Director Zack Snyder's First Look at Watchmen Characters
"Watchmen" director Zack Snyder has given fans of the graphic novel a real treat by issuing these first look photos for five of the main characters in his film.
In the official Warner Bros. Production Blog he gives updates on how filming is moving along, as well as some of his own personal insights.
Photos show: The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) and Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman).
"Being a fan that follows production blogs, I know that the time a film is in post can often seem like an eternity with interesting bits of information few and far between. So to help pass the time, here is your first look at some of the Watchmen characters." — Zack Snyder
"Watchmen," based on the highly popular and critically praised graphic novel by Alan Moore, will be in theaters on March 6, 2009.
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WOW! Those look amazing. They might actually pull this off.
Yeah! These pictures changed my outlook on this movie from "dubious" to "awfully excited!" Jackie Earl Haley is a good choice for Rorshach. I couldn't believe it when I saw him after so many years (since Bad News Bears) in that movie "Little Children." He was almost unrecognizable in that film. Thanks for posting them Kenny!
Aww, you beat me! I was just coming here to post this!
Well, it's cool anyway.
(I'm slow.)
Looks promising, and getting excited.
Well the trailer is up.. and I don't know anything about this comic book adaptation but all I have to say is WOW!!!!!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1670081657
Oh man that rocks
I've watched the trailer three times in a row.. I can't get enough of it.. love the music.
Crud! Link seems to be dead currently! I think it crashed their site!
But of course YouTube seems to have it in multiple places...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uug6LpGFZ5E
Oh man... I just ready the Empire wasn't suppose to release it and Warners is going crazy.. made them take it down... it's suppose to premiere with The Dark Knight
I still have it on my computer and can play it... it's a flash mov do you know how I can save it?
It's ok Kenny - it's all over YouTube right now! Once something like this hits the Net the Genie is out of the bottle.
Trailer looks fantastic! One of my favorite comic series of all time! Can't wait!!
Video is gone from You Tube already.. guess you had to be quick.. but will be all over tomorrow once it premieres with Batman
Well Apple has it up in HD now... check it out
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/
Quote from: StarTrekFanatic5 on July 17, 2008, 05:44:30 PM
Well Apple has it up in HD now... check it out
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/
SWWWEEEETTTTT!
Woooooohh!
Before I can watch this movie, I need to read the graphic novel first. I've read Kingdom Come but not Watchmen.
So some of you may or may not know.. but there is a lawsuit between Warner's and Fox over the Watchmen movie. I thought this was an interesting article about the complexities of the big studios... check it out.
The Murky Side of Movie Rights
Associated Press
Jeffrey Dean Morgan in "Watchmen," the film in the middle of a lawsuit between Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. Fox says it owns rights that Warner did not seek out.
Article Tools Sponsored By
By MICHAEL CIEPLY
Published: August 23, 2008
HOW could this happen? The question springs to mind as 20th Century Fox claims it has the rights to the graphic novel on which Warner Brothers is basing "Watchmen," its giant superhero movie.
Peer deeper into the murk of Hollywood's business practices, though, and the question becomes: How could it not?
The film industry was buzzing last week after a federal judge here allowed Fox to proceed with a lawsuit contending that Warner had filmed "Watchmen" without bothering to acquire rights that Fox says it has owned for 22 years. This eagerly anticipated movie is directed by Zack Snyder, of "300" fame, and is based on the illustrated series (republished as a graphic novel) by Alan Moore and David Gibbons.
Warner, of course, begs to differ with Fox. So the studios are squared off for battle. Fox wants an injunction blocking the movie's planned release on March 6. Warner wants Fox to go away.
Studios have certainly fought like this in the past. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony Pictures Entertainment, for instance, swapped lawsuits a decade ago over Sony's plan to make a series of James Bond films to rival MGM's. MGM won, more or less, after Sony settled and dropped its films. But Sony soon wound up distributing a Bond movie, the highly successful "Casino Royale," as it became financially involved with a reorganized MGM.
That battle grew from a decades-old fight between the filmmaker Kevin McClory and the author Ian Fleming over the rights to "Thunderball" (Mr. McClory had contributed to the screenplay).
