Watchmen

[Full disclosure: I’ve never read the comic books] Twenty percent of the running time comprises the events that actually happen in the film, while 80% consists of flashbacks familiarizing us with the characters, who didn’t grow on me and of whom only one – Rorschach – is well-written and acted (i.e. interesting). There is virtually no action here, but everything is wrapped up in beautiful visuals full of imaginative montages and slow motion shots with a feeling of fantasy, where nothing is impossible and where a neon blue superhero is constantly philosophizing about something very clever beyond the understanding of us Earthlings. Through the first third of Watchmen, I was filled with awe and excitement (and pleasantly surprised by the amount of sex and violence and the moral depravity of the main characters), but I was looking forward to the end of the flashbacks and the start of a proper film adventure. As there was no change in the second third, I started to feel bored and irritated. I literally suffered through the final third. Had I been the producer of this megalomaniacal political, (pseudo) philosophical, fantasy conversational, R-rated flick, I’d off myself. (27/02/2009)

A complex, smart, R-rated comic-book gem. I’m quite surprised by the talk about the complexity of the film, I was afraid that I would get lost because I don’t know Moore’s original. But I didn’t have any trouble and nobody capable of paying attention to a film should, either. Watchmen captivated me in several ways: the intellectual and visual aspects, the brutality and how uncompromising it is. Awesome! (08/03/2009)

Untouched by the comics, but with thoughts of both Gilliam and Greengrass, I end up being thankful for Zack Snyder, who has grown as a filmmaker in his third film. While he was enabled by an obviously strong premise or rather its script treatment, the way Snyder presents the vast world of rejected superheroes is breathtaking. It’s a powerful reflection on America with an almost meditative thought about humans in general. It is based on excellent dialogue by a group of fresh-faced actors who are occasionally sent into excellent action sequences by the director. Rorschach's rendezvous with the cops took me far beyond mere viewer ecstasy. I left the movie theater very pensive, but a day later I was cheering and I know I have to see it at least one more time. Edit I: It was worth it. It's been a long time since I've experienced a second screening of a film that I've enjoyed so intensely. Edit II The D.C. version is "only" a gourmet cherry on top. (10/03/2009)

The biggest surprise in years. I don't really like Snyder (300 will confirm that) and I don't know the comic books, so this seemed to be a first-class head-on collision. But after completing three hours and thirty-five minutes in the Watchmen world, I'm just in awe. I'm in awe of the narrative structure Snyder chose, how he chose rich mythology over a straightforward plot, I'm in awe of the depth of the individual characters, I'm in awe of the absolutely brilliant compositions (Hollis's last duel, in which he projects the glorious strokes of his life, Rorschach's conversion into a mask in the lair of a pedophile), I'm in awe of how Snyder transformed the indigestible fetishism and effectiveness into an incredibly coherent and aesthetically polished whole (the title sequence rolls radically, I'm speechless), I'm in awe of the inclusion of the pure comic book insert Black Freighter, which fantastically resonates with the overall tuning of the film... I'm in awe, even though there's a few unnecessary shots, a couple of deranged ties and unnecessary masturbation. I'm in awe of a film which I rank, alongside Nolan's Batman films, among the top three comic book movies that have ever hit the silver screen. I don't even know if I'm sad that I didn't see it in the movie theatre, because those nearly four hours of TV were almost a spiritual experience of pure ecstasy from post-modern mythology... (22/03/2011)

Snyder may have huge talent, but I just don’t get why he has to build his career on copying (stealing?) other people’s work. First Romero, then Miller and now Moore. The last of then took the worst beating, because before that Snyder at least always used to put in the work of giving his “remakes" a bit of his own invention, point of view, simply something of himself (and then they make at least a bit of sense). But in this movie there is no sign of invention at all. If I had an Ikea reproduction of “The Night Watch" by Rembrandt, then I wouldn’t start singing praises about what an original and visionary artist the plagiarist is. I concede that he put a great deal of detailed work into this, and he is certainly talented, because not just any director could have succeeded in doing what he did, but the original is the original. And if Snyder had picked up a full HD camera, put on a CD with some golden oldies and s-l-o-w-l-y filmed the original comic book, it would have ended up the same. Damn it, Zack, try doing something of YOUR OWN already! Thanks in advance. The preceding reproach concerns Snyder and Snyder alone, not the Watchmen as such. As I wrote - it’s absolutely identical to the comic book which is perfect, so logically its celluloid 1:1 version must be perfect too. Well, apart from being in a way utterly pointless, because an illustration of an illustrated book is a pointless adaptation. But still perfect all the same. I seem to be going round in circles a bit. So why perfect? Because Watchmen are like the Rorschach Test. You can see boredom, the history of mankind, cool scenes, boobs, would-be cool scenes, no action scenes, penises, explicit violence, ego masturbation, cheap visuals, awesome visuals, too much footage, too little footage or an overlap long enough to build a bridge across the English Channel with. Just whatever you want. I just don’t know whether to give it a full set of stars or none at all! Both would be absolutely right. I even thought about giving it three stars, but compromise is not the solution here. Rorschach would have bitten my head off. (09/03/2009)

