Watchmen (2-Disc)
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Released:27/07/2009
More Details
Studio:Paramount Home Entertainment
Director:Zack Snyder
Cast: Carla Gugino, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley
Running Time:162 minutes
Amazon.co.uk Review
Everybody's favourite graphic novel comes to the screen (after years of rumours and false starts), less a roaring work of adaptation than a respectful and faithful take on a radical original. Watchmen is set in the mid-1980s, a time of increased nuclear tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as Richard Nixon is enjoying his fifth term as president and the world's superheroes have been forcibly retired. (As you can probably tell, the mix of authentic history and alternate reality is heady.) Things begin with a bang: the mysterious high-rise murder of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a masked hero with a checkered past, puts the rest of the retired superhero community on alert. The credits sequence, a series of tableaux that wittily catches us up on crime-fighting backstory, actually turns out to be the high point of the movie. Thereafter we meet the other caped and hooded avengers: the furious Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the inexplicably naked Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup, amidst much blue-skinned, genital-swinging digital work), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). The corkscrewing storytelling, which worked well in the comic book, gives the movie the strange sense of never quite getting in gear, even as some of the episodes are arresting. Director Zack Snyder (300) doesn't try to approximate the electric impact of the original (written by Alan Moore--who declined to be credited on the movie--and illustrated by Dave Gibbons) but retains careful fidelity to his source material. That doesn't feel right, even with the generally enjoyable roll-out of anecdotes. Even less forgivable is the blah acting, excepting Jeffrey Dean Morgan (lusty) and Patrick Wilson (mellow). Watchmen certainly fills the eyes, although less so the ears: the song choices are regrettable, especially during an embarrassing mid-air coupling between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II as they unite their--ah--Roman numerals. In the end it feels as though a huge work of transcription has been successfully completed, which isn't the same as making a full-blooded movie experience. --Robert Horton
Product Description
Carla Gugino, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Jack Earle HaleyDirectors: Zack Snyder
Tags
Action/Adventure, General
Reviews
- Vivid, authentic and memorable
First off, this is a review of this film, not some other version as that should be on another page that is for another version of the film! I haven't seen the 'Director's Cut' so the review is based on what I've seen.
Is it any good on Blu-Ray? Is it worth watching? Yes and Yes.
It was always going to be a signature movie for Blu-Ray. The first scene echoes all that is to come in standards as crisp outlines bedazzle and the special effects excel. This could have been the type of film Blu-Ray was made for.
Despite not being the best film ever the characters are intriguing and different as is the plot that doesn't rush to hammer home it's web of details. You spend enough time with each character to get to know them, there's action that is well choreographed, set pieces that keep you transfixed and plot twists that hit you on the blind side. It's not a superhero movie that compares to Spiderman or Batman, it's tries to be deeper than those. Whether it works or not for you will be for you to decide. Snyder has made a bold statement in his work here, taking a risk by making it so unique that you could love it or hate it. For me as an interpretation it's pretty good and as a film, yeah, it works real well too.
If there was one film I'd prefer to have on Blu-Ray it would be this one. Director's Cut or not.
What a shame that people's frustration has led them to express it on the product review page and while I totally agree with them about being shorted out by the film companies, the swathe of negative star ratings are a drastic misrepresentation of the actual movie, which in reality is one of this years most stunning films. So firstly let me begin by saying that if you are considering buying this then order it from the states to get the directors cut with the added 24 minutes of footage that you wouldn't get in the UK version. The disc is region free so will work on UK players and after exchange rate it wont work out that different to buying here.
THE FILM
This is the story of a band of heroes far from their ideological peak, just as Harvey Dent in the Dark Knight once said, "You can die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain". Rorschach is the psychotic hero on the FBI's top ten most wanted list who reminds me of the Question from the justice league, his high intelligence makes him seem very paranoid but he's right more often than not. NightOwl is interesting as a hero who's completely unconfident while not in costume but gradually gives into temptation to don the costume again to kick some butt to get that confidence back. Ms Jupiter is probably the least intriguing of the group, she basically lives in the shadow of her mother, not the most unique angle. The comedian is the analogy of those power addicted people in the world we know who think they have a passport to do anything they wish and pretty much get away with it. Dr Manhattan is the only real super powered being, with a complete mastery over quantum mechanics that enables him to do virtually anything he pleases, are rare character who has such enlightenment that he bears no connected grounded feeling for such a tiny rock like earth relative to the whole of the universe. He brings in some spiritual perspective, yet another reason why this graphic novel was so beyond other material at the time.