The Fox-Warner tiff turns on matters potentially more nettlesome to the industry at large. Central to Fox's complaint is the mysterious matter of what is called turnaround.
On its face, turnaround is a contractual mechanism that allows a studio to release its interest in a dormant film project, while recovering costs, plus interest, from any rival that eventually adopts the project. But turnaround is a stacked deck.
The turnaround clauses in a typical contract are also insurance for studio executives who do not want to be humiliated by a competitor who makes a hit out of their castoffs.
That trick turns on a term of art: "changed elements." A producer of a movie acquired in turnaround who comes up with a new director, or star, or story line, or even a reduction in budget, must give the original studio another shot at making the movie because of changed elements, even if a new backer has entered the picture.
Thus, "Michael Clayton" was put in turnaround by Castle Rock Entertainment (which, like Warner, belongs to Time Warner). When George Clooney became attached to star in it, however, Castle Rock stood on its right to be involved as a producer of what turned out to be an Oscar-nominated film.
Fox, in its complaint filed in February with the United States District Court for the Central District of California, contended, among other things, that Lawrence Gordon, a producer of "Watchmen," was given a somewhat unusual perpetual turnaround right under an agreement reached in 1994. Such rights are conventionally given for a finite period, but Mr. Gordon, as a powerful producer who was once a Fox studio chief, may have had an edge.
According to the court filings, Fox had declared its willingness to part with the project under certain terms in 1991. In any case, Fox says, Mr. Gordon was supposed to resubmit "Watchmen" to Fox every time he came up with a changed element.
There certainly were changes. At one point, Terry Gilliam ("Brazil") was supposed to direct it, at another, Darren Aronofsky ("The Fountain"), and at still another, Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Ultimatum"). Writers have included Sam Hamm ("Batman"), David Hayter ("X-Men") and Alex Tse ("Sucker Free City"), among others.
Paramount, still another party in the mix, was once close to making the film. But its new chairman, Brad Grey, backed away and created a turnaround of his own in 2005.
Tantalizingly, Fox's complaint, which does not name Paramount, said that Warner settled a dispute with an unidentified "purported rights holder" by sharing part of its own claimed interest. Patricia S. Rockenwagner, a Paramount spokeswoman, says her studio has foreign distribution rights to the film.
Warner gave "Watchmen" the go-ahead when Zack Snyder, immediately after his surprise hit with "300," took it under wing. Yet Mr. Gordon, by Fox's account, never checked back with Fox about any of this.
Mr. Gordon did not respond to requests for comment. Warner, both in court and in a statement last week, said it had done everything legally necessary to make the film.
In the real world, of course, turnaround — along with much of Hollywood's machinery for securing film rights — long operated with a certain degree of messy pragmatism. Elements might change. Producers would proceed on a wink and a nod. When things were stuck, a bit of horse-trading got them moving again.
But the stakes have become too high for that sort of informality. "It's gotten a lot more difficult," Larry Stein, a veteran Hollywood lawyer at Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George, said of the entire business of rights protection.
Studios, Mr. Stein added, "are securing their self-interest in every way they can." After all, who wants to slip up when the fifth sequel to "Batman" can take in half a billion dollars at the domestic box office?
WARNER has been stung lately in some very different situations involving rights. In March, a federal judge here ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel, a co-creator of Superman, the studio's mainstay hero, were entitled to reclaim a share in the copyright of the character. Lawyers for the studio have not yet given up the fight, and proceedings are continuing over what that will mean in dollars and cents. The studio's New Line Cinema unit is also embroiled in continuing litigation with the heirs of J. R. R. Tolkien over their claim to have been defrauded of profits due from the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings" series.
In the "Watchmen" case, it remains to be seen whether the presiding judge, Gary A. Feess, will grant an injunction blocking the movie's release while sorting things out. But in 2005, Judge Feess issued an injunction blocking the planned release of Warner's film "Dukes of Hazzard" in a rights dispute, leading to a settlement under which the studio paid $17.5 million to a producer who claimed infringement.
There will be motions and hearings aplenty, however, before it comes to that. And those who watch closely may see enough of Hollywood's process to wonder how movies get made at all.
