tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post8215310980558192548..comments2024-03-29T02:32:15.437-04:00Comments on Remarkable: Watchmen Review from someone unfamiliar with the comic bookGeoff Klockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-91812666772287416782009-11-21T20:19:28.527-05:002009-11-21T20:19:28.527-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-54680573349944337932009-03-11T22:37:00.000-04:002009-03-11T22:37:00.000-04:00I might need to see it again. The comic is putting...I might need to see it again. The comic is putting things in perspective a bit.finsof72https://www.blogger.com/profile/15721909709459135540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-24958433291062220422009-03-11T20:20:00.000-04:002009-03-11T20:20:00.000-04:00Kyle, Oh yeah The Comedian IS a right wing dick, t...Kyle, Oh yeah The Comedian IS a right wing dick, totally. It's just that in the book, I never had any empathy, sympathy or feeling for the character. But in the film Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays the part with such gusto, he's hard NOT to like. <BR/>The stone shattering punch did interfere with the movie a bit actually, it makes it seem like The Comedian and OZY have superpowers. But the fight was pretty cool, if unnecessary, but cool nonetheless.speedreederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00588137493997274203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-3695988891604122682009-03-11T15:32:00.000-04:002009-03-11T15:32:00.000-04:00speedreeder: He IS a right wing dick, just a belie...speedreeder: He IS a right wing dick, just a believable one. Morgan gave my favorite performance in the film, despite the ridiculousness of that stone-shattering punch and how unnecessary the fight was.Kyle Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11585645795214120227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-71103821657118022442009-03-11T12:00:00.000-04:002009-03-11T12:00:00.000-04:00Now, I have seen more than a few "inept piece of s...Now, I have seen more than a few "inept piece of shit" films in my time and I would hardly categorize even the worst aspects of <I>Watchmen</I> in that way. As with all genre adaptations, the response to <I>Watchmen</I> has been overtly hyperbolic on all sides of the aisle, particularly from a.) fans of the comic who are upset over the film's tone and b.) general audiences (and a good deal of film critics), who are experiencing genre-burnout thanks to the recent glut of comic flicks.<BR/><BR/>This movie had its fair share of flaws, but I'm not of the opinion that those flaws ruined the film. As I've said before, the parts were far greater than the whole, but the good most definitely out-weighed the bad. Furthermore (and I mean no disrespect here), labeling this film as "stupid" or "hateful" is fairly ridiculous. I'm sure many viewers were turned off by Snyder's approach to the subject material (at times, so was I)... but in the less-than-grand history of comic-to-film adaptations, <I>Watchmen</I> is most definitely one of the best. The film was uneven and, at times, nearly cringe worthy... but still heads and shoulders above 90% of comic book movies.<BR/><BR/>I think that Roger Ebert's second review of <I>Watchmen</I> (handily provided by Streebo, above) is particularly worthwhile reading for Fins, Mikey, and anyone else truly (profoundly, even!) turned off by the film. That's not to suggest that Ebert's opinion is correct, and others are not, but his second review is particularly insightful and really examines the things that the film did <I>right</I>.<BR/><BR/>Finally, as Troy mentioned, the film has brought unprecedented interest to the original <I>Watchmen</I> graphic novel, which is certainly good news for the medium of comics. In fact, my girlfriend ordered a copy of <I>Absolute Watchmen</I> last night, so I guess results vary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-42759095317850385862009-03-11T08:29:00.000-04:002009-03-11T08:29:00.000-04:00"Watchmen is a movie for people who like Watchmen ..."Watchmen is a movie for people who like Watchmen the graphic novel."<BR/><BR/>Well - equally Watchmen is NOT a movie for people who like the graphic novel. Given that it is an absolutely dreadful, soulless, inept piece of shit of a film (whether you've read the book or not).<BR/><BR/>I agree with Fins, the best bit of the film is the opening sequence, and that's - tellingly - one of the few sections that are original to the film and not trying to cope with the source material.<BR/><BR/>My girlfriend has read Watchmen because I recommended it, but only in the same way that I suggested she read books by Annie Proulx and Gilbert Hernandez. She is a much better person than me and she thought the film was stupid and hateful as well.<BR/><BR/>The sad thing is the closing point in Nina Stone's review: <BR/><BR/>"After we watched this, the people who had read it asked me, and they asked the other woman with us, if we wanted to read the comic after watching the movie. I just said "no, not really." The other woman?<BR/><BR/>"Not a fucking chance!""