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Rottenwatch: WATCHMEN
- Thread starter DevelopmentArrested
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TheDrowningMan said:
I'm not generally a fan of musical overlays without an environmental source (radio, etc.) in movies, but I didn't mind most of the music choices.
I must say that as someone who has never read the GN, it was better than I expected given the reviews and complaints. It has it's flaws, and many of the complaints are at least somewhat justified, but I can't fault the movie too much given the positive aspects of it. I mean they managed to take an incredibly complex, fantastical, alternate reality storyline that by it's nature should be hard to follow and even harder to suspend disbelief, yet they accomplish both of those things at least for me, and judging by the reactions of the rest of the audience, most other people as well.
So I agree there are flaws, but it's on the whole so much better than hollywood's usual attempts at similar material that I won't criticize it too harshly for fear of scaring hollywood away from similar highly ambitious projects in the future.
It was certainly worth the price of admission just for the sheer disbelief of seeing a big budget hollywood comic book movie with such adult content. Pretty shocking that someone actually managed to get this movie made at all.
Wrestlemania
Banned
Of course, but the problem is that it was a weird mish-mash of sticking to it slavishly even if it means doing something which doesn't really work in the process but still changing things as he felt necessary, most notably the ending.Manics said:
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
I shouldn't be so flip, I understand that some of the songs are a little iffy-- but the All Along the Watchtower fit so perfectly *and* was in the original, hence my gripe.
In particular
"Outside in the cold distance
A wild cat did growl
Two riders were approachin
And the wind began to howl"
Is exactly what's happening when this bit plays.
In particular
"Outside in the cold distance
A wild cat did growl
Two riders were approachin
And the wind began to howl"
Is exactly what's happening when this bit plays.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
I saw it a second time yesterday, and the flaws bothered me a lot less. I think this movie will wear well.
OTOH, it was clear to me that this is only half of Watchmen. Not referring to content (of which there is a lto missing) but form. Watchmen does such interesting things with the form, form the symmetrcial nature of the chapter order, to the 9-panel-grid and the slow expansion of it form chapter 1 to 12, to the repeated visual motifs and the intercutting/juxtapositions. Snyer doesn't have the chops to do anything analogous with the film medium. And for that, the experience is a lot less than the book.
OTOH, it was clear to me that this is only half of Watchmen. Not referring to content (of which there is a lto missing) but form. Watchmen does such interesting things with the form, form the symmetrcial nature of the chapter order, to the 9-panel-grid and the slow expansion of it form chapter 1 to 12, to the repeated visual motifs and the intercutting/juxtapositions. Snyer doesn't have the chops to do anything analogous with the film medium. And for that, the experience is a lot less than the book.
I can't believe people are so bent about blue penis.
The more I reflect on my viewing of the film, the more I regard blue penis as one of the tools Zach Snyder used to replicate the discomfort level of the graphic novel.
What I mean is, when you read the graphic novel, you start to feel a sense of nervousness and unsettlement ... because the characters aren't behaving the way you're used to seeing superheroes behave, and the subject matter is making your brain work. Every so often, in the book, you see something that makes you go "daaamn." And it jogs your brain.
Movies get their shit done visually, and I appreciate how blue penis injects a sense of mild discomfort into a movie that needs to shake people up to deliver the right message.
People aren't supposed to feel comfortable watching this movie. Blue penis succeeds at stretching people's comfort zones.
The more I reflect on my viewing of the film, the more I regard blue penis as one of the tools Zach Snyder used to replicate the discomfort level of the graphic novel.
What I mean is, when you read the graphic novel, you start to feel a sense of nervousness and unsettlement ... because the characters aren't behaving the way you're used to seeing superheroes behave, and the subject matter is making your brain work. Every so often, in the book, you see something that makes you go "daaamn." And it jogs your brain.
Movies get their shit done visually, and I appreciate how blue penis injects a sense of mild discomfort into a movie that needs to shake people up to deliver the right message.
People aren't supposed to feel comfortable watching this movie. Blue penis succeeds at stretching people's comfort zones.
kitchenmotors
Banned
I don't get the big deal about the blue penis, especially when I hear guy complain about it. Don't you have a dick? Are you that afraid of it? Are you still in grade school?