Jeez....what a wickedly tangled web this is. I hope it does not delay the realease because this looks like a fantastic movie
From Tom McClean's "Bags and Boards" blog; Oct. 2nd. Looks like production on
Watchmen is humming along nicely. 8)
But first, another taste to whet the appetite-
Watchmen' preview pleases
Yesterday, WB and director Zack Snyder showed some 25 minutes of unfinished footage from Watchmen to various members of the press. While I didn't see the footage, the reports coming in are impressive.
From Variety's Marc Graser:
The visuals are stunning. With Watchmen, he's created a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel that will satisfy fans. The characters pop off the screen; you can almost feel the texture of their suits, meticulously designed by Michael Wilkinson. The production design by Alex McDowell is overly theatrical but a world you want to visit. Overall, the sequences are mesmerizing and almost trance-like. And it's dark. Very dark. The Dark Knight has nothing on the grit and violence that's on screen. But it's the over-stylized nature of how it's handled that doesn't make it cringe-worthy or unwatchable.
From AICN:
Moore's tome has not humbled Snyder; it's emboldened him. Whereas Snyder seemed committed to channeling Frank Miller's 300 directly from the page to the screen (with every thrust and decapitation intact), he's bravely added his own flourishes to WATCHMEN. Aside from the music, which adroitly evokes the era (KOYAANISQATSI was very much a 1980s Cold War creation), he's also made reference to the most influential movies of our time. When you see Nixon in the War Room, it's Kubrick's War Room; when Dr. Manhattan is brutally taming Vietnam, it's Coppola's Vietnam (though, according to production designer Alex McDowell, minor stylistic alterations, like the shape of the overhead lights in the War Room, were necessary to avoid legal dust-ups*). Snyder may not be a stranger to audaciousness (he did, after all, remake DAWN OF THE DEAD), but this is the first time I've sensed him in the work. And I think this reconfiguring of classic cinematic tropes is a potentially brilliant idea. Conceptually, it's in keeping with Moore's depiction of pop culture rising up against (or knuckling under) the encroachment of full-blown authoritarianism; hell, I think the notoriously cranky writer might even approve of some of these changes.
And The New York Times:
The scenes on display Wednesday spared nothing when it comes to the messy side of the super life. One scene in the R-rated film has an unclothed pair of heroes lounging in their high-powered "Owl Ship" after a love-making session. Another focused on the gore-spattered ceiling left behind by some super-action.
In all, the scenes gave a much deeper look at the film than did the extended trailer Mr. Snyder showed at the Comic-Con comics and fantasy convention in San Diego last summer. Indeed, a 12-minute credits sequence retold American history from the 1930s to the 1970s, as if heroes — good, and not so — had driven the action.
The Times also reports that the current running time for the pic is 2 hours and 43 minutes, with Snyder saying he'll defend that all the way. And the topic of the Fox lawsuit evoked the usual deflections and statements of being focused on finishing the film for its planned March 6 release.
New trailer! WOWOWOW!!!
http://gizmodo.com/5067088/new-watchmen-trailer-offers-up-new-footage-same-blurry-blue-genitals?autoplay=true (http://gizmodo.com/5067088/new-watchmen-trailer-offers-up-new-footage-same-blurry-blue-genitals?autoplay=true)
I got chills. this is looking like the most faithfully adapted comic book movie yet. Then again, if you're doing Watchmen, I don't think you could so it any other way.
I'm not even a fan of Watchman and I'm so excited to see this film... looks amazing.
Awesome! That last clip with The Comedian was VERY WELL DONE!!! Everything I've seen so far matches up to the 'movie' that was playing in my head when I first read the book. I'm excited!!! ;D ;D ;D
Same here Eric, this looks amazing.
I just showed the first trailer to my wife, she doesn't even know what Watchmen is and she says we're definitely going to see this one.
It's a fairly detailed and complex story. I'd suggest if you can to pick up the graphic novel and read it before the movie.
Pretty inexpensive...
http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225367166&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225367166&sr=8-1)
Second on Rico's suggestion. Best graphic novel I've ever read.
I'm picking up a new copy; mine is falling apart. I'm kind of torn, though.. There's a new hardcover version coming out on Nov. 12th. More sturdy than the paperback, and much cheaper than the Absolute version.
