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“Goin* to
the Show...”
with...
Roland
Willis
WATCHMEN
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup,
Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan,
Patrick Wilson & Carla Gugino
Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by David Hayter & Alex Tse
Based on the graphic novel written by Alan More &
illustrated by David Gibbons
Running Time: 2 hours, 43 minutes
Rated R - Profanity, violence, sex & nudity
The theatre was full of earnest
young men who were giving their rapt
attention to the events unfolding on
the screen.
They were clearly into the comic
book genre as this new movie, Watch
men, is the translation to the screen
of the now classic twelve-issue comic
book series created by writer Alan
Moore, artist Dave Gibbon and color
ist John Higgins.
As the story goes, a group of cos
tumed vigilantes, the Minutemen,
formed after World War II and, as
they became older and retired, were
replaced by younger people, the
Watchmen.
This movie is set in 1985 and
the remaining Watchmen are Lau
rie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II (Malin
Akerman), Jon Osterman/Dr. Man
hattan (Billy Crudup), Adrien Veidt/
Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Wal
ter Kovacs/Rorschach (Jackie Earle
Haley), Edward Blake/The Comedian
and Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (Pat
rick Wilson).
The public have grown tired of
guys in costumes acting beyond the
law and they have little relevance
anyway in the nuclear age.
Silk, Ozymandias and The Nite
Owl have retired while Dr. Manhat
tan and The Comedian are working
for the U.S. government.
Only Rorschach is still operating
underground and the story is based
upon his diary.
The Comedian was part of the
original Minutemen and he is the link
between the past and the present.
As the movie opens, the 67-year-old
Comedian is being beaten to death by
an unknown assailant. He is given a
funeral with full military honors and
as Rorschach reminisces over his life
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THE ISLANDER, AUGUST 3, 2009, PAGE 9
we are introduced in flashbacks to the
Minutemen and the Watchmen.
So, the title sequences happen after
the movie has started, and are great
with Bob Dylan singing, “The Times
They Are A-Changing.”
None of these characters are super
heroes in the Superman sense. Sure
they are great fighters but can’t move
mountains.
The exception is Dr. Manhattan.
Caught in a radiation chamber dur
ing an experiment, he has been trans
formed into a genuine superhero. He
looks like a silver version of an Oscar
statuette, can see the past and the
future, make himself gigantic and
appears to be a God.
Certainly the Vietnamese view him
as a God and when Richard Nixon
asks him to intervene in the Vietnam
war, the U.S. wins the war.
A fascinating aspect of this story is
that it is an alternate history.
Nixon and Kissinger are still in
office in 1985 at the height of the Cold
War when the threat of a nuclear war
has caused the scientists to move the
Doomsday Clock to five minutes to
midnight.
Can the heroes stop the impending
nuclear war?
The movie is populated by beauti
ful women and handsome men.
Malin Akerman (27 Dresses, Heart
break Kid) is a Natalie Portman look-
alike and is very attractive as Silk in
her tight latex outfit. Carla Gugino
(Race to Witch Mountain, Righteous
Kill) plays both the younger original
Silk and her aging mother although
there is actually only seven years dif
ference in their ages.
The standout performances are by
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Come
dian and Jackie Earle Haley as Ror
schach.
Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy, Acciden
tal Husband) is a Javier Bardem look-
alike and leers his way through the
film as a vicious rapist and killer.
Haley (Semi-Pro, All the King’s
Men) is terrifying when his mask
is finally removed. “I’m not locked
in here with you,” he screams at
the inmates of the state penitentiary,
“You’re locked in here with Me!”
The condensing of these compli
cated books into this movie has been
tough and the plans have been ongo
ing since the early 90s.
The resulting long movie, almost
three hours, is engrossing with many
moments of genius. However, it is very
confusing with so many characters
both in and out of their costumes.
Takes a special director to make a
three hour movie go by in a flash, and
director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of
the Dead) accomplishes this.
With songs by Bob Dylan, Simon
and Garfunkel, Janis Joplin and
Leonard Cohen, the music is surpris
ingly retro for a modern movie which
will attract many young people.
My main objection is that the vio
lence is not comic book violence; the
people being beaten, raped, mutilat
ed, maimed, murdered and torched
are real people.
With this reservation, I recommend
this movie. My rating is B.
Watchmen is now available on
DVD. □
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