By Ryan Broderick
“Watchmen” was often referred to, before it’s release last weekend, as the unfilmable movie. After sitting in development hell since 1986, the movie had gone through the hands of most major actors and directors in Hollywood, all giving up on the mammoth project. The unfilmable movie was finally brought together by “300” director Zach Snyder, and the major question is, was it worth it? Was the ultimate graphic novel, penned by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, a story that pushed the limits of comic books, finally turned into the ultimate comic book movie? The answer is no, it doesn’t live up, but it’s not a wash either.
The movie opens with a sprawling montage set to Bob Dylan’s “The Time’s They Are A Changing” and chronicles the history leading up to “Watchmen’s” alternate 1985, where the story starts. It shows the progression of masked vigilantes from the golden age of the fifties to the darker more reactionary silver age. Laden throughout are references to fans of the novel, and by all accounts, it’s a terrific opener. It’s a strange way to open a story that at its heart is a dark crime noir murder mystery, but it’s strange in a celebratory way.
The movie then takes a running jump into the heart of the story; following almost panel for panel the graphic novel’s original opening. Problems arise though quickly. And “Watchmen’s” main issue is the same throughout, and that is its scattered and confusing narrative. Snyder’s direction is outstanding but even die hard fans are bound to be confused by the jumps in logic made repeatedly during the film. Scenes slide into one another either with too much exposition or none at all, and it’s incredibly jarring.
As the movie jumps from story arch to story arch the pieces slowly come together, and the characters begin to take form, the audience is given a glimpse into the mindset of each hero. And viewers are hit very bluntly with the massive amount of back-story needed to really have a grasp on “Watchmen’s” universe. This approach is a smart way to rush through the incredibly dense background, but it comes off incredibly sloppy.
A weak script though doesn’t drag the movie into the dregs of other terrible comic book movies. A lot of the movie’s merits come from the visuals and the film’s cast. Patrick Wilson as Dan Dreiberg, the 2nd Niteowl, and Jackie Earle Haley as the sociopathic Rorshach both do an unbelievable job of bringing their characters to life. Billy Crudup as the blue, CGI designed Dr. Manhattan probably shines the strongest, and not just because of his digitized glow added by a computer in post-production. Charged with having to play a superhero with the ability to perceive time all at once and possessing the powers to manipulate all the matter in the universe, Crudup is magnificent. He brings a character whose point of view is so far from that of a normal human being and yet does it with such a sentimental sadness that he comes off as the most human of anyone in the movie. Malin Akerman, playing the 2nd Silk Spectre though, while looking hot in the movie’s few sex scenes, brings down most of the scenes she’s in with an incredibly two dimensional approach to a character deserving a far more rounded out take.
One facet of “Watchmen” that deserves limitless praise is Snyder’s cinematography. Every scene is lushly put together and comes across so huge and vibrant that it practically saves every lagging scene.
“Watchmen’s” length was another problem. At a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes, it floats uncomfortably between needing to be either 40 minutes shorter or another hour longer. The movie hits its stride, right at its middle and its too bad it took such a long time to get there only to have to hurry at the end to wrap it up.
For all its flaws, “Watchmen” gets the job done. It’s adequate. It’s not particularly spectacular in anyway, but at the same time, it respects the source material. It never really aims higher than to be a companion piece. Each shot is meticulously put together and director Zach Snyder and his cast took on the daunting task of making a movie that everyone claimed could never be made. By the movie’s end it’s quite clear who this movie was for. What isn’t clear and isn’t ever made clear is what type of movie “Watchmen” wants to be. And while Snyder’s direction was awe-inspiring, the movie as a whole, was directionless.