Watchmen movie?!?!?

[dANdeLION]

Complex and deep aren't the problem; focus and theme are the problem. Spiderman stayed on target; Hulk never even established a theme, much less stayed on it. Unless, of course, you count sucky cinematography as a theme.

[sgt.null]

and Moore has been translated poorly before. the abortion that was LoEG.

[matrixman]

Where does one start?

You mean where to start reading? Watchmen isn't an ongoing series. As Fist said, it was a 12-part "maxi-series" that is sold today as a nice and beefy trade paperback. That was how I first came across Watchmen, its bright yellow cover and striking graphic design gazing down at me from atop the bookstore shelf. After reading the first few pages, I knew I had to buy it. There was no question about it, here was something special. (Which is also how I first came upon Lord Foul's Bane - with its bright red cover and striking art.)

I'm glad Watchmen was not an ongoing series.

However, it sounds too complex to be a good super hero movie. (Like TCTC is too complex.) I keep thinking, they tried to make the Hulk a bit too complex, and it flopped. I think that the Spiderman movies are as deep as people are willing to go.

Well, it's why I'm excited and nervous about the film adaptation. It could be really bad, but it has the potential to be something magnificent. Watchmen certainly deserves the best treatment possible. I thought V For Vendetta was translated honorably to the big screen, and that was a pretty complex piece of work by Moore as well. Yes, it left out some things, but the film still did an astonishing job of staying true to the spirit of the book.

As to adaptations of "traditional" comic book heroes, I would say the X-Men films are the best, in terms of both psychological complexity and incredible action. (Though Christian Bale's Batman is something special too.)

[sgt.null]

i thought the Rocketeer worked best.

[Fist and Faith]

Where does one start?

However, it sounds too complex to be a good super hero movie. (Like TCTC is too complex.) I keep thinking, they tried to make the Hulk a bit too complex, and it flopped. I think that the Spiderman movies are as deep as people are willing to go.

Really not a superhero movie at all. Almost none of the best parts involved super powers (Since Dr. Manhattan is the only character with powers). It's all about their individual stories. And those stories are amazing!!

And don't forget, as we've said, there's only 12 issues. A little meatier than usual comics, because of the backup stories in the form of journal entries, newspaper clippings, etc. But still, it's TONS easier to translate a 12-issue comic to a screenplay than a book of 400+ pages. Much less needs to be left out simply because there isn't time in a 2-hour movie for it. And they can drop the pirate story without damaging the story much.

[dANdeLION]

Yeah, but like Null points out, the LXG movie managed to completely miss the plot of the books, and that was only a six issue mini-series.

[sgt.null]

this can go badly in many different ways. they could just skim the source material. they could decide to change it to have a happy ending. they could decide a sequel will be necessary...

[Fist and Faith]

Oh, absolutely! No question it could be royally screwed up. I'm just saying a 12-issue comic's complexity need not be too much for a screenplay. Not nearly as much as a book of hundreds of pages.

[sgt.null]

I thought the Mist was well adapted. and didn't mind the changes that were made. there can be a balance.

[dANdeLION]

Oh, absolutely! No question it could be royally screwed up. I'm just saying a 12-issue comic's complexity need not be too much for a screenplay. Not nearly as much as a book of hundreds of pages.

Technically, 12 books consisting of either 17 or 21 pages each (I think the standard formats had expanded to 21 by then) is hundreds of pages. God, that sounds anal. Perhaps jay will ban me for 5 days over my anality!

[Fist and Faith]

Yeah, but it's not hundreds of pages of text. The backup stories are pure text, but the majority of pages are not.

[dANdeLION]

Damn you're anal.

[emotional leper]

Damn you're anal.

Better than rectal!

[dANdeLION]

So, who have they got casted for Watchmen? Is the female lead a hottie? Can I torture Menolly over the questioning of said hottie actresse's acting ability? Inquiring minds want to know!

[wayfriend]

'Watchmen' adds Carla Gugino as do-gooder


The Silk Spectre

Is she hot?

Malin Akerman Is Cast in Watchmen


The Silk Spectre

Her?

(Don't ask me how they can both be the Silk Spectre. I think Carla is Malin's Mom somehow.)

A bunch of boring guys have been cast, too. link

They have everything there is to know over at Aint It Cool. link to Watchmen folder.

[Fist and Faith]

Yup, mother and daughter.

[matrixman]

They're all complete unknowns to me. Which probably works in their favor.

[wayfriend]

So, I bought The Watchmen novel a while back. Sat on my shelf for a long time because I had just started rereading the Baroque cycle.

In one of those happy coincidences that make you wonder if life is somehow orchestrated, I have seen Spiderman 3. I never got to the theatre, and it took some months after it came out on DVD for me to add it to my netflix queue, and then a while for it to come, and then it sat for about two weeks in an envelope. But I finally watched it. Like, literally, within hours of my beginning to read The Watchmen.

Happy, because SM3 seemed to put me in the PERFECT frame of mind. Issues of revenge and forgiveness, inhibitions and giving into them, being out of tune with other people -- all strong, common themes between the both. And the poor, sad Sandman is so strikingly similar to Dr. Manhattan that I really felt for that blue guy.

So, really, I could not have asked for better.

That being said, I am about 40% done, and still nothing has actually happened. Lots of dramatic gravitas passing itself of as depth, that's about it so far.

It has gotten me thinking about the genre a lot. That masked heroes are really vigalantes painted in the best possible light. That super villians represent our societies seemingly insoluble problems. Stuff like that. But there's nothing in The Watchmen that really causes one to think about this, not more than any other comic, or movie, anyway.

Well, I'm gonna finish it. The book ends are dressed up with all kinds of fabulous blurbs, like "one of the centuries hundred best novels", etc. So it's bound to be compelling at some point.

I'll come back when I finish, next week some time.

[Fist and Faith]

Philistine!!!

40% probably means you did not read Rorschach's issue? That's the freakin' best thing in the world!!! Read this after you read it:

Spoiler

Stood in firelight, sweltering. Blood stain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever, and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion, bear children, hellbound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world. Was Rorschach.

DAMN I LOVE IT!!!


Anyway, Dr. Manhattan's issue kills me too!!! And another that you didn't get to yet, with Silk Spectre and him talking somewhere about someone... LOL! Sorry, it's difficult to stop.

I fear for dlb, though... hehehe

[matrixman]

I'm sorry that Watchmen isn't doing much for you, Wayfriend. Don't know what else to say. I really thought you'd love it. I respect your opinion tremendously, WF...but on the matter of Watchmen, I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.

Yes, the character of Rorschach is...a Rorschach test for readers.