WATCHMEN REVIEW

I'm going to write this one really quick, so I apologize if it's disjointed and sloppy. But here it is:

I'm not even going to bother making a comparison between the comic and the film. Mainly because the film exists as its own thing. But the only worry I had going into this movie was perhaps maybe they stuck too close to the comic. Well I'm happy to say that I was completely wrong.

I really enjoyed this film. It was one of the most unique, interesting pieces of cinema I have seen in the last 5-10 years and I loved mostly every minute of it. I was very pleased with the acting.

Jeffery Dean Morgan gave a very good performance and played an asshole so well. I really wish there was more Comedian in the film. But that scene with Molach really showed how much he was invested in this character. He was able to bring an emotional element to the charavter and I thought it gave him so much more depth.

Patrick Wilson was equally as good. I really believed that he missed being a costumed hero and that he needed it to be part of his life.

Malin Ackerman was good. I think she started off a little rocky in the film, but she started to gain steam as the film progressed. I think she did well with what she had to work with.

Billy Crudup was excellent as Manhattan. His character seemed so detached, but I still felt some emotion with him. He found a nice balance in portraying the character. Everything from the way he walked to the way he spoke. His scene on mars was just ajoy to watch. All around good job.

I thought Matthew Goode was just fantastic. I don't understand the criticism of him. I thought he hit all the right notes to his character and was just a pleasure to watch. He did a fine job.

And Jackie Earl Haley. Well, what's there to say about his Rorchach. He is Roroschach. He completely lost himself in that role and he jus dominated the screen with his presence. Fantastic work by him.

Visually the film is stunning. There was so much going on in the backgrounds on shots, that I need to see it again to let all soak in. I was smiling mostly the whole time seeing this film on that large screen. The beautiful lighting set the tone from the start and effects just worked for me.

I thought the story progressed very well throughout the film. There was some instances that I thought had some strange edits, but all in al there was a nice pace to the film. Which was always a worry of mine, but it just worked some how. This seriously was just a great character study on all the core characters. Particularly Manhattan's origin scene. It was just beautiful. It played like a short film and it really established the character and showed that he still is human. Seeing how these people deal with their lives in the moment. Seeing how how they deal with the situation at hand and what course of action they decide to take in solving the situation. It was really interesting seeing how they developed and how they're lives progressed throughout the film.

Now this is going to be the only time where I'm going to compare something from book to the film and that's the changed ending. I found the film version of the ending to be better than the comic. I was never a fan of the squid and how the plan was carried out to bring it about. I never bought it and thought it was just stupid. I iked this version they came up with a lot more. I believe it made it more personal in terms of the characters, and I liked how it carries throught the film. It just worked out really well in context of this film and I commend the writers for coming up with an intelligent alternitive, and not some tacked on new ending. There was some thought behind it and I loved it.

Now this ain't a perfect film. Like I mentioned before, there was some strange edits. Very minor ones. I thought there was some odd musical cues and I kinda wish there was more of a score to the film. But for the most part, I really enjoyed the song choices. They should of used the Jeff Buckley version of "Hallejluha." It would of been more fitting. Even though I loved the ending of the film, I felt it went by a little fast. It seemed like all the major revelations of the finale came up a little quick. But that's just a minor gripe. And I thought Richard Nixon looked terrible. I liked the actor, but I wasn't buying the makup. I understand it was suppose to be a caricature of him, but you know.

Watchmen was a great film experience. I was hooked from the second the Comedian was thrown through the window. It was truly an unique film and I feel it's great for the genre. It hit all the right beats, it was engaging, the story kept you intrigued, amazing visuals, and very solid acting. I thought Zack Snyder just hit it out of the ballpark. I just wish it didn't have to end and I'll be seeing it again as soon as possible. Man, I'm just pleased how this film turned out.

9/10