So many movies ... so little time ...
On this day in 2009 (in the United Kingdom), Zack Snyder's take on the groundbreaking comic book story that remains Watchmen enjoyed its glorious big screen debut.
And controversy has kinda/sorta followed ever since.
Good grief.
I remember back in the day saying something to the effect that because of fandom and the way they've treated Snyder is one of the reasons we can't have nice things.
Whether you enjoy Watchmen or not, there's really no denying that it's about as visually arresting a flick as the comics-to-film subgenre has ever had. (Again, read what I said, haters: whether you enjoy it or not ...) Snyder's take on the source material -- from Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins -- truly energized storytellers to truly reach for the stars, showing just what was possible if you had the time, money, and skills to bring something to life for cinemas. I've often argued that those folks in fandom who just don't like Snyder -- for whatever reason -- have long trolled the film as being nothing more than the sum of such lush visuals, and I couldn't disagree more strongly. What he did in matching the style of the book to the screen and giving it his own unique signature is exactly the kind of filmmaking fans everywhere should embrace: this doesn't mean loving the man so much as it suggests that authentic storytelling deserves to be celebrated minimally.
But in order to avoid any further hate e-mail, I'll leave it at that.
The cast included such names as Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Matthew Goode, Stephen McHattie, Laura Mennell, and so many others. Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"It's 1985 in an alternate reality. The Watchmen - comprised of the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Rorschach and Silk Spectre II - are a disparate band of masked superheroes, modeled after the Minutemen, who were masked superheroes of a generation earlier, most of who are dead or afflicted by the ravages of life. The Comedian belongs to both groups. Despite the activities of the Watchmen leading to the west winning the Vietnam War which in turn has kept Richard Nixon in the White House, Nixon has now outlawed masks, resulting in the Watchmen disbanding and going into retirement, most hiding their Watchmen past under their human identities. However, the Comedian, in his human persona of Eddie Blake, and Dr. Manhattan - former physicist Jon Osterman who obtained his superhero powers through a scientific accident which almost killed him - now work for the government. Dr. Manhattan's powers in particular have kept a watch over nuclear proliferation, as he is able to stop any nuclear attack. Regardless, the Cold War is at its height with recent Soviet posturing regarding nuclear bomb buildup. In her human persona of Laurie Jupiter, Silk Spectre II is Dr. Manhattan's assistant and lover, as much as they can be in Dr. Manhattan's now non-human state. Meanwhile, Ozymandias has come out to the world as wealthy genius Adrian Veidt, capitalizing on his Ozymandias identity to better the world, and Rorschach continues to work as a vigilante, although one wanted by the law despite he the reason that many criminals are behind bars. When Blake is murdered, Rorschach, as the only one still on the streets, believes the murderer is out to kill all the Watchmen, despite any number of people wanting to kill the Comedian for being a misogynist. Evidence points to it perhaps having something to do with an imminent attempt of nuclear annihilation. Rorschach has to convince his colleagues, who he has not seen since their superhero days, of the validity of his theory for them to come out of retirement, which is no easy task. If they do, which will require them to overcome external forces which seem to be conspiring against them, they will have to discover both who killed the Comedian and why before they befall the same fate as him and/or before the mastermind is able to exact his larger grand plan."
As always, thanks for reading ... thanks for sharing ... thanks for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
On this day in 2009 (in the United Kingdom), Zack Snyder's take on the groundbreaking comic book story that remains Watchmen enjoyed its glorious big screen debut.
And controversy has kinda/sorta followed ever since.
Good grief.
I remember back in the day saying something to the effect that because of fandom and the way they've treated Snyder is one of the reasons we can't have nice things.
Whether you enjoy Watchmen or not, there's really no denying that it's about as visually arresting a flick as the comics-to-film subgenre has ever had. (Again, read what I said, haters: whether you enjoy it or not ...) Snyder's take on the source material -- from Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins -- truly energized storytellers to truly reach for the stars, showing just what was possible if you had the time, money, and skills to bring something to life for cinemas. I've often argued that those folks in fandom who just don't like Snyder -- for whatever reason -- have long trolled the film as being nothing more than the sum of such lush visuals, and I couldn't disagree more strongly. What he did in matching the style of the book to the screen and giving it his own unique signature is exactly the kind of filmmaking fans everywhere should embrace: this doesn't mean loving the man so much as it suggests that authentic storytelling deserves to be celebrated minimally.
But in order to avoid any further hate e-mail, I'll leave it at that.
The cast included such names as Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Matthew Goode, Stephen McHattie, Laura Mennell, and so many others. Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"It's 1985 in an alternate reality. The Watchmen - comprised of the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Rorschach and Silk Spectre II - are a disparate band of masked superheroes, modeled after the Minutemen, who were masked superheroes of a generation earlier, most of who are dead or afflicted by the ravages of life. The Comedian belongs to both groups. Despite the activities of the Watchmen leading to the west winning the Vietnam War which in turn has kept Richard Nixon in the White House, Nixon has now outlawed masks, resulting in the Watchmen disbanding and going into retirement, most hiding their Watchmen past under their human identities. However, the Comedian, in his human persona of Eddie Blake, and Dr. Manhattan - former physicist Jon Osterman who obtained his superhero powers through a scientific accident which almost killed him - now work for the government. Dr. Manhattan's powers in particular have kept a watch over nuclear proliferation, as he is able to stop any nuclear attack. Regardless, the Cold War is at its height with recent Soviet posturing regarding nuclear bomb buildup. In her human persona of Laurie Jupiter, Silk Spectre II is Dr. Manhattan's assistant and lover, as much as they can be in Dr. Manhattan's now non-human state. Meanwhile, Ozymandias has come out to the world as wealthy genius Adrian Veidt, capitalizing on his Ozymandias identity to better the world, and Rorschach continues to work as a vigilante, although one wanted by the law despite he the reason that many criminals are behind bars. When Blake is murdered, Rorschach, as the only one still on the streets, believes the murderer is out to kill all the Watchmen, despite any number of people wanting to kill the Comedian for being a misogynist. Evidence points to it perhaps having something to do with an imminent attempt of nuclear annihilation. Rorschach has to convince his colleagues, who he has not seen since their superhero days, of the validity of his theory for them to come out of retirement, which is no easy task. If they do, which will require them to overcome external forces which seem to be conspiring against them, they will have to discover both who killed the Comedian and why before they befall the same fate as him and/or before the mastermind is able to exact his larger grand plan."
As always, thanks for reading ... thanks for sharing ... thanks for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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