
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I was actually quite surprised at how I never really noticed it for the longest time. It's not like his dick is ever really in the main focus over his face or the rest of his body. But, to each his own, I suppose.
 
SpeedingUptoStop said:
I was actually quite surprised at how I never really noticed it for the longest time. It's not like his dick is ever really in the main focus over his face or the rest of his body. But, to each his own, I suppose.
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I think I feel the same way. It only really had any level of impact on me when it's first shown. Every scene after that in which it appears I looked at it no differently than I would his nose or ears.
 
DevelopmentArrested said:
Huh? It made 4 million on Thursday, 25 on Friday. They anticipate 25 Saturday, 20 Sunday.

That's just as much 300 made opening weekend. A 75 million opening for a 3 hour R rated film is phenomenal.
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It's projected right now to make between 55-60 million. Which is 15-10 million less than 300.

25 mil friday INCLUDES midnights btw.
 
Just came back from watching it and i thought it was good. There were definitely some slow ass spots, but the last 30 mins was very interesting.
 
jett said:
This movie reaching 70m this weekend is inconcievable. Your best hope is the mid 60s.
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that is a long shot at that as well. It will be lucky to hit 60. I bet it will be just 1-2 mil short of 60.

Deadline Hollywood said it's making less than what WB was expecting so there you go.
 
I'm not all too surprised that it's falling a bit behind 300. It is about twice as long, after all, with less action + a lot more plot to chew on.
 
I was looking at the latest reviews on the RT page and I see this:

The movie's not so subtle homoerotic content will draw in gay viewers as it did Snyder's 300 but 163 minutes is an awfully long time to expect a lone blue cock to remain entertaining -- especially one that never gets hard.
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13044_icon.gif


what a piece of shit.
 
SpeedingUptoStop said:
I'm not all too surprised that it's falling a bit behind 300. It is about twice as long, after all, with less action + a lot more plot to chew on.
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And it simply looks too fucking weird, visually. I think being so slavish to a 1985 superhero comic book was not quite the right decision. Some of those characters already looked fucking stupid in the book, and look even worse in the flesh.
 
jett said:
And it simply looks too fucking weird, visually. I think being so slavish to a 1985 superhero comic book was not quite the right decision. Some of those characters already looked fucking stupid in the book, and look even worse in the flesh.
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13044_icon.gif
 
Just got back from it a second time.
Definitely a pretty sweet movie, but not as good as my first impression.
Doc Manhattan's ship actually looked pretty cheesy. The CGI was kinda crappy.
 
WTF is wrong with all the people focusing on the blue dick? BIG FUCKING DEAL!!

Seriously, this is the closest we'll ever get to a faithful adaptation of the comic, and while a few things could have been better, a lot of the negative points people bring up are downright nitpicky. Sure, I would've preferred the original ending but I understand why they changed it; and I also understand the criticisms people bring up regarding it. Still, it turned out better than I thought.

Also, why the fuck would you read the comic only days before the movie??? When it's this fresh in your mind, of course you'll feel kinda bored and of course you'll feel disappointed that everything wasn't included or somethings were changed (despite this movie being one of the most faithful translations).

Anyway, Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, and The Comedian were played to perfection, imo. Veidt was better than I thought but I would've liked his backstory to be better fleshed out or at least not easily missable. Also, the pacing might have benefited from a more structured approach, but it was FAR from bad like some made it out to be. Some of the stylized action scenes did make them seem like real superheroes...but hey, it was entertaining. Overall, the movie stayed true to its source, and it was great.
 
saw it tonight, thought it was pretty hollow compared to the graphic novel. It's a medium issue really, not so much an issue with the director, It's all trying to be "hey! feel something!", I know what I was SUPPOSED to feel but didn't feel it.
ESPECIALLY THAT SEX SCENE, WHAT THE HELL. No dead Hollis, no octopi, no nothing ever ends quote from Dr.M.
I laughed out loud at the ridiculous amount of blood in the movie though, needless to say, I was the only one who did.
 
