Long before his days of modern DC films, Zack Snyder created one of the greatest comic book films ever. Watchmen is one of the earliest "special effects-era" superhero films and has so many appalling elements that will leave the audience shocked and uncomfortable. In the best way possible, of course. Based off of the 1980's graphic novel by the same name, this film adaptation has done nothing but cause controversy and shock since its release. While it remains one of the most impactful movies of its time, there is much to discuss about it, including its fantastic characters and mind-blowing story.
The main premise of this film revolves around a group of heroes (if you can call them that) that have faded away after an "anti-masks" law in a different timeline of the United States. In this alternate timeline, an unknown assassin is hunting down the superheroes and villains one by one, so members of the Watchmen decide to get back together and find out who is after them. The story is the most appealing part of this film, because throughout and after the film, it truly makes you question so much about your own values and personal beliefs. The entire point of the film is to make viewers uncomfortable with many of the choices the characters make, and it definitely succeeds in that. This movie pushes the boundaries on many touchy topics, including vigilantism, rape, and interpersonal values. None of these sensitive topics are done in tasteless ways, however, as Snyder is a genius when it comes to utilizing the camera to artfully convey his messages. There are honestly too many issues that were addressed in this film that one must watch the movie themselves to formulate their own opinions.
Some of the most tendentious parts of this movie included the uncomfortable rape scene and the initially confusing plot. The writing in this movie is fantastic, and hides the fact that Ozymandias was the killer very well. Many of the plot points throughout this movie are thrown at the viewer very aggressively and it can honestly feel very overwhelming with how much is going on. All of the different characters have their own struggles, and this can get stressful to watch. However, the reveal of Ozymandias made me, personally, connect everything in my head. The writing does very well with putting all the character arcs back together, as strange as they may be. The other part of this film that is most controversial would be the attempted rape scene between The Comedian and Silk Spectre. While no person in their right mind should ever possibly condone rape, this scene provided a lot of lurid context. This scene occurred in the 1940's, and while The Comedian was punished for his misogynistic advances, it was important to really push the limits on viewers' comfort level. While this scene is in the original graphic novel, I feel that it was a trademark part of Snyder's filmmaking to include it. It was absolutely disgusting and horrendous to watch The Comedian's abusive actions, but it was handled in a good way, not giving power or forgiveness back to him. It is later revealed that The Comedian was actually Silk Spectre II's dad, which added yet ANOTHER level of intrigue. These challenging topics along with the alternate universe made room for plenty of dispute. This did not necessarily make the rice hats worn by the Asian soldiers in the war scene acceptable, however. No matter what timeline, that design choice did not seem necessary at all.
While there were many uneasy parts of this film that challenged the audience's beliefs and sparked interesting debate, there were other parts that Snyder undoubtedly succeeded in. These parts involve the costume design, performances and characters, and the special effects. All of the costumes and sets in the film were absolutely gorgeous and unforgettable. Snyder did a great artistic job in deciding the color schemes and design of this dark America while maintaining an interesting story. This also includes the special effects and motion capture that was used for Dr. Manhattan. While his character may seem a bit CGI-heavy, it was awesome for a film that came out almost ten years ago. I'm not quite sure if it was necessary to include that many shots of his huge, blue dick, though. The other part that I loved were the characters and the performances. None of the performances were absolutely outstanding, but the entire cast seemed to be dedicated to their roles regardless. And the treatment of the characters was awesome, no matter their gender or background.
Watchmen is a riveting and important film in the superhero genre, and like many of Snyder's early films, was very ahead of its time. A Watchmen TV show is in the works at HBO, and I feel that this is a very smart move on their part, as the length of this film was also a turnoff. I agree that it would be paced better in episodes instead of a 3-hour film. Despite its length and minor design flaws, this movie is an incredible feat in superhero filmmaking.
My Rating: ★★★★
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