 | The film Watchmen is so ambitious that it would have best been served if it was a miniseries. After all, do you have an idea how thick the source material is just for a comic book? Whether you read it or not, you'll find the storyline okay even though some trimmings had to be done here and there. Therefore, Alan Moore should be elated, from the top of his promontory, that someone managed to adapt a graphic novel deemed to be unadaptable. However, the film itself is also a little bit hard to appreciate given that the cast's performance is uneven. |
By 1985 (in an alternate world history), the USA won the Vietnam War and costumed vigilantes are part of the society. This is the case until the Nixon government decides to outlaw vigilantes. As this is happening, Edward Blake/The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is murdered and Walter Kovacs, aka Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), investigates that murder. As he advances in his investigation, Rorschach will ask for the help of Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), John Osterman/Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) and Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). However, Rorschach and Nite Owl II notice that Edward Blake's murder is the prelude to something that threatens the existence of humanity.
While watching this film, it's surprising to see that the scriptwriters managed to condense such a thick source material. The final result is that the storyline flows almost effortlessly. Moreover, Watchmen is not a superhero film like any other in that it's not afraid to adventure itself into the darkest corners of human nature. In fact, such an exploration is done in order to talk about our superheroes' individual cynicism or faith in the world. Besides, the plot twist at the end will amaze you.
Unfortunately, the cast's performance was uneven and also unimpressive. While Crudup managed quite well to portray a hero with no emotion and faith in the world, I just wasn't impressed by Malin Akerman even though I'm sure she's a competent actress. On another note, the film made me discover Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley.
Rating: 3.5/5
| Origin: | USA (2009) |
| Length: | 162 minutes |
| Genre: | Science-fiction |
| Screenplay: | David Hayter and Alex Tse |
| Director: | Zack Snyder |
| Starring: | Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode and Jeffrey Dean Morgan |