<BR/><BR/>And when I came out of the cinema that's what I was thinking as well. "<I>That</I> was 'one of the greatest graphic novels of all time'?! That's the best we've got?" <BR/><BR/>I'm glad it's over now, Watchmen has finally been released and comic book movies can hopefully be left to die in peace. (Coming Soon = Wolverine: Origins! Yay!!)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13843014015527136142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-2981586409256249482009-03-10T22:58:00.000-04:002009-03-10T22:58:00.000-04:00Geoff- You've probably seen or been sent this alre...Geoff- You've probably seen or been sent this already, but, in the event you haven't: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/030910-Batman-Quitely.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-82122526144775880892009-03-10T19:57:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:57:00.000-04:00Actually Fins, you tend to make fewer errors than ...Actually Fins, you tend to make fewer errors than me when I write these things, and I liked the Fast and The Furious quip, btw.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-36186189332389891042009-03-10T19:56:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:56:00.000-04:00Scott: I agree that the Watchmen graphic novel is...Scott: I agree that the Watchmen graphic novel isn't for everyone, and it's definitely got its share of flaws. <BR/><BR/>Likewise, the movie isn't for everyone, either. But if the movie had managed to be what I would call a good movie instead of what I would call a mess, I've convinced myself we'd hear fewer "Meh, it was okay, I guess" comments. How many fewer? Hard to say, given that some people obviously liked parts that I considered awful. But fewer, I think. I really do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-38342992521213419442009-03-10T19:52:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:52:00.000-04:00Thanks for sharing your review, Fins!Thanks for sharing your review, Fins!Streeboramahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13246099190675220076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-9438327702778998902009-03-10T19:49:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:49:00.000-04:00Roger Ebert never read the Watchmen either. He fe...<A HREF="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090304/REVIEWS/903049997" REL="nofollow">Roger Ebert never read the Watchmen</A> either. He felt compelled to write not one - but <A HREF="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/03/were_all_puppets_laurie_im_jus.html" REL="nofollow">two reviews</A>.Streeboramahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13246099190675220076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-66833320123824726292009-03-10T19:45:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:45:00.000-04:00Also, one more thing...I am only a freshmen englis...Also, one more thing...I am only a freshmen english student so obviously I'm prone to grammatical mishaps, and the comparison above is The Joker-The Comedian. I was also going to make a 'Robert Downey Jr. in a Lone Ranger Mask' comparison but it wasn't as quick to deliver while trying to maintain humor. Sorry about that, as well. But now that I actually think about it, I think more comparisons can be made...including the nameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-57378332211155426812009-03-10T19:40:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:40:00.000-04:00I must have read Watchmen 10 to 15 times, in the l...I must have read Watchmen 10 to 15 times, in the last 20 years. So I knew what I was getting into.<BR/>I went with my girlfriend, who isn't generally a fan of comic book movies or superheroes. BUT she likes movies like the Matrix, Harry Potter Series, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc... <BR/>She liked the movie and I thought it was a pretty faithful and well done adaptation. The acting was a little bit dodgy at times, but so's the acting in Star Wars (yes the original trilogy) and Star Trek. Actually, if you think about it, the acting is pretty awful in the Matrix too. Keanu is a fucking terrible actor. <BR/>This movie has had a really weird reaction, critics are hating on it. NYT and NPR both gave it bad reviews. But Roger Ebert gave it a great review. <BR/><BR/>As for myself, I thought it was pretty good, almost great. And people seem to be put off by the gratuitous violence, but I thought the fight scenes made all the characters finally seem like "superheroes." Nite Owl and Silk Spectre 2 really kicked some ass, and the dude that played the Comedian was great, he definitely kicked ass, and played the character with such gusto, he made the Comedian an (almost) likable character. (I always thought he was just a right wink dick.)