Who watches the Watchmen? I did, and here’s my review.

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Watchmen

Action/Drama/Science fiction from 2009 starring among others Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley.

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Government agent Edward Blake is murdered by being thrown out the window. The vigilante Rorschach starts to investigate, and discovers that Edward Blake also used to be the masked adventurer known as The Comedian. Further investigation leads Rorschach and several other former costumed adventurers to realize that this is much, much bigger than simply one mans death…

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I never read Watchmen as a teenager. I didn’t develop my fascination for comics until I was well into adulthood, and I read Watchmen as an adult. Immediately I realized why it’s hailed, and it is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite graphic novels. The themes presented in it are of incredible depth, and it’s played out against the pastiche of the superhero.

When I first heard that an adaption was to be made I had my doubts, but after seeing the first teaser and then the proper trailer more than a year ago I knew I just had to see this thing.

I can now safely say after two viewings (almost) back-to-back that it’s always nice when a movie so completely satisfies your expectations. Watchmen is a beautifully orchestrated adaption of source material that by several people has been called “unfilmable”. If you thought superheroes were just cheesy guys in spandex with red capes, you have to see this.

The film is set in an an alternate-history 1985. It resembles our own 1985, but with several major as well as minor differences. The most obvious difference is that in this reality, masked superheroes are a fact. Albeit an illegal fact, since they’ve been outlawed by the Keene Act since 1976. Where this reality diverged from ours is never explicitly stated, but it’s hinted at that it was in the 1930s and 40s when vigilantes started donning masks and fighting crime that history started to diverge. In the 1970s this diversion was furthered when the Vietnam war was prematurely ended and Nixon was elected president for the third term.

I always liked Watchmen since of all the characters only one has actual superpowers. Everyone else is just as regular as you and I and rely on nothing but gadgets or physical training. Jon Osterman (aka Doctor Manhattan) is the only one with superpowers, and his powers are almost godlike as a stark contrast to everyone else.

The movie deals with multiple themes. A primary theme is the future of humanity, and how far we would be willing to go, and how much we would be willing to sacrifice in order to ensure our own survival. Another theme is that of fate vs chaos, and what we choose to believe in. Several other themes are much subtler.

It should be said that this is NOT in any way, shape or fashion a movie for children. Even when you disregard the weighty themes and how it’s tackled, the movie still is a very dark and sometimes incredibly violent affair. Pretty much every scene The Comedian appears in is less than palatable, since in stark comparison to his nickname the character is deeply unlikeable. There are people exploding, people having their arms cut off, people being electrocuted as well as various nasty shootings. There’s also plenty of full-frontal male nudity (since Doctor Manhattan rarely wears clothes) so if that offends you, choose something else to watch.

But, all this violence and gruesome darkness adds to the intenseness of the film. It doesn’t shy away from being a very adult movie in both visual themes as well as themes of the story. It is not gratuitous in the sense that it serves the story.

There are very few things to flaw this film with. As a fan of the graphic novel it’s based on I acknowledge that it compresses quite a few events and simplifies some of the backstory, but everything that’s vital for the story is there. Sure, there’s also some minor things (such as Rorschach once referring to his mask as precisely his mask, something that he doesn’t do in the novel) but these are minor and is nothing more than nitpicking.

The casting and acting is spot on, especially Billy Crudup as Doctor Manhattan was precisely as in the comic book. His voice, his mannerism, everything. Dead on. This pretty much goes for all the actors being cast, and they all portray their characters faithful to the novel. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is down-right disturbing as the nihilistic Comedian, especially since he’s mostly known for his sympathetic roles.

This is a dark, beautiful and intense three-hour ride into an alternate reality, and into the human condition itself almost. It gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me, I recommend anyone who with a brain-stem to watch it. In short: It’s awesome, and it might blow your mind.

A few days back I discovered a really cool short film called “What’s In The Box?”. As far as I can tell this is some enthusiastic semi-professional filmmakers who decided to make a short and publish it on the interweb. I strongly suggest you watch it since it’s incredibly intense and atmospheric.

And yes, they borrowed some sounds from Half-Life 2, but it’s all in good spirit. Go watch it now. It has a rather cryptic website as well, which I haven’t had the patience to decode just yet.