The Martlet

When there’s talk that a novel — graphic or other wise — is going to be made into a movie, fans always fear that it won’t do the book justice.

Fans of Alan Moore’s revolutionary graphic novel were very worried. But they shouldn’t have been. Watchmen is utterly fantastical. The film successfully manages to deliver award-winning creator Moore’s work from page to screen in all the epic grandeur that its ambitious story arc demands without at all coming across as too pretentious.

Director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead) has done a substantial job of staying absolutely true to the original concept of Moore’s plot and characters.

Set in an alternative 1985 America, the plot centers around the premise that the Cold War threat of nuclear armageddon looms large as the “Dooms Day Clock” ticks down to impending mass chaos and social destruction, all while a tight-knit community of superheroes is slowly being eradicated from within.

The storyline is interwoven with several impressive historical elements, and figures that are incorporated into intriguing scenarios of “what ifs,” placing the heroes centrally into past real-life markers of politically-based world-changing events.

Visually, Watchmen is stunning; ripe with unique and spectacular conceptualizations and cinematography that will raise the special effects bars for sci-fi/fantasy films to come.

However, it is noticeably at its weakest (and slowest) in its attempts at certain character developments. Despite providing ample back stories, there is definitely something lost and it fails to evoke the empathy it seeks to establish. That is probably to be expected, however, in a production of this magnitude — and one that comes with such a lofty and complicated plot line.

The only real problem with this movie is in the casting. It is a virtual list of whose that’s and begs the question of whether or not too much of its massive budget went into effects, leaving just enough loose change for C and D-list actors. Regardless, there are some standout performances that will undoubtedly catapult the big screen acting careers of a couple of its stars.

Most notably Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) as Jon Osterman a.k.a. Dr. Manhattan, the nuclear physicist turned blue omniscient being and guardian of the world with the ability to bend and manipulate matter, and Jeffery Dean Morgan’s (Grey’s Anatomy) portrayal of Edward Blake, a.k.a. the Comedian, a sociopathic vigilantly. Jackie Earl Haley, who played Kelly the obnoxious rebel kid from the original 1977 Bad News Bears flick, also provides a buyable performance as Walter Kovacs, a.k.a. Rorschach, another “mask” with a psychotic chip on his shoulder and a general hate-on for all criminals. Carla Gugino (Sin City, Spy Kids) is a welcome addition to the ensemble as the aging heroine Silk Spectre turned retired alcoholic, but doesn’t receive nearly enough screen time.

Matthew Goode (Matchpoint) — not the singer — provides the mastermind genius super hero turned philosophical villain, Ozymandian, who believes that in order to save the world from its own inevitable self destruction, millions must die to preserve the future of billions. But Goode becomes a poor choice of actor whom is neither convincing nor compelling as the film’s misguided antagonist.

Watchmen is destined to become a cult classic, and it has set high standards for future movie makers.

Whether this type of movie is your thing or not, it’s one that is well worth experiencing in a theatre on the big screen. Watchmen is a must see purely for the majestic spectacle of it.