*is excited*
The official site has been updated with a brief character bio of The Comedian. Check it out here-
[url]http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/[/quote]
New Posters
a few more...
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie is going to kick butt. I foresee lots and lots of smiley face pins adorning many a geek this March. (http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t91/wraith1702/Smileyanim.gif)
Nice one Eric ...
New trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/watchmen.html?showVideo=1 (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/watchmen.html?showVideo=1)
A lot more exposition in this one.
Quote from: billybob476 on November 14, 2008, 10:10:38 AM
New trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/watchmen.html?showVideo=1 (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/watchmen.html?showVideo=1)
A lot more exposition in this one.
Wow.. just wow
Looking better all the time!
I don't see how it could look any better than that. Wow!
A great clip of Watchmen from Aint it cool.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39626 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39626)
Love those posters. Can't wait for this one!
WATCHMEN Japanese Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WNETpX2Jd0&e (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WNETpX2Jd0&e)
That was cool. The thing I noticed watching it with some Japanese language is how much it's like some anime films I have seen in it's style, content, etc.
Here is a VERY COOL featurette introducing you to the world and main characters of the Watchmen. So far, Nielson Business Media has OK'ed the posting, but check it out before they change their mind and remove it!
EDIT- Oops; didn't realize that Meds already posted a link to another posting of this video from AICN. Oh well; you can check it out here too.
Wow.. that was great.. makes me want to see this even more.
Here's another "behind the scenes" feature. Some background on the earlier generation of Watchmen Heroes; sort of the predecessors to the Watchmen-
Update: Warner Bros. and Fox Settle Watchmen Dispute
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
January 16, 2009
Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over Watchmen, with the studios scheduled to present the settlement to Judge Gary Feess on Friday morning and request that the case be dismissed, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Terms of the agreement will not be disclosed, but it is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film's box office. Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it own a piece of the Watchmen property going forward. The studios are set to release a joint statement announcing the agreement Friday.
Fox sued Warners in February of 2008, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure the proper rights to Watchmen from Fox before shopping the project and eventually setting it up with Warners. Feess' decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.
While Gordon is not a party to the case, Warners is said to be pursuing the producer and his attorneys to reimburse it for the costs of the settlement.
UPDATE: Here is the official statement from both studios...
Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theatres.
FINALLY!
Final poster for Watchman
Here is a review based on a preview screening of the film.
SPOILERS IF YOU READ THIS LINK. BE WARNED
http://latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-first-watchmen-readers-review-6166 (http://latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-first-watchmen-readers-review-6166)
Seeing a lot more commercials lately for it. Still have to reread my graphic novel once more before March 6th.
You know after having read through the novel enough to know the characters and such, this is really looking exciting.
Wil Wheaton got to see a preview screening and gives his spoiler free review. Also talks about a QA with Zack Snyder after the screening.
I'll just post this:
QuoteI'm not going to discuss specifics, because that would suck for a lot of people, but: PAY ATTENTION, MY FELLOW GEEKS: YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
(Did I just all-cap and bold that? I guess I did. What is this, MacWrite in 1986? Whatever. I'm leaving it, because it's that important to me that my fellow geeks read it.)
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/02/spoiler-alert-watchmen-is-fraking-awesome.html (http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/02/spoiler-alert-watchmen-is-fraking-awesome.html)
I'm so glad they are saying that they have near enough filmied it from the comic book just like they did with 300.
Felicia Day just posted this Youtube link on Twitter and I just about died laughing! :D
Saturday Morning Watchmen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)
Got my tickets booked (well my mate booked our tickets) and we're going to a cool cinema on wednesday called the Electric and we've got sofa seats called Hardy (they have sofas called Hardy, laurel, Bogart etc etc). here is the link to the cinema, check it out.
http://www.theelectric.co.uk/ (http://www.theelectric.co.uk/)
Saw it yesterday. I'll talk more on the next podcast about it but I liked it quite a bit. I read the comic when it first came out and enjoyed that too. They are different, but have much in common. Yes, some things are missing and altered, but that's to be expected. I think it captured a lot of the essence of the comic. Very good film. Might see it in IMAX soon too.
