1985. Richard Nixon is still President. Tensions are mounting between us and the Russians. The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes before midnight; just a few moments away from nuclear annihilation. In New York City a former superhero named The Comedian/Edward Blake fell to his death. A vigilante superhero named Rorschach investigates and uncovers a plot to off the remaining superheroes, but why?
So goes the world of "Watchmen," a graphic novel collection of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comics released in 1986 and 1987. In all, twelve issues were released. Moore is also known for writing, "V for Vendetta," "From Hell," and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," all of which have been cinematically adapted. Dave Gibbons has illustrated "2000 AD," "Judge Dredd," and "Give Me Liberty."
"Watchmen" puts "emotional drench" back into "emotionally drenched." It starts off as a detective story, the main character Rorschach wearing a trench coat and fedora, beating confessions out of people and investigating the death of fellow superhero The Comedian. Rorschach is the quintessential noir detective: not even his friends like him. His history is kept a secret as is his face, which is covered by a silk fabric that has ink blots which rearrange themselves in accordance with his moods.
As we (the readers) travel around with Rorschach, we get to know the characters of "Watchmen." Rorschach's history is spotted at best, but he began his crime-fighting began with a want to live up to the mythical background of the father he never knew. "The Comedian"/Edward Blake was a nihilistic superhero who eventually worked for the government. "Nite Owl"/Dan Dreiberg is an inventor whose fascination with birds led to "owl-themed" objects. "Silk Spectre"/Laurie Juspeczyk is the daughter of former model/superhero Sally Jupiter (the original "Silk Spectre"). "Ozymandias"/Adrian Veidt is an Ancient Egypt-obsessed businessman cashing in on being a retired superhero; he's also the "smartest man in the world." Lastly there is "Dr. Manhattan"/Dr. Jon Osterman, a former human-turned-god who is completely blue in color and has the ability to obliterate objects on a subatomic level.
The graphic novel travels back and forth along the time line of superheroes in the city. From the 1940's "Minutemen" to the formation of the "Watchman" and their disbanding due to the 1977 Keene Act (which forced all superheroes to "hang up their capes" and register with the government) to the investigation into the death of The Comedian, "Watchmen" is a bleak look at a world askew. A conspiracy is doing away with superheroes when the world needs them most. And why? With the U.S. and Russia about to nuke the other the world seems stranded.
What I liked about the graphic novel is that it took characters that ordinarily wouldn't be cared about and made them human, or at least I cared about what happened to them. Even Rorschach. Moore and Gibbons fill the end of each chapter with something pertaining to the characters: clips from their pasts, info on missing people, psych profiles, pages from the book, "Hooded Justice," etc. Interspersed in the panels are graphics from the fictional pirate novel, "Tales of the Black Freighter," which one of the characters is reading while the world around him goes to hell.
I'm generally not a fan of graphic novels; I didn't grow up reading too many comic books. Yes, I know about Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and the rest, but unless they were on TV or at the movies, I really didn't care. That being said, I really enjoyed reading "Watchmen" and was surprised at how good it was.
Well, most of it anyway.
I'm going to say the ending felt convoluted. I liken it to a B-movie where tension is built and built and built; the stick of dynamite is gonna blow up any moment and the damsel in distress (or the hero) are blown to bits. Suddenly the fuse is cut/ extinguished, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. That's sort of how it felt.
I also liken it to an old noir film, "This Gun for Hire." We're watching as Phillip Raven (Alan Ladd) is holding Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake) hostage as he tries to prove his innocence and find out who set him up in the first place. The answer lies with an old millionaire who is manufacturing poison gas for the Japanese. Yeah, convoluted compared to everything else the audience has been put through.
Pretty good overall, though.
My grade: A-
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 21
Ten for you anyway!
Watchmen
Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.
In the end, it is the person you become, not the things you have achieved, that is the most important.
This is an "art" film, not your typical superhero film. It's very literary. The story is a postmodern allegory about cold war America that is presented through an alternate history time line. Each of the characters represents different facets of 20th century American culture. It's a look back on what we were and a look forward at where we might be headed.
It's not just a big escapist action film if that's what you're expecting. It's a thinkers film, and will make the gears turn in your noggin. Yes, it's kind of violent but in the context of the scenes each vingette tells stories about the role of Violence in American culture. Remeber, the "people" are all metaphors for something.