Industry-watchers know how tough a time Watchmen has had on its way to the silver screen, what with its long and difficult development, directors jumping ship left and right, and the public disavowal of co-creator Alan Moore -- not to mention that pesky lawsuit. Part superhero movie and part mystery, the epic novel follows a group of has-been crime fighters dusting off their latex suits in an alternate-history 1980s America, potbellies and psychological deficiencies and all; quite appropriately, Watchmen the movie earns its R-rating with decapitations, gore, and bone-crunching action -- a comic book movie for adults.
Now that it's finally arriving, most questions are concerned with one underlying issue: will Zack Snyder satisfy Watchmen's core fans? As early reviews come in from around the globe, the answer appears to be yes. In the upper range of the Tomatometer with 15 reviews in (get the latest Tomatometer updates here), Watchmen is off to the promising start that fans of the graphic novel had hoped for. Below, we round up the early Watchmen reviews.
THE CHANGES FROM THE BOOK: FOR BETTER OR WORSE?
How faithful is Zack Snyder's film to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark graphic novel, and how much do its differences matter? Critics agree that despite making some key departures from its source, this is as close to replicating Moore's Watchmen -- its characters, story, and world -- as any filmmaker could have come. Although fans have been wary of a key change by writers Alex Tse and David Hayter at the end of the film, the new ending retains the spirit of Moore's original one and, surprisingly, might even work better."Thoughtful without being didactic, glossy without being slick, and ultimately, cohesive without being entirely compelling; in other words, it's as accurate and authentic as any single-serving adaptation of the source material is likely to be." -- Todd Gilchrist, H Magazine
"Snyder's Watchmen captures the themes and the meanings and the characters that Moore and Gibbons created but makes them his own, turning the movie from being simply an adaptation into something that feels closer to collaboration." -- Devin Faraci, CHUD
"Unlike the simplified screen hack jobs which have mocked Moore's incredible body of work -- a misguided From Hell and a downright lousy League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen -- this is referential to the point of being reverential." -- Steve Anglesey, Daily Mirror
"Is it more 'Hollywood'? That's a matter of personal preference, and one best left to the forums. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. The mood and the sentiment are preserved and it's arguably a better fit for the screen." Patrick Kolan, IGN AU
THE CAST: DO THEY BREATHE LIFE INTO THE WATCHMEN?
Casting Watchmen's key players was always a point of debate, but Snyder ultimately chose a group of up-and-coming actors for the roles of Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). His best-known actor, Billy Crudup, is ironically the least recognizable, transformed by a team of motion capture artists into a multi-dimensional blue being. And for the most part, Snyder's choices work well -- highlighted by standout performances by Haley and Morgan, though hindered by the sometimes-awkward line readings of Akerman and Goode.
"[Jackie Earle Haley] is, as is every other character in this adaptation, perfectly realised and uncompromisingly accurate -- down to his speech patterns and short, scrawny build." -- Patrick Kolan, IGN AU
"Jackie Earle Haley seems born to play the role of Rorschach; most impressive is the way that he understands the dichotomy of the character, and how he plays him in and out of costume...When the mask is removed Haley becomes a coiled weapon, a switchblade about to be triggered at all times." -- Devin Faraci, CHUD
"Honestly, Akerman just can't handle the material. She looks hot in latex, I'll give her that. The big scenes are well done, but when we get into the actual story, the dialogue suffers, the tension falters and the film falls flat." -- Jenna Busch, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
"It is Matthew Goode as oddball Ozymandias, and Malin Ackerman as Silk Spectre who botch line-readings, ill-at-ease in latex that is part suit and part joke." -- Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
Next: Critics chime in on Watchmen's R-rated action and score
on Feb 26 2009 08:31 AM really? i'm first?! eat that, fanboys. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 08:34 AM Cool, I want to wait for more reviews to come in until I decide how high or low my hopes should be going in. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 08:35 AM lol squidaments (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 08:38 AM Im thinking this is gonna be the most divided movies of all time. i expect reviews to be high but the negative reviews are going to be vitriolic to say the least. either way im just glad watchmen finally got onto the big screen in what seems to be a way better than average adaptation! (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 08:47 AM The few negative reviews I've read have been from critics who just don't understand it, or folks who were determined to hate it at the start, whether it was actually any good or not. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 08:48 AM In reply to this comment (#2344975) I'm not being sarcastic [I'm actually curious], but on what do you base that assertion? It looks to me like the reviews so far have been favorable. Why should that not continue to be the case? (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:07 AM Hmm, its strange that these reviewers are giving such high review number-wise, while their written reviews seem pretty negative (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:09 AM From reading reviews it seems as though the "unfilmable" aspect of Watchmen is what most people are complaining about. That is that, its just difficult to fit in every emotion and every detail that are in the book, and while this wouldn't normally be a problem for a movie adaptation, every detail in Watchmen is so critical to the story and the character development that to leave it out or not flesh it out enough will hurt the final movie. Expectations from fans are unreasonable as always, I saw one guy on YouTube complaining that The Black Freighter wasn't in the final movie and that Hollis Mason wasn't in it enough. This may be what ultimately makes the movie fail, the disconnect between movie fans and comic fans. Comic fans don't understand the making of a movie and what works and what doesn't work while movie fans don't understand the complexity and density of the comic. It is going to end up being a love/hate movie. You love it or hate it, no middle ground. This movie will fuel many an angry forum thread across the internet for a long long time. Either way I'll probably see it two or three times just because theaters right now are a complete wasteland. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:17 AM Ultimately, I don't think Watchmen is going to receive much universal praise. There's a reason Slumdog won Best Picture this year. People want a feel-good flick with an uplifting ending in such tumultuous times, or at the very least a film like Mall Cop that caters to cheap laughs rather than exploring more risque topics...all IMHO (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:30 AM My only issue is that its at 92% without any "legitimate" news source posting a review yet... CHUD and JoBlo are the best sources so far. Variety has a mixed review that they put up last night as well: W (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:43 AM it seems to me from reading these reviews that as a movie experience on its own its quite awesome and entertaining. as an adaptation of the most well-received graphic novel of all time? that's a different issue. i guess it depends on how you look at it. i will be there opening night. i'm going in with low expectations, but i think i will be like the critic who said. "i liked it, but i was still a bit disappointed." (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 09:46 AM I know very little about Watchmen. I've never read the book and have only heard its praises from fans. I also found "300" to be one of the most laughable movies in recent years. I am curious about this movie, though. I don't really know what to think, and that's a good thing. First, my apprehension about the director comes from the self-seriousness that "300" seemed to have, despite its own over-the-top sensibility. "Watchmen," from the trailer, seems to have the same problem. As a non-Watchmen fan, half of the costumes look too ridiculous to me for a movie that seems so self-important. However, I do find the premise interesting and the cinematography beautiful. The tone looks to be very consistent. I will check this out with an open, but cautious mind. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 12:10 PM is it 3/6/9 yet??? (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 12:14 PM HAW! Fanboys. "Spider-Man," "Iron Man," "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," the list goes on and on...they shriek and squeal that each one's going to suck suck suck suck suck, and then they emerge from the theater covered in their own semen. And then they dash home to wash up and get on Mom's computer to voice their "disappointment." (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 12:53 PM This movie has been YEARS in the making, so I think that it will satisfy the hardcore fans who need their Watchmen fix. At the very least, it should increase the popularity of the graphic novels for those who are unfamiliar with them. I'm predicting somewhere between 75% and 85% as a final tally. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 01:04 PM most of the complaints seem to be that uninitiated watchmen viewers wont understand it. But i ask, why would a non-watchment fan go to see it? seems kind f irrelevant. should leave fans well satisfied though from what ive heard. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 01:08 PM In reply to this comment (#2345408) Jomo, I think it may be less that the uninitiated won't understand it and more that they won't care - at least, not as much as fans, who will be riveted and will be comparing the book to the movie in their heads while they watch. (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 01:10 PM In reply to this comment (#2345311) I honestly don't get it: WHO THE F#CK are you supposed to be attacking? NO ONE on this site has actually even SAID the movie will 'suck' prior to your post! Sh#t, no one has even really offered a personal opinion, just interpretations of the critics and a few projections of how *others* will react. Seriously, there's an entire new class of discussion on this site, daily; the 'Sanctimonious Windbag Anti-Fanboy Rant.' (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 01:39 PM I am Nervous (Reply to this) |
on Feb 26 2009 01:42 PM This movie weems to be doing just what Transformers did: started out with high meter reviews, but then they just kept dropping...and dropping...and dropping. Whether Watchmen can stay fresh is a complete guessing game at this point, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. It'll ease the pain, or less likely increase the amazement. (Reply to this) |
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