Then again, this is America.
Then again, this is America.
I didn't like the new ending at all.
Realistically, I think that
Realistically, I think that
the Russians would have just blamed the Americans for Manhattan going crazy and wiping out a handful of cities. Without Manhattan explicitly telling them so, the world conclusion is not going to be "Well I guess he was mad at us for instigating nuclear war. We better cut it out!"
As garish as the squid might look on the movie screen, I think humanity's response to it was much more realistic than humanity's response to the Manhattan event.
As garish as the squid might look on the movie screen, I think humanity's response to it was much more realistic than humanity's response to the Manhattan event.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
The guy sitting next to my wife made comments every time the penis appeared. I'm sure glad he let us know he wasn't a homo!
Srsly, this is a movie for grown-up people.
Srsly, this is a movie for grown-up people.
Annoying Old Party Man
Member
The sex scene was awful
Audience was laughing and cheering, the wrong way.
Audience was laughing and cheering, the wrong way.
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
Ignatz Mouse said:
it's true that the reference to that song is in the book, and so it's perfectly justified in its usage here. i would argue, though, that referencing lyrics to a song in a book--where we'll never actually hear the song--is different than actually playing the song over a scene. like many of the other soundtrack choices made in the film, i feel it was detrimental to what the tone should have been for my tastes (which, as a rule, most of the time the music seemed to hurt otherwise somber scenes that would have been better with no music at all)
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
If I remeber correcty you can here 99 red ballons at the gunga dinner in the novel.
Not only america's problem, in the cinemas at my country (Spain) they were also giggle and stupid commens of the blue penis.
And here we have explicit sex in NEARLY ALL the spanish movies (Watchmen's sex scenes is pure art if you compare it to all the shitty sex scenes in spanish movies).
kitchenmotors said:
Not only america's problem, in the cinemas at my country (Spain) they were also giggle and stupid commens of the blue penis.
And here we have explicit sex in NEARLY ALL the spanish movies (Watchmen's sex scenes is pure art if you compare it to all the shitty sex scenes in spanish movies).
You guys must go to theaters with shitty audiences if you have people making jokes and shit during the movie.
I always go to early showings though, so there might be a more serious minded audience at that time than there is a prime time or late night. Pretty much everyone at the showing I went to was mid 20s or older. No teenagers at all.
The only noticeable laughs the movie got with my audience were the hands scene and when Dan can't get it up. Both were intended to be funny I think, and only got minor chuckles from a couple people. No one laughed at the blue cock or the long sex scene at all.
A sex scene of that length is of course a bit uncomfortable to sit through in a crowded theater, but I don't see how you can consider that a problem with the film, it's a problem with the audience.
I always go to early showings though, so there might be a more serious minded audience at that time than there is a prime time or late night. Pretty much everyone at the showing I went to was mid 20s or older. No teenagers at all.
The only noticeable laughs the movie got with my audience were the hands scene and when Dan can't get it up. Both were intended to be funny I think, and only got minor chuckles from a couple people. No one laughed at the blue cock or the long sex scene at all.
A sex scene of that length is of course a bit uncomfortable to sit through in a crowded theater, but I don't see how you can consider that a problem with the film, it's a problem with the audience.
fistfulofmetal
Banned
Cheebs said:
... is that really surprising?
VeritasVierge
Member
I agree but last night I realized just how many men out there are so insecure about their sexuality, they talked more about it than the film itself. Yes, it's insecurity for being taken out of their comfort zone of only wanting to see a penis in a porno. I knew the majority of comic book fans these days were teens but I didn't expect so many "adult" men to be nothing more than immature manchildren at age 25 and up.mosaic said:
Saw it last night and really enjoyed it. It heavily relies on your love of the characters from reading the GN. I don't understand people going crazy over "big blue" I only noticed it the first time he was on screen. Anyway, I thought it was quite well done considering the material and the director.
