Watchmen

I sort of feel obligated to write a review on the film, Watchmen. Unless you have no TV or access to the internet, you well know that Watchmen was going to be a pretty big release when it came out March 7. The film is an adaptation of a 12-issue comic book series of the same title, created by the ever so talented Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons for DC comics in 1986-87. It is the only comic to receive a Hugo Award, and as a comic book fan, I highly recommend it to anyone that knows how to read.

The film is directed by the same director of the film 300, Zack Snyder. Remember, 300 is also based on a comic book by Frank Miller, who based it on an actual event described by the Greek Historian, Herodotus, this being the Battle of Thermopylae. Once again, Snyder stays true to the comic and produces a movie worthy of the comic’s greatness. Though not as powerful or good as 300, Watchmen is sure to have a place in any nerd’s DVD or Blue Ray library. The special effects are amazing, and the plot is very different from what you may expect in a “super hero” movie.

Watchmen are a team of super heroes that have been working in the United States fighting crime. The movie starts out in alternate 1980’s America in which President Nixon is in term for the third time, and the government has passed a law in the years prior which outlawed superheroes. The Watchmen are a team of 6 superheroes:

• The Comedian (Edward Blake)- A government-sanctioned superhero that is fascinating because he does horrible things, yet you still do not hate him. His assassination starts Rorschach’s investigation and the whole story.
• Dr. Manhattan (Jon Osterman)- An American physicist who gets caught in an accident with an Intrinsic Field Subtractor. He gets destroyed but is able to come back as the massively superpowered man dubbed Dr. Manhattan by the government. He is the only character to have superpowers but he is so powerful, he loses his humanity.
• Rorschach (Walter Kovacs)- A masked vigilante who narrates the movie and investigates the death of The Comedian. His mask shows continuously changing inkblots, hence his name. The protagonist of the movie, Rorschach hates society for the crimes they commit and his sense of justice is well placed, although his tactics and actions are extreme. He alone is worthy to watch, as he shows the duality of man. After the Keene Act is passed, he is the only vigilante active. He is a very good fighter and very astute.
• Nite Owl (Dan Deriberg)- A superhero a la Batman. Nite Owl dons a costume similar to Batman and fights crime with gadgets and pure fighting prowess. He is the typical nice guy in the story, but he is sort of impotent. Rorschach and Nite Owl are good friends.
• Silk Spectre (Laurie Juspeczyk)- The heroine of the story. Laurie is in a relationship with Dr. Manhattan, but she begins to fall out of love with Jon as he loses more and more his touch with humanity. She begins a relationship with Nite Owl, but Dr. Manhattan and her first need to have a chat in Mars as a form of closure. Silk just relies on her acrobatic and fighting skills.
• Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt)- The smartest man in the world, who is a self-made billionaire and just revealed his real identity to the world, as the retired hero, Ozymandias. Adrian is also interesting to watch, at the end, you will be like…ok, he is smart.

The Comedian is the key to the movie. The movie is rated R, so try not to take kids or little siblings. One thing I may say to prepare you is that the blue, strong, Dr. Manhattan is completely naked most of the time. Also, there are a couple of sex scenes. Nothing too scary, just not for the little kids. Oh, and I do recommend you read the comic so you can understand the film better. I give it a B++

Tags: Comics, Movies, Superheroes