Snyder has excellently transcribed this to screen in my opinion. I can understand why some people have found this film hard to get into, it's a story of parts attempting to be a single movie, you come away remembering it in bits as opposed to a single story. But if the producers had remoulded the story to a more fast-paced film-friendly linear story, imagine the backlash that would have been received by fans of the original series, so really there is no win-win situation for the producers. Overall the strategy to stick with the source material seems like the optimal route, and its great he did, all the witty dialogue remains, the action is brutal and feels even more exciting being well balanced with equal amounts of non action scenes. Imagine if Michael Bay had done this with his own butchered "re-envisioning" (as he did with transformers!)
While many newcomers to the watchmen theme complain that even the theatrical cut of this film was too long, I considered the bigger problem to be slightly jerky cutting, where the film overall comes off as bits and pieces stuck together and not a complete flowing story. This directors cut of the film remedies much of that, its not adding whole 5 minute chunks of story, but virtually a line here and a line there, with the longest single addition probably only lasting about a minute or 2. In fact watching it now after I last saw it in the cinema I could initially barely identify which bits were added, the point is that this is not necessarily essential plot but the extra glue, the film overall is much more cohesive, and a much cleaner idealised version of the film, as a result you wont feel like your watching a film that's 24 minutes longer.
BLURAY QUALITY
The Bluray quality on this is probably some of the best I've seen, particular highlights are Rorschachs cloth mask and Dr Manhattan's skin, both are very vividly textured and a stark reminder of what Bluray can offer that standard definition cannot. Around Dr Manhattan you can see all the particles of dust that are individually illuminated and it really does provide a sense of realism, despite the outrageous blueness. Also noticeable is the detail within Manhattans eyes, a sort of mini light source contained within the eyeball illuminating its surface, something probably unnoticeable on SD. Much of the film is set in dark places, and hence Bluray technology pays off here, everything is clearly defined, no overshadowing or inability to see something important moving. Dark scenes and light scenes are managed just as well and this being quite a colourful film there's plenty of colours to really test the Bluray output spectrum, real eye candy if your TV is good at handling this.
Sound is up to scratch and while some of the songs selected for this film were maybe not of the right mood, a bit too light and happy, they still fit in their own kind of `black-comedy' way. Sound effects are all great and detailed, Nightowl's craft always had my sub resonating the room and the sounds of battle impact were hearty and wholesome.
CONCLUSION
The best comic movie ever made? Quite possibly but I know that would not hold true with everyone and that's understandable given the interwoven non linear story style involved here. The heroes aren't fighting the straightforward evil that batman or the Xmen would fight, in fact the total lack of an arch-villain here is a testament to how unique this comic is. It's a sublime production of a legendary novel, and ultimately the sort of visual masterpiece that Bluray technology was made for.
This movie is simply great! Based on a comic series that changed the world of that media, it didn't lose a thing in a translation to film (I would dare to say it's even stronger this way), which is saying a lot.
I have a Director's cut from the US, and, to be honest do not see the reason for all this fuss, even before the product is on the market. The extra parts in the director's cut are mainly consisting of shots of excessive violence that gave me nightmares, and weren't as shocking in a comic, mainly due to the nature of the media. So, I don't think much is lost with the theatrical version only, no need to feel cheated (except for the fact that much tooted BD Live content can't be accessed if you are not living in the US, but even that is not so bad).
Picture and sound quality is nice, movie is great and extras are very good (well, that may be a problem, since in the US version Extras are spread over the second disk, and the third disc is digital copy - something I have never used so far, so they may be missing).
Also, even more comprehensive "The Watchmen Ultimate Collector's Edition" is in the works, coming this December. People who want all the bits have the choice of waiting for that option, I am sure it will be available through amazon.co.uk
this is one o the most amazing films you will ever likely to see, the camera work and the backgrounds the use of vibrant colors and yet still remaining dark, acting and action all wonderfully portrayed finally a real comic book movie for adults and the overall question that it raises 'when would it be morally right to take the fight in to your own hands for the good of others'. this movie is a must see for all.
Watchmen (2-Disc) [Blu-ray] [2009]
Allowing for the necessary editing of so long a graphic novel this is "Watchmen" transferred directly to widescreen, the only omissions are the "Black Freighter" and the majority of the newsvendor scenes, in my opinion these sit awkwardly in the novel, although the newsvendor does give utterance to the thoughts of people other than superheroes, and the "Black Freighter "in some way parallels the main plot.
The major triumph is the motion capture CGI of Dr Manhattan, combined with the quiet persuasive tones of the actor this brought the character vividly to life for me, and the integration of CGI with actual film parallels the original drawing superbly.
This is the novel brought to life, in the main the actors are indistinguishable from the original artwork, absolutely amazing.
I read the novel whilst waiting for the Blu Ray, and after watching the film immediately started reading the novel again.
Adaptations don't get better than that.