I was headed to see it today, but paused due to snow, rain, and mixed reviews by some I trust. None have said that the movie was bad, but none have said that it was great either. Then add to that, the fact that their will be an extended DVD director's cut released in June and I quickly became even more hesitant to brave the weather to see it.
I guess part of me is most hesitant at investing 3 hours in something that's just very good. I want to be blown away if I am going to put that money into seeing it. (money being to pay for the sitter, then the movie, concessions, and dinner out that we normally do when seeing a movie.)
I guess, what I want to know, is it $75 good? That's the average price I have to shell out when seeing a movie with just me and the wife. For those on the boards that have seen it, is it?
$75 dollars good?!?!? No. Little will be worth that. But for my $5, it was well worth it.
Quote from: Rico on March 09, 2009, 11:42:30 AM
$75 dollars good?!?!? No. Little will be worth that. But for my $5, it was well worth it.
Yeah it cost me 75 to take the wife out to the movies if we follow our usual patterns. It's 22 just to get into the movie for two and then another 25 for a sitter. Then food ... yeah .. gotta love the economy.
Does your wife like these types of films too? Also, I almost always go to the matinees and don't normally buy food at the theater (except when my son worked there). I certainly can understand why you wouldn't go if it costs you that amount each time.
Quote from: Rico on March 09, 2009, 03:33:42 PM
Does your wife like these types of films too? Also, I almost always go to the matinees and don't normally buy food at the theater (except when my son worked there). I certainly can understand why you wouldn't go if it costs you that amount each time.
Yeah. Her favorite movies are those with things that blow up. She
say she doesn't like comedies, but she like them just fine if they are romantic comedies. Action and sci-fi are her genres of preference. We've never had to sit through a romantic comedy at the theater, but anything action and sci-fi, she's there. Which pretty much means that if I want to see something, she also wants to see it, if not more.
Well, if you can afford it, there's nothing wrong with making an evening of it!
Quote from: billybob476 on March 09, 2009, 03:47:16 PM
Well, if you can afford it, there's nothing wrong with making an evening of it!
We have a entertainment budget of sorts. If there aren't any good 360 games coming out in a month, we put that money towards movies and vice versa. It's 100 a month for games/dvds and 100 a month for movies / dining out / wine / hard stuff. Since I love to cook and she loves my cooking, we rarely go out to eat unless it's the diner and the movie thing. Also since we have two Xboxes, if I get a good game, I usually have to buy a second copy so that we both can play without split screen. I hate split screen.
We don't have any video games and Jamie isn't a big fan of the movies so I just put all ou entertainment budget into booze. Jamie is a riot when she's a little tipsy! :cheers
Quote from: Bryancd on March 09, 2009, 04:04:17 PM
We don't have any video games and Jamie isn't a big fan of the movies so I just put all ou entertainment budget into booze. Jamie is a riot when she's a little tipsy! :cheers
LOL!
Quote from: Bryancd on March 09, 2009, 04:04:17 PM
We don't have any video games and Jamie isn't a big fan of the movies so I just put all ou entertainment budget into booze. Jamie is a riot when she's a little tipsy! :cheers
Ok, you made me laugh! That was a great response.
Nathan went to the movie and since he hadn't read the graphic novel, was like... ewwww. He was kind of distracted by the high school girls giggling at the large blue p**is. :) I think you have to know the novel in order for it to be really good. I may be wrong. What do you think?
Quote from: moyer777 on March 09, 2009, 05:19:34 PM
Quote from: Bryancd on March 09, 2009, 04:04:17 PM
We don't have any video games and Jamie isn't a big fan of the movies so I just put all ou entertainment budget into booze. Jamie is a riot when she's a little tipsy! :cheers
Ok, you made me laugh! That was a great response.
Nathan went to the movie and since he hadn't read the graphic novel, was like... ewwww. He was kind of distracted by the high school girls giggling at the large blue p**is. :) I think you have to know the novel in order for it to be really good. I may be wrong. What do you think?
I don't think you have to have read the story for the movie to be really good, but I think it's important to be familiar with what the story is about. I think some folks might see the trailer and think they are in for a Superhero flick like Iron Man or The Fantastic Four, when this story is actually quite different.
