Saying “I saw Watchmen this weekend” doesn’t contain the emotion I wish to convey. So I’ll try again…

I went to the movies this weekend and felt moved by an amazing piece of artwork.

From the first thirty seconds to the infamous last quotes, Watchmen never left me wanting. Based on the Alan Moore graphic novel, one of the only graphic novels to ever make the New York Times best seller list, the creators of the Watchmen film paid great tribute to one of the best comic books ever written and inked.

I guess the best place to start is the visuals. Everything from the costumes to set design seemed as if they were taked directly from the comics panels and just mapped in 3D. Watching the movie, at any time, I felt as if I were actually in the decade being portrayed. The clothing, music, buildings, dialouge, and cars all served a purpose to implant a sub conscious marker in my mind letting me know exactly when and where these characters lived their lives. The costumes were executed to perfection, from the campy, loose fitting garb of the early 40’s to late 50’s superheroes, to the new age of tight fitting body armor, leather, and spandex, to the largely unavoidable yet stranglely non eye threatening blue “package” provided by Dr. Manhattan. Quite possibly the best part of the movie was the musical score, giving additional insight to the times, emotions, and souls of the film’s powerful, yet not too well known cast.

Next, I’ll jump to what were some hot button issues, namely the movies length and edits that were made from the source material. All I can say is that I was more than pleasantly suprised with both. As a Watchmen reader from years past, who has been longing for this movie since the first time I greedily digested every page of text and art, I was skeptical as to how certain things were going to be done. Without spoiling the movie for those of you who have not yet had the privilidge, I’ll say that those who have never read the comic will be amazed, and those that have should have no objections to the changes made. The removal of the New Frontiersman side markers and the changing of the books original ending both made sense from a film perspective, and both were executed flawlessly while remaining true to the underlying feel of the book itself. As far as length goes, I give full credit to Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures for making this an epic tale in one self contained film, rather than trying to break it into a sequel or trilogy for monetary gain.

Overall, there was nothing about this movie I didn’t love. I won’t say that I came out of it feeling like a small child again because that’s not the intention of the movie, it tests us, our morals, and standards, and makes us evaluate our own personal souls by showing us what those who are considered truly “powerful leaders” would do given the opportunities they were presented. Leaving the theater, I can’t count the number of debates I either overheard or was part of regarding choices characters made during the film. I’m looking forward to more every weekend when a new crowd is given the chance to screen it.

In closing, two things….

First, Watchmen is amazing, but don’t go in expecting to see Iron Man or a humble Peter Parker. Go in expecting to see a three hour exploration into human nature, at it’s core, and what good and evil can really be accomplished in the hearts of men, and Gods.

Second, to all those who are siding with Alan Moore and his decision to remove his name from the film, as he has done with others, in protest of it’s adaptation from the novel… Alan Moore is a pretentious douche. I said it, and I mean it wholeheartedly. He’s a crotchety old bastard who seeks to destroy the innocence of super heroes, but in this case, he happened to succeed in a way that bypassed anything he could have hoped to accomplish and gave us one of the greatest pieces of literature of the 20th century, just as Warner and Legendary have given us one of the greatest film adaptations of the 21st.

Note: It seems that the box office drop for Watchmen has dropped 60 percent from opening weekend to the second, and I hope that this trend does not continue. I urge you readers, if you know anyone who has not seen this movie, or if you left it with questions unanswered, or want another chance to see what you may have missed, then buy a ticket.

~Chuck