Bando
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I've got some regrets!
Posts: 2,431
|
Post by Bando on Feb 12, 2009 18:04:35 GMT -5
So Watchmen comes out in a few weeks, and I for one couldn't be more excited (as you may have noticed, a few of us have changed our avatars in anticipation). From the trailers I have good feelings about the look of the film and its faithfulness to the graphic novel, but I have bad feelings about some of the acting (*cough* Malin Ackerman). So what do you all think? Best comic movie ever, or terrible disappointment? Also, there's a New Frontiersman website and YouTube channel, as well as YouTube channel for Veidt Enterprises.
|
|
Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
|
Post by Boz on Feb 12, 2009 18:41:48 GMT -5
I am primarily concerned with how they handle the ending, of course.
My other main concern is with how the trailers have opened:
"From the visionary director of '300'....."
OK, 300 was kind of cool and all, but visionary? Nope. And not at all right for this movie.
These lingering doubts aside, I do expect a very good film.
I wonder if it will have mass commercial appeal, as its really not a "superhero" movie at all, but I do expect it to have critical appeal (unless it really, REALLY sucks, of course), since no critic is going to be able to resist sounding cool by saying great things about it.
The real question, of course, is will Watchmen be Jackie Earl Haley's "Pulp Fiction"? ;D (seriously, though, I'm am optimistic about his Rorschach).
Actually, the other real question is will Silk Spectre II get naked? (Only half kidding on that one.)
I'm not sure if others will agree with me on this, but I'm glad it looks like they're not including the "Black Freighter" interludes. According to wiki, those will be available when the DVD comes out.
|
|
HealyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Victory!!!
Posts: 1,059
|
Post by HealyHoya on Feb 12, 2009 19:07:16 GMT -5
For those who don't follow this sort of thing but found the trailer intriguing, can you explain briefly why this isn't a "superhero" movie? Too dark? I could see that. Are they reluctant to be viewed as good guys?
|
|
Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
|
Post by Boz on Feb 12, 2009 19:45:48 GMT -5
The primary reason is, of all of the heroes in Watchmen, there is only one character with actual superpowers, Dr. Manhattan (who is really not central to most of the books, in my opinion, though he is VERY central to the altered reality they live in from ours). The rest are "costumed heroes," adventurers/vigilantes/etc. with no supernormal abilities.
You could draw a Batman analogy I suppose, but I don't think that applies without a lot of stretching and contortion.
There are other reasons as well like, as you mentioned, not all (any?) of them are always "good guys."
EDIT: And yes, Buffalo, V for Vendetta sucked so hard I wanted to puke, but didn't because I didn't want to feed the sucking any more.
|
|
theexorcist
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,506
|
Post by theexorcist on Feb 12, 2009 19:55:25 GMT -5
For those who don't follow this sort of thing but found the trailer intriguing, can you explain briefly why this isn't a "superhero" movie? Too dark? I could see that. Are they reluctant to be viewed as good guys? As discussed, there really aren't any good guys versus bad guys. Most of the movie is focused on figuring out who's killing people who called themselves superheroes but who had no powers (there are two exceptions - Ozymandias, who's a Batman type with a lot of money and lots of physical training, and Dr. Manhattan, who's essentially a Superman who can't be killed). The superheroes banded together and fought crime until most superheroes were outlawed. Unlike The Incredibles, hilarity does not ensue.
|
|
|
Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Feb 12, 2009 20:05:25 GMT -5
When I first saw a trailer for watchmen I borrowed my roommates copy of the book and read it. It's really good, so i'm expecting good things from the movie. I'm also worried about how they'll handle the ending. Especially after hearing rumour that it's slightly altered from the book, but the same in spirit.