Here's a screwy analogy--
I like lemonade, and I like vodka. But if I grabbed an ice-cold glass of what I thought was lemonade on a hot summer day, took a big swig, and discovered it was vodka, I'd be pretty put off. ;)
Good analogy, of course if I did that I would also have a buzz. :)
Well I haven't read the graphic novel, and I don't know much about the story but I'm really looking foward to seeing this movie this week.
I've read the comic a few times, though it's probably been 2 years since the last reading.
I loved the movie. They made changes but so much was the same that I was happy.
My wife read it last year and didn't really like it. It was just too depressing. Surprisingly, she enjoyed the movie. I think it might've been lowered expectations.
Neither of us felt like it was a 2:43 running time. It flew by.
I was not familiar with the story of the Watchmen before seeing this movie, so it was a bit different then I expected. I knew going in that this would be very different then other Super hero movies, and it certainly was no X-Men or even Batman, since for the most part there was not a lot of elements that are seen in Super hero type movies(or it was not the major part of the story). I did leave the theatre with plenty to think about after, mostly what is right and what is wrong, and I came home and read up some more on the Watchmen on the Internet. I will probably seek out the graphic novel at somepoint to read the story. I am still on the fence about my feelings on the movie, either it was ok, or good to me, maybe reading the story at somepoint will give me a better appreciation of it(or less).
My spoiler-free thoughts on the film-
Had some free time today, and decided to use it to see the movie. I thought it was great! ;D The producers had quite a job on their hands, but I think they succeeded in doing what many would have thought impossible-- They took a story who's genius was in the novel way in which it was presented, and whose appeal was largely derived from the time period during which it was released, and made it entertaining and relevant. All this was achieved despite the passing of over two decades since the release of the books.
About the time-frame: Maybe it's because I grew up in the 80's, but I thought that the cold-war influence and references were both understandable and believable. And the use of multiple songs and video clips from the decade helped to pull me firmly into the world of the story. The costuming, set design, and even the most subtle music cues used throughout the film made it feel like a living, breathing, alternate-universe version of the 80's.
Regarding the translation to film: Once again, well done. Part of what caught a lot of people's attention about the Watchmen comic was the groundbreaking manner in which the story was presented. First of all, the gritty, raw content of the book was at the time unexpected, especially coming from a major comic company like DC.
Even more appealing back then was the depth of back-story and character development. Unlike other comics of the time, Watchmen had no corporate sponsorship, i.e., no advertisements in the comic. No advertiser had any idea what this 'crazy story' was all about, and none of them wanted to bother paying for ad space in it. This had the benefit of giving Alan Moore extra space in each issue to fill; space he used to flesh out the Watchmen universe. This resulted in a comic series that delivered a lot more bang for the buck per issue, and a story that managed to build a rich, believable world in half the time of most other comic series.
Without "extra pages" to fill on the big-screen, I was worried that the producers wouldn't be able to create such a rich world. But they managed, by simply making every shot and scene count. The opening credits sequence did a fantastic job taking the place of the "extra pages" that Moore had at his disposal. The score of the opening montage immediately pulled me into the Watchmen backstory, and the clips and pictures used had much of the same information and 'feel' of the comic. Hell; even the unique style in which the opening montage was filmed felt like a comic book page brought to life.
There is only one element that I can see some of the Die-Hard comic geeks taking issue with: The ending of the film.
While watching the movie, part of me kept wondering how they were going to pull the ending off on the big-screen, and make it feel believable. As time wore on, I slowly came to the realization that the ending I was expecting probably wasn't going to be very likely. And as the 'end-game' swung into high gear, I realized with a certainty that the producers were going to take a different route.
Looking back though, I find that in a way, the producers DID stick to the main idea of the ending. Without spoiling anything, all I can really say is that the main plot-device used by the Bad-Guy remained more or less intact. It took a different form, but it still served the same purpose. And in retrospect, I think that using this approach was a wise choice on the part of the producers.
Using the comic book 'Ending Event' would have required even more backstory, and would have slowed the pace of the film considerably. The producers managed to stay true to the heart of the comic, while keeping the story streamlined.