It hasn't been a year since The Dark Knight and suddenly crowds of people were shouting that Watchmen are too serious for a comic and therefore ridiculous. On the other hand, Batman's established visual style is so firmly maintained that Snyder's work suddenly becomes too colorful for a serious drama. And prejudices, apart from the puritan part of society, also started to affect the average viewer, who suddenly cannot digest a few non-offensive "blue" shots. And so, they miss out on the pleasure of a brilliant adaptation, masterful direction, and performances that not only do not disrupt but precisely fulfill each character and flawlessly disrupt all the previous superhero stereotypes. In my eyes, Watchmen are a masterpiece that paradoxically surpassed its time. They are modern and, despite their generous length, very skillfully directed, but their nostalgic melancholy still has no place in the genre. However, they can easily become an untouchable idol for all those who accept them. (12/03/2009)

I was bored as hell for most of the movie, sitting around and actually waiting for a few brighter spots. The bright spots were definitely not worth it though, so I left the cinema pretty bored and annoyed. Worse, though, was that the person who talked me into seeing this "major motion picture" (major only in terms of its running time) was even angrier than I was. 2.5 stars. (12/06/2011)

What to say? I don't know. Somehow I ran out of words. Not that this movie took them away from me, but I just can't think of anything to say other than it was a clever ride on a spiral of edginess, wit, thought and pain. Even though I'm not a fan of the source material – I haven't read the comic and know nothing about it – I liked the movie. I believe there's a lot of good stuff missing. But I also believe that such a social probe among a superhero group, no one will ever let go and I may never see the "inside" again. Probably a shame. (21/04/2009)

Many adjectives can be used for his film. It is impressive, visually polished, excessively comic book-like, and stylishly action-packed. It is a bombastic spectacle that reminds me of the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Unfortunately, I have always preferred small theater forms and similar shows where the idea does not disappear in favor of impressive action that does not impress me. It is over-stylized, illogical, and cold. It is a certain tribute to comics, but to the ones that never appealed to me, namely the superheroes. It is exactly the type of production where I get the impression that the film heroes go through so much effort to achieve a banal goal. I always remember the scene from the first Indiana Jones movie, where a native warrior dramatically fences with a sword in front of a surprised Indiana Jones, only for him to eventually pull out a gun and shoot the warrior while saying "Go to hell." For example, the scene where the villain breaks into the victim's apartment, beats him up for a long time using all the furniture in the room, and breaks a table with him, only to eventually throw him through specially reinforced glass onto the pavement instead of pulling out a gun and shooting him. It is indeed impressive, but incredibly stupid. Watchmen is exactly the type of film where style and effects are everything. Overall impression: 60%. I do not regret seeing  Watchmen, but I do not intend to return to the film in the future. Fans of blockbusters can easily add two stars. (14/12/2009)

I’m not completely sure what to write. It’s definitely not a straight 5, because Moore’s content far surpasses Snyder’s form. The movie seemed to me terribly cursory at times, but still worked excellently and all the viewers got to know all they needed. I can safely say that it was a three hour ride without a dull moment. But it definitely isn’t the best comic book film. Oh and by the way: right in the middle of the finale when the plot was as its climax the projector broke down and caused an awful 5 minute intermezzo filled with hectic activity of my brain thinking about how it would end. (07/04/2009)

