The Watchmen: A compelling alternate America

Mar 12 2009 By Rupert Basham

America, 1985, Richard Nixon is entering his fifth term in power, vigilantes have been outlawed and a blue demi god helped win the Vietnam war and now lives on Mars.

This is the world of the Watchmen, the supposedly un-filmable graphic novel and the next film for Zack Synder after the ridiculously macho, 300.

They are a group of vigilantes, who once praised, are now outlawed, and have all gone on their separate paths.

The film begins with former member The Comedian being killed in his apartment, and from then we follow Rorschach, a paranoid sleuth, as he tries to find out who killed him, all the while, we’re learning the back stories of our flawed heroes.

Along this journey we’re introduced to broken people, who visit the deepest and darkest ebb of the human mind.

We have Ozymandias, an intellectual trying to solve the energy crisis, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, who carry the weight of their tortured pasts and Dr Manhattan, the only one with powers, who is big, blue and ominpotent after being caught in a freak atomic accident.

The acting isn’t perfect, but then Snyder made a point of hiring almost unknowns, so that you’re not distracted by who’s playing who. However, Billy Crudup is always watchable, and delivers the best performance as Dr Manhattan, who able to see his own future becomes devoid of emotion, and goes to live on Mars.

The film is full of brutal moments, and will probably not grab those unfamiliar with the premise of the film or the graphic novel. It’s rated 18 for a reason.

This alternative vision of America is extremely interesting, compelling and dangerous.

It is a fierce film, the protagonists aren’t that likeable, (one of them killed Kennedy), it’s violent and it visits the very darkest part of the psyche, but Watchmen is great and I thought, incredibly cool.

It’s kind of like watching Snyder putting his middle finger up to the very notion of comic book movies for two and half hours.

He does deserve kudos for bringing the Citizen Kane of graphic novels to life.

Written by Alan Moore in the 80’s, several poor adaptations of his work (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen & From Hell) have left him publicly stating that he would never view Watchmen. This is a shame, because if he did, he would have seen a director, who is clearly a fan, who has poured time and devotion into making a faithful adaptation.

Our reviewer watched the film at The Odeon in Esher. Click here for showing times

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