Anybody catch the sign seen on the video monitor when Jon is talking to Adrian? The Karnak scienentist are in the background the the name of the unit is some five-work thing I didn't catch, but the acronym would be SQUID. Cute.
 
Tobor said:
I've been a fan of the comic since junior high(early 90's). And I have to say, I found the movie a bit dull. I'm not exactly sure why, either. It's a competent adaptation but it's just missing the comic's soul. Strange.

EDIT: Also, I feel like some of the ideas in the comic are outdated. Nobody's fault, it just seems quaint considering the changes the world has gone through since 1986.
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I think a big part of it is that the movie is missing the sense of nostalgia the graphic novel had. In the novel, you had a real sense of the heros lamenting the 'good ole days' or what have you but here it's missing. The tone off the movie really did feel off. The fight scenes rocked though.
 
Just got back from the movie (saw it on IMAX), and I'm definitely glad I read GAF's impressions before I saw the movie...because you guys lowered my expectations going in...and when I came out I thought the movie was a great great adaptation of the GN.

The only major critique I would say is that the movie's musical selections were very odd. I understand the reasoning for them being in the movie, however they just seemed out of place.

Dreiberg - Nailed it.
Silk Spectre II - Nailed it (she was just as obtuse in the GN)
Jon - Obviously nailed it.
Rorschach - Nailed it.
Comedian - Nailed it.
Veidt - Wish they picked someone with a little more physical presence, but nailed the personality.
Silk Spectre I - ...why Gugino? I know she's hot, but she's not 60+ :lol

And as to
the change ending from the GN. I had no issues there. Ozy blew up major locations all around the world so they would unite against a common enemy. A great change considering there was absolutely zero way that squid-face would sell on screen.

Another small gripe I had was the inclusion of
Bubastis
. Seemed very out of place and not needed.

The action sequences only felt overdone in the alley scene, but even that wasn't anything too insane. I had no issue with the portrayal of strength the characters had.
Ozy was portrayed in the GN as being in peak physical form and was able to catch a fucking bullet. Of course the guy is going to be able to throw people around like rag dolls. He's supposed to be super-human in physical capabilities so no issue there at all.

Change up the music a bit and you've got a AAA movie.

Highly recommend it. Great adaptation, and great movie in general.
 
Things I liked about it:
Rorschach, Intro scene with the comedian, Violence, Music choice (WTF)

Things I didnt like:
Blue Penis, Sex scene, and basically the rest of the movie

people started walking out when Dr.Manhattan went to mars

Im glad I didnt expect too much before the movie started.
 
DarkStar said:
Things I liked about it:
Rorschach, Intro scene with the comedian, Violence, Music choice (WTF)

Things I didnt like:
Blue Penis, Sex scene, and basically the rest of the movie

people started walking out when Dr.Manhattan went to mars

Im glad I didnt expect too much before the movie started.
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You need a girlfriend. Seriously, not to pick on you but how insecure does one have to be to pick a blue penis as their first flaw with a movie? That's pretty sad man.
 
DevelopmentArrested said:
You need a girlfriend. Seriously, not to pick on you but how insecure does one have to be to pick a blue penis as their first flaw with a movie? That's pretty sad man.
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Lol I got a girlfriend and Im glad I didnt take her with me to see it

all Im tryin to say is; what do those things have to do with super heroes?
it was pretty weird to me,. like a few others said who posted before me

but then again I never read the gn or did some research on the history of watchmen
me and my friends just watched it because the dude from 300 made it
wich was cool, because I enjoyed the fighting scenes alot =)
 
DarkStar said:
Lol I got a girlfriend and Im glad I didnt take her with me to see it

all Im tryin to say is; what do those things have to do with super heroes?
it was pretty weird to me,. like a few others that posted before me

but then again I never read the gn or did some research on the history of watchmen
me and my friends just watchid because the dude from 300 made it
wich was cool, because I enjoyed the fighting scenes alot =)
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Dr. Manhattan is so detached from his humanity that concepts like shame and indecency no longer have any meaning to him. It's not hard to figure out.
 
i really enjoyed it....i have not read the novel but i understood what was happening and found it to be very interesting, especially the whole alternate history thing and how they explained it in the intro.

music was awesome as well
 
Tobor said:
Dr. Manhattan is so detached from his humanity that concepts like shame and indecency no longer have any meaning to him. It's not hard to figure out.
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Nah. He stopped wearing pants 'cause he already knew his future self didn't wear pants.
 