StriKeVillain
Banned
I thought the film represented everything from the novel well. My main gripes were the music and that god-awful sex scene. Both of those assured me I have no inclination to see the film again.El Six said:
Also, Dr. Manhattan was great.
heliosRAzi
Banned
kswiston said:
As opposed to the book where
only New York gets attacked by a genetically engineered monster and Russia doesn't even think about kicking the US while its down. Please. The new ending is much better.
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Tobor said:
"Dr. Manhattan doesn't care about moviegoers."
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
...Paul Blart is PG. It's kind of a given that a decent PG film will outgross a worthwhile R-rated film.:lol :lol AMERICA.Cheebs said:
starchild excalibur
Member
kswiston said:
I don't think the conclusion was that
Dr. Manhattan did what he did out of anger that nuclear testing was going on. I don't think, had that happened in real life, that would have been the issue at all. The issue would be "Oh shit, this God-like creature has gone crazy and turned against his own people. Why don't we momentarily team up with who we can in case we need to take him down?", which is a pretty realistic response.
The squid in the graphic novel, relative to the movie ending, was so silly and out of no where that i don't think it would have inspired as much fear as this already-existing nearly-all powerful creature going rogue.
The squid in the graphic novel, relative to the movie ending, was so silly and out of no where that i don't think it would have inspired as much fear as this already-existing nearly-all powerful creature going rogue.
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
The more you guys discuss it, I think you may be right on the ending.
I like the squid for the comic because it's pretty fantastically drawn. lots of vivid colors, much better to look at GN wise. Also, since it's a psychic blast, it allows you to see all the carnage point blank in your face.
but there is trouble with the location, i.e. only New York. It would make America weak, and I don't think the Russians would just feel sympathy because everyone else did. Plus, tricking Manhattan into creating the bomb was a neat add-on. I dunno. It's hard to say what I like more.
but there is trouble with the location, i.e. only New York. It would make America weak, and I don't think the Russians would just feel sympathy because everyone else did. Plus, tricking Manhattan into creating the bomb was a neat add-on. I dunno. It's hard to say what I like more.
Justin Bailey
------ ------
It worked against him because he didn't think about making to story flow properly. He just slapped together as many scenes from the graphic novel as he could without any thought of the pacing or properly keeping the viewer interested in the story.Tobor said:
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
For the smartest man on earth, Adrian has the worst security measures in his own business pad.:lol :lolezekial45 said:Did anyone else notice this? (Thanks to Hara! from SRK)
Look at one of the files.
SpeedingUptoStop said:
I think the idea with the squid was that there was this ominous threat of an outside force that could destroy the world. I think the new one works better because Crazy Manhattan (whose power everyone knows) can fuck up entire cities all at once. I also gathered in the movie that he took out several other cities.
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
StoOgE said:
yea, that's what I was saying. Squid only got new york, while Manhattan took out tons of places, including Moscow. Works better that way, I think. Everyone is weaker and they have to help eachother get back, rather than simply helping America - which, in their history, is a huge prick who used a super-god to end a war and possesses as leader who stole the election multiple times, supposedly:lol the america in the comic is not as sympathetic as a 9/11 America
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
I mentioned this a page back, but did anyone else notice that the sign in Karnak where Doc teleports the machine has an acronym of SQUID?
I need to find a screencap of that. It's on the video monitor while Doc is arguing with Laurie.
I need to find a screencap of that. It's on the video monitor while Doc is arguing with Laurie.
starchild excalibur
Member
ezekial45 said:Did anyone else notice this? (Thanks to Hara! from SRK)
Look at one of the files.
Yeah, i noticed it when i watched it. I didn't remember any allusions to him being a pedophile and even if there were, my first thought was "who would leave a folder suggesting they're a pedophile so obviously?"
If this was Snyder was trying to imply it definitely wasn't subtle.
starchild excalibur said:
a) "Pedo" is kind of a leap
b) This computer is the MacGuffin where all of Adrian's secret plans are kept. This is as secure as anything else he has, pretty much.
The plot handwaves this because if the password wasn't something easy enough for Dan to guess, the plot would end.
Also, a simple password implies arrogance / contempt for the intelligence of others, character traits he has in spades.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
I really want to see what the super long version of this film is going to be like.
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