In summary- A must-see film for grown-up comic fans, as well as for non-comic fans who like their sci-fi flavored with a bit of dystopian bleakness and irony.
By the way; the characters were SPOT-ON; especially Rorschach. ;D
Off to see it tomorrow, great review Wraith.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on March 10, 2009, 01:48:46 PM
Off to see it tomorrow, great review Wraith.
Thanks man. :) I hope you enjoy the film. I'd like to hear your take on it. :)
I'm going to a cinema that sells absinthe so i must stay away from that stuff otherwise i'll think i'm inthe film LOL. Will throw up a review. :)
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on March 10, 2009, 02:06:12 PM
I'm going to a cinema that sells absinthe so i must stay away from that stuff otherwise i'll think i'm inthe film LOL. Will throw up a review. :)
if you drank too much of it, you would "throw up" a review! :)
:cheers
I'm not sure how they found it, but there's a comic-fanboy website that's streaming the opening montage of the film. Everytime I watch it, I'm amazed at how much backstory and how many easter eggs are crammed into this sequence alone.
Warning- some parts might not be considered work-safe. Oh yeah; also, SPOILERS
(scroll about halfway down the page to get to the clip)
http://www.hhwlod.com/ (http://www.hhwlod.com/)
Ok so i saw the film last week and i really enjoyed it. Good points were I didn't think it was too long, in fact the time seemed to fly by, the characters were dead on and for me thats important when doing a comic book film. Rorschach and the Comedian stood out for me. Bad points and i can't believe i'm going to say this i thought it was too much like the comic and the ending was not great, in fact a bit of a let down, oh and i did have a problem when Dr Manhattan was on screen, giggles (in a rather childish way i admit) came from me and my mate as his nakedness swished in the wind. Great film and i so look forward to seeing what the DVD package will be like.
Picked up the Watchmen: Tales Of The Black Freighter DVD (which is awesome by the way) and checked out the chapter of the Watchmen Motion Comic which comes with the DVD. I was so blown away, I picked up the Motion Comic the next day! If you are a Watchmen fan, or just wondering what the fuss is all about, I HIGHLY recommend checking this out! You can pick up the DVD from just about any brick & mortar book/music/movie store, and I believe you can also purchase episodes from iTunes. It's just what it sounds like- Actual art and text from the comic, with sound effects, a really cool soundtrack, and some quality voice acting. And the panels are semi-animated, which makes it very viewable on TV.
I thought it was a silly idea when I first heard about it, but it really is cool. Check out this clip-
That's cool. Is it the full comic?
Quote from: Rico on March 27, 2009, 06:01:17 PM
That's cool. Is it the full comic?
Yep. :) The ENTIRE COMIC is captured; every single panel; with animation to keep the story flowing from panel to panel. All 12 chapters of the story, with a run time of just over 5 hours. It's like having a digital copy of the comic, without the need to flip pages. :)
Wow this is great, what a great concept. The BC have been doind similar things with Dr Who but i was not that keen on the flow, but this is great. May wait until the big Watchmen DVD comes out before i buy the Tales of the Black Freighter, i'm sure they are putting together a big package.
Yeah; I'm pretty sure there will be at least one Super-Ultimate special edition that will include a ton of extras, including the Under The Hood & Black Freighter material. I've heard rumors that there will also be at least one re-edit of the film incorporating the footage. If true, it will make for a heck of a long movie! :)
I got to see the movie yesterday and I'm sure there is nothing I can say about it that anybody else has already, but personally I felt it was good, but I walked out thinking "If I'd never read the graphic novel I think I would have been a might confused 'bout it all." My belief was aided by my buddy who knew nothing of the graphic novel and he rated it "interesting", neither good or bad really was his opinion of it.
Over all I did enjoy it though, but I personally think that the ending pretty much could have been the same as the graphic novel, I mean everything else was and most of the people who went to see it that I know had never read the graphic novel and knew absolutely nothing of the story anyway. The real shock to me about the end was, oh so it's almost the same sort of ending, just a different mass destruction weapon. I was expecting after hearing it was going to have a different ending something completely different story wise that I didn't see coming (due to reading the novel), not so same like.
But fun movie anyhow.