I just got back from the theater.
Son James loaned me the book in early January (I think). Then nearly every time he saw me he would tell me how many weeks and days I had left to finish the book before the movie came out. I finished the book last night so we went to see the movie tonight. It was the second viewing for James.
I was a little disappointed in the book. “What’s the big deal about?”, summed up my opinion. Okay, yeah, there are some good characters and the twist at the end is interesting. But it’s not that good.
The movie was awesome. It wouldn’t have been quite so awesome if James hadn’t insisted I read the book first. The attention to book details in the movie was incredible. And it’s the type of story that doesn’t quite make sense until you go through it a second time knowing that many of the little details have a lot of significance.
It’s Watchmen!!!!! Jeeez!! I’m amazed that James was willing to be seen in at the theatre with such a dork.
When I read that Watchmen was finally making it to the big screen, one of my main concerns was that kidsthesedays wouldn’t grok its 80s zeitgeist. Nixon and the Cold War were still very topical subjects of loathing and dread, respectively. Watchmen was also in the vanguard of “serious” comics that not only used superhero mythology, but reflected on it. There are adults now for whom all of this has no currency.
From the trailer to the finished film, I was amazed at how faithful the movie was to the book. They used the book as a storyboard. Mucking with the ending was a disappointment. I understand why they needed to change it, but for $9.50, I wanted to see a Lovecraftian monster and lose d20 SANITY. Dammit. They nailed most of the characters. Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach were perfect. Veidt, not so much.
Fixed. Thanks.
Yeah, I’m amazed at what he puts up with sometimes too.
Alien comes out of nowhere and explodes with pyschic damage? That’s weak. I liked the movie ending better.
The term “redneck” implied british soldiers who wore red collars on their uniforms. Americans were also not Neanderthals, of course. You sound like an overseas media troll blogsite reviewing this media junk called Watchmen. Watchmen was a british comic attempt on the American market that bombed in theaters, just as the comic bombed in the eighties. Wrong politics, wrong everything, subversion rhetoric shrouded in the british “it’s just a story” toilet paper excuse.