An amazing visionary masterpiece. Snyder wasn't afraid to unleash himself again and he did it excellently. Watchmen is a sumptuous affair even for those unfamiliar with the comics and the story itself. The large number of flashbacks may be a bit demanding on concentration, but it can be managed. The action is gripping and intellectually precise and unprecedentedly stylish. Zack got his hands dirty and delivers something that pushes contemporary modern cinematography a bit further. After Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace defined a new pattern for action movies and charismatic heroes in the current world and kinetic action, now there’s a new milestone in the genre of comic book sci-fi. (11/07/2009)

It’s not that the theatrical release is bad, definitely not - in fact, it's one of the very best comic book movies. However, the three and a half hour long Ultimate Cut is truly the ultimate thing, with everything in it. The creators understood perfectly what Moore's comic is about and what it has to say, the story flows great and blends perfectly with the animated Tales of the Black Freighter storyline, and some of the secondary characters are given more space and the main ones are...even more main. I don't think the new scenes give the film any different meaning (like in Cameron's The Abyss), but they definitely enhance the experience. The fact that Snyder's direction is perfect probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but still - where does one get that feeling when watching the opening credits? And then why does one smile for over three hours at what a sensational spectacle it is? And why can't I still decide who, if anyone, of all these characters is actually behaving well? Watchmen offers new and newer things to think about, new and newer tidbits and references - it just keeps having something to say, and like the book, this film never ceases to fascinate and entertain me. (13/10/2009)

The first two acts are an amazing comic book ride that had me thoroughly engrossed with first-class visual effects, an interesting portrayal of the main characters, a dark atmosphere reminiscent of classic crime films and last but not least a promising story with a captivating apocalyptic vision. And, as we know from Zack Snyder, it's not without brutality, sex and a bunch of other "vices" that we'd be hard pressed to find in other comic book movies. Everything works perfectly, the long runtime races to the finish line at lightning speed and the story never ceases to captivate with its perfect visual concept. However, in the end, exactly what I feared happened, Snyder, as with 300, fails to pull it off, and the film's finale comes across as a desperate and naive patchwork of big-headed dialogue about saving the world that overcomes the carefully constructed message of Watchmen. The first two hours are clearly worth 5*, but I'm not going to forgive Snyder for the stupid political fantasy of the last half hour, which sent the carefully constructed story and brilliantly sketched characters inexorably down the drain. (07/08/2012)

For me, one of the best comic adaptations ever made. The reason I didn't give it a full rating, only 95%, is because the comic is simply unbeatable and could never be transferred to the screen the way it was created. Nevertheless, Zack Snyder managed to present the main ideas, capture the relationships and characters perfectly, and the atmosphere of that time period is absolutely brilliant. I think this is one of the few adaptations by Moore that even the author wouldn't have to be ashamed of. And yet, he disowned it... Well, nothing can be done. I will definitely watch this film many times. (23/01/2014)

From the opening minutes I was straight up snorting with bliss :)) For me personally, the most captivating (emotionally speaking) was the first third, in which Snyder delivers a ready-made visual orgy that works really well in conjunction with the polished sound, perfect editing, and spectacular slow-motion shots. I was just imagining during the first half hour how much better the Watchmen could be in an avatar-like 3D style. On the other hand, in hindsight I think that a film dealing with so many serious themes could have been rather harmed by the 3D "coat". I like that Zack Snyder is following Chris Nolan's lead (at least in this one), and just as in Batman Begins, the audience is presented with the idea that we can take the fate of superheroes seriously, unlike Schumacher's ultra-commercial and ultra-crappy attempts, for example. In short, Zack Snyder has taken on the adaptation of the best and most acclaimed comic book with all the flair he can muster, and has made a well conceived, complex piece of entertainment that works in almost every way, and which also boasts of having "that something" extra. The screenplay doesn't clang too much despite the length of the film itself, but when compared to the brilliant work of the Nolan brothers on The Dark Knight it probably remains beyond the horizon.:), though I didn't have such high expectations before watching it, so I'll gladly forget that comparison. P.S.: during the closing credits I just lamented the wasted experience in the cinema :( (20/03/2010)

“Who watches the watchmen?” Three and a half hours of complete bliss. Brilliant, excellent, perfect, one of the best movies I've ever had a chance to watch. This movie simply has everything I've ever wanted to see in a single feature. I haven't read the comic book, but if it's even better than this awesome movie, I’m off to buy it. (And after reading the book, I’ve simply run out of superlatives. A story with an incredibly deep message and substantiated self-criticism of humanity as such. Each storyline has its special role, each one amazing and almost terrifying in many instances.) (21/02/2016)