I was quite happy with the adaptation. Considering I've read the graphic novel (once) and it was recently, getting a quick visualization is the perfect follow up. The actors, particularly Dan, Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan were spot-on throughout and the casting was nearly perfect. Those complaining about the dialogue may not have read the graphic novel or they're possibly not familiar with the reasoning for the type of language used.

I was happy with their choice of adapted quotes too. While I understand it was VERY by the book, that's kind of what I was looking for after reading it so recently. It also helped some of the metaphors flow well and the stronger themes of the novel were very well presented in my opinion. My only real let down with the story was the lack of development (in comparison) for Ozy, and I felt his representation in the film was too deliberate and a bit unfinished when it wrapped.

Other pros/cons:

+ Well-paced and spaced out action considering I expected insane amounts of bs slow-mo (although that first scene with the comedian scared me a bit with its four straight shots of slow-mo)
+ Visually astounding and it translated the style vividly
+ Patrick Wilson deserves more pub

- Lots of smaller editing issues (scene cuts/extensions)
- Needed another 20 minutes
- I kind of missed the psychologist backstory :(
 
DaMan121 said:
Blue penis in ALL your movies confirmed then?
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I just find it sadly predictable that so many people are going on and on about the blue penis. If I were Zack I'd have been tempted to cover up or shoot around Manhattan's penis in every shot because I would not have had enough faith in the audience and critics to not be distracted by it. And based on what I've seen so far - a juvenile pre-occupation with Manhattan's nudity that's way out of proportion with its trivial significance to the movie - I think I would have been right not to. If this were my movie I'd much rather people be discussing the characters and themes and ideas than chuckling and nudging each other because omg they just saw a guy's dick.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I just find it sadly predictable that so many people are going on and on about the blue penis. If I were Zack I'd have been tempted to cover up or shoot around Manhattan's penis in every shot because I would not have had enough faith in the audience and critics to not be distracted by it. And based on what I've seen so far - a juvenile pre-occupation with Manhattan's nudity that's way out of proportion with its trivial significance to the movie - I think I would have been right not to. If this were my movie I'd much rather people be discussing the characters and themes and ideas than chuckling and nudging each other because omg they just saw a guy's dick.
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At the end of the day you just aren't going to get around the fact that an absurd looking "superhero" movie about an alternative 1985 universe has a blue bald butt naked man making it look even more absurd. A pretty big gamble for audiences that the creators were going to lose.
 
Never read the graphic novels. Had no idea what to expect going in but I loved it. Fight scenes were great, special effects were amazing, very interesting storyline. The movie ran a little long but that's the only fault I can levy against it.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I just find it sadly predictable that so many people are going on and on about the blue penis. If I were Zack I'd have been tempted to cover up or shoot around Manhattan's penis in every shot because I would not have had enough faith in the audience and critics to not be distracted by it. And based on what I've seen so far - a juvenile pre-occupation with Manhattan's nudity that's way out of proportion with its trivial significance to the movie - I think I would have been right not to. If this were my movie I'd much rather people be discussing the characters and themes and ideas than chuckling and nudging each other because omg they just saw a guy's dick.
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So... Over/under 10 penis shots in The Book of Eli?
 
