Watchmen: The Review

Let me begin by applauding the acting and casting of this movie. Each and every title character was intensely convincing as their character that I could not help but get caught up in the movie itself. The best portrayal by far has got to be Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs, aka Rorschach.

Kovacs is such an intense character that to have him portrayed in any other mannar would have been a diservice. Haley's Rorschach voice was fantastic and I cheered whenever I heard the words 'Rorschach's Journal.' The entire prison sequence, a sequence that I was most looking forward to, was expertly played by Haley. Getting Kovacs right is just as important, if not more so, than Rorschach. It was spot on.

All this being said the downfalls of this movie do not lie with the actors. Every casting choice was like the characters had stepped off the page and onto the screen. I especially enjoyed the casting of such minor characters as Moloch, Hollis Mason, and the newstand owner.

However the movie fails in comparison to the source material. It was an entertaining movie to say the least, but the incredible amount of information and dialogue did not translate well onto the screen. Scenes where extremely long monologues make for excellent reading ended up coming off as long and winded, such as the scenes with Doctor Manhatten on Mars. There are so many subleties to his monologue that give you a glimpse into the man inside that did not seem to come across in the film.

Also, the pacing of the movie was as can be expecting, very fast paced. It seemed to pass over key moments of the story before allowing the viewers to really take in what had happened. But as Zach Snyder himself said it is probably a movie that could be seen over and over again and each time find something new.

Another major issue I had with the story was the complete lack of the human element outside of the members of the Watchmen team. Characters such as the newstand owner, Rorschach's theropists and the lesbian taxi driver were completely removed. Watchmen is a very human story featuring some extraordinary individuals. To cut out such characters almost completely (theropists has one scene, newstand owner does not speak at all) takes so much away from the overall story.

To comment on other reviews I have read, I do not think that Adrian Veidt was portrayed negatively at all. While I agree the physical form was lacking and his vastly superior intelligence did not seem to come through, that can not be attributed to the actor. The script cut out so much of Veidts dialogue that his pressence seems to be diminished in the film, compared to the book.

The movie itself is definately entertaining and should be viewed by all. There was no way that it was not going to be visually breath-taking, but as far as the story is concerned it was lacking some crucial elements that could have made this one of my top comic book movies. Also, slow motion scenese were extremely over used throughout the movie which seemed to take away from the flow of the story.

If I had to rate the movie, on its own I would give it an 8. If you are looking to compare it to the depth and scope of the graphic novel I would give it a 5.5 or a 6.

Last note: Malin Ackerman I will be your Nite Owl any time.