<BR/><BR/> In the beginning fight with Ozy, I'm glad he didn't go down without a fight. It was one of the best scenes in the movie!speedreederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00588137493997274203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-65048808806771298762009-03-10T19:33:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:33:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.speedreederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00588137493997274203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-88010276440046347012009-03-10T19:29:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:29:00.000-04:00And ba, though it wasn't a joke, it's not meant to...And ba, though it wasn't a joke, it's not meant to be taken very seriously, either. I have a tendency to (try) and put a humorous slant on things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-17678253031742733962009-03-10T19:14:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:14:00.000-04:00I'm reading the Watchmen graphic novel now and I t...I'm reading the Watchmen graphic novel now and I think it's just one of those things that works better on the page than the screen. Also, the Fast and Furious comment was meant to be a tiny, tiny, tiny funny quip about a social stereotype used to illustrate that everybody has their own "thing." Didn't mean for it to get escalated, sorry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-65211724621207423762009-03-10T19:12:00.000-04:002009-03-10T19:12:00.000-04:00I kinda thought this review was a joke...was it?Ei...I kinda thought this review was a joke...was it?<BR/><BR/>Either way, the whole "he forgot his watch (watchmen, get it?)" made me chuckle.bahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14892528094367274617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-54606714907155216142009-03-10T18:16:00.000-04:002009-03-10T18:16:00.000-04:00There is, of course, the possibility that Fins (or...There is, of course, the possibility that Fins (or the non-comic fan who sees the movie in general) may, very well, not have liked the comic EVEN IF THEY HAD READ IT FIRST.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it has nothing to do with the translation; maybe it's just the concept/story themselves that isn't interesting to them.<BR/><BR/>It's like when you loan your friend that book or movie that you were blown away by; that changed your live and his reaction is "Meh, it was ok I guess"<BR/><BR/>With the Watchmen movie, we're getting that on a large scale.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-22564673293005139652009-03-10T17:33:00.000-04:002009-03-10T17:33:00.000-04:00Jason: Actually, it's a five-way split. There ar...Jason: Actually, it's a five-way split. There are also the comic fans like me that feel Snyder simply didn't manage to make a good movie, period, quite apart from whether or not he made a hash of the source material (which, yes, he definitely did).<BR/><BR/>On the upside, the graphic novel is the #1 book - BOOK, not graphic novel - at Amazon right now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-80437369932719967272009-03-10T16:06:00.000-04:002009-03-10T16:06:00.000-04:00ShadZ: I haven't seen The Fast and the Furious but...ShadZ: I haven't seen The Fast and the Furious but based on the overall snark I think fins means to be clever more than anything else.Björninnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553147626752307970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-15867702077168168582009-03-10T16:04:00.000-04:002009-03-10T16:04:00.000-04:00Yes, but my point was that the reviewer seems to b...Yes, but my point was that the reviewer seems to be comparing the Comedian's assassin to the Joker. Not the Comedian himself.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-28843005044561846962009-03-10T16:02:00.000-04:002009-03-10T16:02:00.000-04:00Oh, and on the Comedian as Joker -- I just assume ...Oh, and on the Comedian as Joker -- I just assume it was the conflation of violence, nihilism, the name, and the smily face button. "Dressed" might have not been the best choice of words here, as it indicates all outfit.Geoff Klockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-25161780333704213632009-03-10T15:57:00.000-04:002009-03-10T15:57:00.000-04:00ShadZ -- i do not know what that line means either...ShadZ -- i do not know what that line means either. I wanted to put this up pretty unedited because I wanted to get this perspective without my interference; I took that line now so as not to distract, though you guys are welcome to discuss it here in the comments.Geoff Klockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-77876043179772436202009-03-10T15:55:00.001-04:002009-03-10T15:55:00.001-04:00Scott, I absolutely believe that is true. I know ...Scott, I absolutely believe that is true. I know I should just watch the movie without any regard to how it will play to someone else. But I couldn't help it, and Fins' review does seem to bear out the fears you mentioned in your first post in the Watchmen thread.<BR/><BR/>I do plan to see it again, though, with the exact mindset you describe. (And I agree with you about which three characters were the best, btw.)Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-68361277092962312972009-03-10T15:55:00.000-04:002009-03-10T15:55:00.000-04:00Scott, I absolutely believe that is true. I know ...Scott, I absolutely believe that is true. I know I should just watch the movie without any regard to how it will play to someone else. But I couldn't help it, and Fins' review does seem to bear out the fears you mentioned in your first post in the Watchmen thread.<BR/><BR/>I do plan to see it again, though, with the exact mindset you describe. (And I agree with you about which three characters were the best, btw.)Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.com