Movie Review - “Watchmen”
*** 1/2 STARS
By the mid-eighties masked vigilantes have been outlawed and rising Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union threaten a devastating nuclear war. Also, due to the American victory in the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon has been elected to his third term as President. This complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, is set in an alternate America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society and are like normal people and have no super powers.
Based on the 1986-1987 comic book series “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the film adaptation stars Patrick Wilson (”Night Owl”), Jackie Earle Haley (”Rorschach”), Billy Crudup (”Dr. Manhattan”), Malin Akerman (”Silk Spectre”), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (”The Comedian”). The plot follows a group of former vigilantes (or “super heroes”) as tensions heighten between the United States and the Soviet Union while an investigation of an apparent conspiracy against them uncovers something even more grandiose and sinister.
For those that were afraid that Hollywood would screw with the brilliant storyline of the graphic novel, I am glad to report that this film faithfully grapples with the book’s multi-layered storyline and fascinatingly messed up characters. The most pleasant surprise in the movie adaptation of “Watchmen” is the pop-art fusion set off by placing human-like superheroes in a “real’ world that is vividly eye popping. Zack Snyder’s sprawling film stays faithful to Moore’s tale of flawed heroes, cleverly trimming and reshaping it to retain essential plots.
Forget what you know about superhero movies, this epic adaptation is something else entirely. “Watchmen” is a must-see art film that is visually rich, provocative and a blatant reminder that we live in a culture of fear, paranoia, and revenge. This is a landmark film for a genre that has always depended on family themes and cartoonish realities. This movie is by no means light entertainment or for children, but it will impress, amaze and keep you gripped to your seats. Against all odds, Snyder has directed a movie that should satisfy die hard fanboys while engaging adventurous newcomers.
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