Viewed Watchmen again, on DVD
POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 23:06
VIEWED: 3549
PAGE 1 of 4
Man, what a dark, dark movie.
Liked it, for the most part, as it was well done, but still....
Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."
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I didn't like how they changed it from the comic book. In the comic book, they take the comparison to Alexander the Great much farther, and he turns out to be yet another would-be conqueror who thinks he's bringing peace and enlightenment to an uncivilized world, and actually just wants to be in charge and play with people's lives.
Of course, I also realized recently I don't like the comic book, either. According to Alan Moore himself, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, and Dr. Manhattan were supposed to be more sympathetic than Rorschach, and the audience was supposed to take away that the three stooges made the right choice to just bend over for the world's worst authoritarian. Screw you Alan Moore.
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Having no idea what Watchmen was even about before the movie, I couldn't get upset at any character variations which showed up on screen. Rarely does a character or set of characters make the cross over from print to small/ big screen. ( But that's for another thread, or several. )
But the idea of making Rorschach the villain is just plain wrong. For all the bad that he was, I ended up finding him to be the most true and honest 'hero' of the bunch. Warped, disturbed, but truly held onto his principles. Not the sort of character I generally pull for, but by the end of the movie, he was the one I was most impressed with, out of all the 'heroes'.
As a change of pace, I followed Watchmen up w/ Monsters vs Aliens. 
I guess 'cause of Ironman 2, it's sort of a heroes vs villains weekend on the home theatre.
Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."
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I agree with you about Rorschach. By the end of the movie (and upon 2d viewing) I truly understood his decision at the end. He died for what he believed in. That, I think was true to his character (within the movie). I never read the graphic novel and don't intend to (some things are better left alone).
Suffice it to say I really enjoyed the movie and the storytelling approach that was taken. There were some very minor flaws for me (at times it was a bit melodramatic - such as with "Ozzie's" character) but for the most part it was good solid movie that worked on most levels. My fav characters was Rorschach and The Comedian - as they marched to a different drum; but the comic book fan in me also admired the traditional heros in Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. It's the romantic in me.
SGG
Tawabawho?
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Exactly! And that's how most of the fanbase feels. Certainly, it's how I felt about it, even though I do think Rorschach has his flaws and is kind of like a schizophrenic homeless batman.
But according to what I read at tvtropes about "Misaimed fandom" and "Ensemble Darkhorse" Alan Moore intended for Rorschach to be unsympathetic, implying that he deserved his death for being so uncompromising (and socially uncomforming).
I was annoyed by the Silk Spectre II, she seemed pretty worthless most of the time. Clearly the token female.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I was annoyed by the Silk Spectre II, she seemed pretty worthless most of the time. Clearly the token female.
While easy on the eyes, Silk Spectre came off as fairly superficial. I mean, what I got from the movie was that her part in all this wasn't out of any sense of justice or to right the wrongs, but simply because it was what mommy told her to do. To "carry on the family tradition". Quite a contrast to Rorschach, who was fully consumed w/ avenging the wronged and making the guilty pay. REALLY pay.
Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Having no idea what Watchmen was even about before the movie...
Do yourself a favor and pick up the graphic novel. Read it with very good lighting, and take the time to pore over all the amazing detail in each panel, especially in the background.
Also read every word in the articles at the end of each chapter, as there's a lot of foreshadowing and insightful details.
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I was annoyed by the Silk Spectre II, she seemed pretty worthless most of the time. Clearly the token female.
While easy on the eyes, Silk Spectre came off as fairly superficial. I mean, what I got from the movie was that her part in all this wasn't out of any sense of justice or to right the wrongs, but simply because it was what mommy told her to do. To "carry on the family tradition". Quite a contrast to Rorschach, who was fully consumed w/ avenging the wronged and making the guilty pay. REALLY pay.
And not just her role in the story enabling Ozymandrius' bullshit, which makes me absolutely DESPISE her, Nite Owl, and Dr. Manhattan. She's also a very shallow character. Her backstory is lacking, as you noted (though Nite Owl's is as well), and story-wise she also appears to exist only to have sex with Alan Moore's two protagonists. When faced with what Ozymandrius has done, she comes off as a COMPLETE BIMBO.
The comic book is actually quite a bit misogynistic, from the Comedian killing his asian-babymomma to... Well, the Comedian again, and the rape of the first Silk Spectre, which we come to understand she WANTED AND ENJOYED. And then Silk Spectre II, who is an utterly irredeemable waste of ink.
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
But the idea of making Rorschach the villain is just plain wrong.
Where'd you get the idea that he was, or they were trying to present him as such? That totally flies in the face of the film itself. He was the one guy who refused to compromise his ideals.
You're the first person I've ever seen even make such a comment.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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Actually, I was the first person who said it, and I said it because Alan Moore has gone on record to indicate that he regrets that Rorschach has such a fan following, and that Rorschach was meant to be an unsympathetic character. I'm trying to find a damn cite and source for it, it's not coming up, but apparently it was said SOMEWHERE because the Watchmen fan-community refers to it endlessly.
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