|
|
|
Post by strummer8526 on Feb 12, 2009 20:47:26 GMT -5
|
|
TC
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 9,459
|
Post by TC on Feb 12, 2009 22:33:21 GMT -5
Am I the only one who thinks that Watchmen (as a comic) is way, way overrated? If you are going into it with the expectations of "greatest comic movie ever", I think you are going to be way disappointed. Maybe not X-Men: The Last Stand disappointed, but disappointed nonetheless. I haven't seen it (and probably won't until DVD), but those sorts of expectations are just begging to be shot down to earth.
|
|
hoyatables
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,603
|
Post by hoyatables on Feb 13, 2009 0:15:46 GMT -5
Am I the only one who thinks that Watchmen (as a comic) is way, way overrated? If you are going into it with the expectations of "greatest comic movie ever", I think you are going to be way disappointed. Maybe not X-Men: The Last Stand disappointed, but disappointed nonetheless. I haven't seen it (and probably won't until DVD), but those sorts of expectations are just begging to be shot down to earth. I think it is somewhat overrated, but it still stands up well over time. I do think that The Dark Knight Returns (published in the same year) was a better tale. Both are widely regarded as comics that "revolutionized" the industry and reflected a shift from the bright superheroes of the Silver and Bronze Age into the modern age of "grim 'n gritty" antiheroes like Lobo, Spawn, and so on. Watchmen loses some of its impact for anyone that doesn't "get" the Cold War setting. Some of the metatext and meaning is also geared towards deconstructing comics and superheroes, which probably doesn't matter as much to you if you're not a comics geek/fan. I'm re-reading it right now, and actually enjoying it more than I expected. Much like other sci-fi / fantasy epics (i.e. Lord of the Rings) it does get better with each reading, as you appreciate what is going on in the background a little more.
|
|
Bando
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I've got some regrets!
Posts: 2,431
|
Post by Bando on Feb 13, 2009 2:34:45 GMT -5
Just a couple of replies: Yeah, the A-Team thing was one thing, but now this little clique are all adopting "Watchmen" personas? I at least hope you've all read the book, and have done so numerous times over the past several years, yes? Yes. True. At the same time, many of the earlier scripts for Watchmen updated the setting to the war on terror, and Snyder was completely against that. And from the trailers so far, it seems a lot of dialogue was lifted verbatim from the novel. Except for the ending (so rumor says) he's apparently the most faithful of anyone who's tried this. The actor playing Nite Owl II gained 20 pounds for the role. That's not pudgy, per se, but it's something. And as badly as Ackerman sucks, Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan is nothing to sneeze at. Yeah, I have no idea what's gonna happen with that.
|
|
Bando
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I've got some regrets!
Posts: 2,431
|
Post by Bando on Feb 13, 2009 2:40:20 GMT -5
The primary reason is, of all of the heroes in Watchmen, there is only one character with actual superpowers, Dr. Manhattan (who is really not central to most of the books, in my opinion, though he is VERY central to the altered reality they live in from ours). The rest are "costumed heroes," adventurers/vigilantes/etc. with no supernormal abilities. You could draw a Batman analogy I suppose, but I don't think that applies without a lot of stretching and contortion. There are other reasons as well like, as you mentioned, not all (any?) of them are always "good guys." EDIT: And yes, Buffalo, V for Vendetta sucked so hard I wanted to puke, but didn't because I didn't want to feed the sucking any more. Also, I felt Watchmen was one of the few comics to actually posit a world that reacted to the presence of superheroes in it's midst. It's not just that you have a better chance of surviving a long fall, but your life is pretty much the same otherwise. Dr. Manhattan's mere presence drastically changes global geopolitics, and everyone has an opinion on costumed heroes.
|
|
Bando
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I've got some regrets!
Posts: 2,431
|
Post by Bando on Feb 13, 2009 2:44:26 GMT -5
The MPAA notice before the trailers says there's nudity, and there's obviously a nude scene in the novel with her in it. I'm hoping that she's the one getting naked and the MPAA notice isn't just for a blue CGI dong.
|
|
HealyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Victory!!!
