In film school, I spent hour upon credit-hour analyzing, dissecting and basically tearing into film. It was a good time – so many rotten films are made, we had plenty of material to go over. We’d start at the top of the list with the overall plot and work through, like a hacksaw to the meat and bones of a film, the directing and acting, cinematography and sound design, et cetera. There was always something to bite into. In fact, even text-book perfect films had something to chew up. Jaws, perfect by all standards had that abominable fake shark, the mismatched B-roll shark footage. Citizen Kane even had some snorks in it.
Watchmen, no doubt had a few glicks, but overall it was a great movie. The super-hero genre is being pummeled to death by super-sized budgets and two-dimensional villains, so it was refreshing to see some super heroes who aren’t so super. I’ve heard fans say that a lot of material was left out from the original graphic novel, but for new fans and fresh-starters, it was a very complete telling.
No screen time was wasted with the stock genre tropes like the time-hogging and seemingly obligatory “origin scenes.” The audience is just dropped with into the story, with nary a care for the vigilante weirdo’s pasts. Set in the mid 80’s, Watchmen was a very now tale. The philosophical questions it provokes are timeless and skillfully demonstrated. The astute observer will note that while there were protagonists and opposition, this was another film without a villain – simply a whole lot of anti-heroism.
The production design was stellar, as was the direction and editing. Fast paced and thoughtful, with intriguing characters the whole piece was great fun. Perhaps a little too much blue tube, but hey, the guy has transcended time and space, so I guess he can walk around naked if he likes.