Gary Whitta said:
I just find it sadly predictable that so many people are going on and on about the blue penis. If I were Zack I'd have been tempted to cover up or shoot around Manhattan's penis in every shot because I would not have had enough faith in the audience and critics to not be distracted by it. And based on what I've seen so far - a juvenile pre-occupation with Manhattan's nudity that's way out of proportion with its trivial significance to the movie - I think I would have been right not to. If this were my movie I'd much rather people be discussing the characters and themes and ideas than chuckling and nudging each other because omg they just saw a guy's dick.
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Clearly this is what's happening. And I think your right. One or two shots to establish that he's nude would have been a better choice given the obvious immaturity of America.

I'm torn though, if the audience feels no shame at Jon's nudity, then doesn't it defeat the purpose? Jon feels no shame, we do, hence our uneasiness. Not understanding what that shame means seems to be the real problem the public is having.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I just find it sadly predictable that so many people are going on and on about the blue penis. If I were Zack I'd have been tempted to cover up or shoot around Manhattan's penis in every shot because I would not have had enough faith in the audience and critics to not be distracted by it. And based on what I've seen so far - a juvenile pre-occupation with Manhattan's nudity that's way out of proportion with its trivial significance to the movie - I think I would have been right not to. If this were my movie I'd much rather people be discussing the characters and themes and ideas than chuckling and nudging each other because omg they just saw a guy's dick.
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The man wanted to stay true to the source material and in general people just need to grow the fuck up. There should be no need to change such a small detail as that.
 
As a filmmaker, you have to be cognizant of the climate in which you're working. Sadly, male nudity is taboo in the American film industry. So you have to realize if there is full frontal male nudity in your film, it's going draw attention to itself simply because it's so uncommon. Unless that's what you're going for, you should probably shoot around it (shots from the waist up, have him wearing his Speedo thing all the time, etc). I realize this isn't ideal, but I'm more of a realist than an idealist. I'd be more concerned that a lot of my audience is going to be distracted by it and just make some concessions for the sake of keeping their attention focused.
 
Going to see this movie made me hate stereotypical mouth breathing nerds all the more. I swear I always somehow end up with the most annoying person in the theater next to me at any movie I see these days. This time it was the fucking moron who laughed at every fucking line recreated on screen because he'd read it in a comic. I was afraid he was going to start masturbating once he started sighing during the sex scene. I know you're over 30 and probably have never touched a woman but get a goddamn life you fucking social reject.

/end livejournal rant


Overall, an enjoyable movie. Can't wait to see the director's cut on blu-ray. I didn't realize until afterward that Rorschach was the
pedo
from Little Children that also starred Patrick Wilson. I knew I had seen him in something though.
 
The only time my theater chuckled was during the sex scene. Yet I went to a midnight showing where if shown to a generic crowd...yeah. It's America, it's never going to change.
 
PSGames said:
The man wanted to stay true to the source material and in general people just need to grow the fuck up. There should be no need to change such a small detail as that.
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I admire Zack immensely for going with an entirely authentic on-screen version of the character, it was a brave choice. I'm just saying I probably would have had a slightly more cynical prediction about how audiences would react to the nudity, stuck some pants on the Doc and saved myself the grief.
 
A competent movie, but completely overshadowed by the book precisely because it was too scene for scene. The best adaptations and remakes are those that build on, play with, or reject the source.

Still I applaud the effort. Its not a bad movie by any stretch
 
Gary Whitta said:
I admire Zack immensely for going with an entirely authentic on-screen version of the character, it was a brave choice. I'm just saying I probably would have had a slightly more cynical prediction about how audiences would react to the nudity, stuck some pants on the Doc and saved myself the grief.
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I'd have given my left nut to have been a fly on the wall while Snyder and the WB executives went back and forth on how much penis was acceptable.
 
Gary Whitta said:
I admire Zack immensely for going with an entirely authentic on-screen version of the character, it was a brave choice. I'm just saying I probably would have had a slightly more cynical prediction about how audiences would react to the nudity, stuck some pants on the Doc and saved myself the grief.
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He probably thought, "they sat through 300 with nary a flinch. My peeps can handle sausage-fests."
 
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