Posts: 1,059
|
Post by HealyHoya on Feb 13, 2009 11:54:37 GMT -5
Thanks for the answers. I'll see it in the theaters and will probably benefit from not being a huge fan of comic books/graphic novels (and so without elevated expectations/ability to compare to the book).
|
|
rosslynhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,595
|
Post by rosslynhoya on Feb 13, 2009 12:09:51 GMT -5
|
|
Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
|
Post by Boz on Feb 13, 2009 12:23:57 GMT -5
I'd rather they put the actress playing the original Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) in the role. Definitely with you on that one, Buffalo! Not to derail from the Watchmen discussion, but I am going to come out and admit right now that I am looking forward to GI Joe. Yup. There I said it. Unfortunately, I have the same (actually much worse) trepidations about that movie. If they go ahead and lift the story from one of the storylines in the comic -- which, despite the action figure tie-in, was very well done by Larry Hama, I might add -- I'd be pleasantly surprised. But they are going to ruin it, I am sure, just like Hollywood ruined the Silver Surfer. At least stay faithful to the Snake Eyes - Storm Shadow storyline. Is that asking too much? Anyway, back to Watchmen. My greatest fear, really, is that they will install a "just in the nick of time" ending (and/or that they will change Rorschach's ending). They could do this and still claim that they were "staying true" to the original spirit of the ending, but that's just laughable. If they do that, I might very well boo and throw something at the screen. Like Buffalo said, though, if they really DO stay true to the ending, I will be the first to stand up and applaud them for it. Buffalo, I haven't heard anything from Alan Moore about this film. I know how [edited] he was about V for Vendetta (not to mention The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Do you know what he's had to say about this? I'm sure nothing good.
|
|
kchoya
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Enter your message here...
Posts: 9,934
|
Post by kchoya on Feb 13, 2009 12:24:28 GMT -5
Am I the only one who thinks that Watchmen (as a comic) is way, way overrated? If you are going into it with the expectations of "greatest comic movie ever", I think you are going to be way disappointed. Maybe not X-Men: The Last Stand disappointed, but disappointed nonetheless. I haven't seen it (and probably won't until DVD), but those sorts of expectations are just begging to be shot down to earth. I think it is somewhat overrated, but it still stands up well over time. I do think that The Dark Knight Returns (published in the same year) was a better tale. Both are widely regarded as comics that "revolutionized" the industry and reflected a shift from the bright superheroes of the Silver and Bronze Age into the modern age of "grim 'n gritty" antiheroes like Lobo, Spawn, and so on. Watchmen loses some of its impact for anyone that doesn't "get" the Cold War setting. Some of the metatext and meaning is also geared towards deconstructing comics and superheroes, which probably doesn't matter as much to you if you're not a comics geek/fan. I'm re-reading it right now, and actually enjoying it more than I expected. Much like other sci-fi / fantasy epics (i.e. Lord of the Rings) it does get better with each reading, as you appreciate what is going on in the background a little more. "metatext" "deconstructing" the comic No no NO! I thought I was through with that junk after college. For god's sake, please don't go off and start analyzing Moby Dick
|
|
Bando
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I've got some regrets!
Posts: 2,431
|
Post by Bando on Feb 13, 2009 12:50:13 GMT -5
I'd rather they put the actress playing the original Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) in the role. Definitely with you on that one, Buffalo! Not to derail from the Watchmen discussion, but I am going to come out and admit right now that I am looking forward to GI Joe. Yup. There I said it. Unfortunately, I have the same (actually much worse) trepidations about that movie. If they go ahead and lift the story from one of the storylines in the comic -- which, despite the action figure tie-in, was very well done by Larry Hama, I might add -- I'd be pleasantly surprised. But they are going to ruin it, I am sure, just like Hollywood ruined the Silver Surfer. At least stay faithful to the Snake Eyes - Storm Shadow storyline. Is that asking too much? Anyway, back to Watchmen. My greatest fear, really, is that they will install a "just in the nick of time" ending (and/or that they will change Rorschach's ending). They could do this and still claim that they were "staying true" to the original spirit of the ending, but that's just laughable. If they do that, I might very well boo and throw something at the screen. Like Buffalo said, though, if they really DO stay true to the ending, I will be the first to stand up and applaud them for it. Buffalo, I haven't heard anything from Alan Moore about this film. I know how [edited] he was about V for Vendetta (not to mention The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Do you know what he's had to say about this? I'm sure nothing good. David Gibbons has signed onto this project. Moore on the other hand disassociated himself from any movie years ago. I don't know what he has to say about this particular film, but he decided he wasn't going to support any movie around the time Terry Gilliam was giving it a go.
|
|
TBird41
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
"Roy! I Love All 7'2" of you Roy!"
Posts: 8,740
|
Post by TBird41 on Feb 13, 2009 12:55:02 GMT -5
I'd rather they put the actress playing the original Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) in the role. Definitely with you on that one, Buffalo! Not to derail from the Watchmen discussion, but I am going to come out and admit right now that I am looking forward to GI Joe. Yup. There I said it. Unfortunately, I have the same (actually much worse) trepidations about that movie. If they go ahead and lift the story from one of the storylines in the comic -- which, despite the action figure tie-in, was very well done by Larry Hama, I might add -- I'd be pleasantly surprised. But they are going to ruin it, I am sure, just like Hollywood ruined the Silver Surfer. At least stay faithful to the Snake Eyes - Storm Shadow storyline. Is that asking too much? Anyway, back to Watchmen. My greatest fear, really, is that they will install a "just in the nick of time" ending (and/or that they will change Rorschach's ending). They could do this and still claim that they were "staying true" to the original spirit of the ending, but that's just laughable. If they do that, I might very well boo and throw something at the screen. Like Buffalo said, though, if they really DO stay true to the ending, I will be the first to stand up and applaud them for it. Buffalo, I haven't heard anything from Alan Moore about this film. I know how [edited] he was about V for Vendetta (not to mention The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Do you know what he's had to say about this? I'm sure nothing good. The NYT article on it said that Moore refused to let them use his name and is giving the revenues from the movie rights to Gibbons.
|
|
hoyatables
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,603
|
Post by hoyatables on Feb 13, 2009 13:28:15 GMT -5
I think it is somewhat overrated, but it still stands up well over time. I do think that The Dark Knight Returns (published in the same year) was a better tale. Both are widely regarded as comics that "revolutionized" the industry and reflected a shift from the bright superheroes of the Silver and Bronze Age into the modern age of "grim 'n gritty" antiheroes like Lobo, Spawn, and so on. Watchmen loses some of its impact for anyone that doesn't "get" the Cold War setting. Some of the metatext and meaning is also geared towards deconstructing comics and superheroes, which probably doesn't matter as much to you if you're not a comics geek/fan. I'm re-reading it right now, and actually enjoying it more than I expected. Much like other sci-fi / fantasy epics (i.e. Lord of the Rings) it does get better with each reading, as you appreciate what is going on in the background a little more. "metatext" "deconstructing" the comic No no NO! I thought I was through with that junk after college. For god's sake, please don't go off and start analyzing Moby Dick Once an American Studies major, always an American Studies major .
|
|
Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
|
Post by Boz on Mar 5, 2009 10:51:50 GMT -5
This is silly. You'd think the Washington Post would want to have someone review this movie who didn't, you know, hate the source material. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/04/AR2009030403970.htmlIf anything, I find this review encouraging, if only because this guy acknowledges (over and over again) that the movie is true to the graphic novel....a graphic novel which he clearly doesn't like. Oh well. It's not like any review was going to affect me when it comes to this movie anyway. I'm probably going to ignore this thread for a while because I don't think I can see the movie until next week sometime.
|
|