WATCHMEN The Movie... I've got a question or two

[Centurion Draco]

Hi Y'all
Any big fans of this franchise out there?

Well, just watched the Movie 'Watchmen' and I'm in need of some clarification on a couple of points.
Firstly, let me say I've never read any of the novels comics or anything else.
Loved the movie though, but a bit of a head scratcher TBH.

Apart from Dr Manhattan, do any of the others have 'super powers'?
Rorschach jumps beyond normal ability, they all seem to have incredible strength, Comedian punches a big chunk out of a wall etc..

Does all their 'sci fi' technology originate with Dr Manhattan?

What was Ozymandias' 'speciality' when he was still fighting crime?

Anyone know if a 'Watchmen 2' is a possibility?

[gmd3d]

this looks to have some info mate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Watchmen

I heard at one time that the film was not received well and no more films will be done .. but who knows .. but I have never seen it

[Centurion Draco]

Originally Posted by Taranis

this looks to have some info mate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Watchmen

I heard at one time that the film was not received well and no more films will be done .. but who knows .. but I have never seen it

Hi Taranis.

Thanks bud. I'm not a huge 'superhero movie' buff, I like some and try to give them a chance, but this one was really different.

I can see why it would recieve mixed reviews for sure. My other half likes the superhero genre and she found it to be 'not to her taste' She said its 'a boy movie' lol, 'too dark, and unpleasant' and she generally found it a bit disturbing.
It is pretty disturing and rather graphic in places.

Of the 'superheros' in it, some of them are truly awful and completly despicable, some are awful and strangely likable, some are, well... OK!
Its a really strange but rather original take on a genre thats a bit tired IMHO.
I spent most of the film hoping bad things would happen to the characters but still thought it was great.
Check it out if you get a chance.

[gmd3d]

will do .. I think it was written by Alan Moore .. who in the comic realms can be a dark writer.

I tried years ago to read the comic but never took to it..

I was a Spider-man fan and would read one of his comics every chance I got .. but even there I dislike the new direction they took the character in recent years ..

[monolith21]

The world of Watchmen is an alternate reality. The power of the non "Super" heroes is just a stylized way of showing that they have trained for years and posses great abilities. That dedication to "looking into the abyss" has its effects on the heroes of the story.

There is no more of an attempt to explain the hyper reality of the characters than there is to explain some of the physics (such as how "Archie" actually remains in the air!). The story sets up certain ideas, and is true to itself. Much like Star Wars is true to its own rules (explosions in space etc).

Some people can get into that, and some can't. It is not a movie for everyone by any stretch of the imagination.

There won't be a sequel. It is a stand alone story. I'm sure there will be a remake in a few months though!

[KJ]

Originally Posted by Centurion Draco

Hi Taranis.

Thanks bud. I'm not a huge 'superhero movie' buff, I like some and try to give them a chance, but this one was really different.

I can see why it would recieve mixed reviews for sure. My other half likes the superhero genre and she found it to be 'not to her taste' She said its 'a boy movie' lol, 'too dark, and unpleasant' and she generally found it a bit disturbing.

It is pretty disturing and rather graphic in places.

Well i think its safe to say i'm a comic book buff (pretty decent one too) who's earn his stripes by reading so many over the years. I used to love reading the Watchmen graphic novel in WH Smith after school. Ya know, back when kids use to treat the shop as a library and read stuff they weren't buying etc (whatever happened to those days huh?) while waiting for the bus to come by the stop outside. Watchmen was something i read, but it was pretty sophisticated for somebody my age who at the time was into the more usual superheroes and not Alan Moore's graphic stuff per se, cos i read his controversial Miracleman series at the time though which is saying much in terms of; but wait a minute...

Years later and i can now brag of having the huge; 'Absolute Watchmen' collector's graphic novel. Which was a round £50 plus in most comic shops (and still is today in some places) but i got mine for only £35 because of a typo misprint of the lable, and it wasn't something the shop could change due to "trading laws" of store prices (as priced as the law goes!!!).



Anyways loved the graphic novel and yes. Along side Dark Knight came out at a time when things got to be very graphic and adult material related in comics. Although i always say, if comics didn't grow or change they've would've ran into problems. The industry is ever changing and like any creative medium it changes with the times, and thus has proven itself of constant reinvention over and over and survived numerous alterations other mediums haven't done so well in (film industry/hollywood etc?) by comparison.

The film was hard to put into production over the years. And it was something comic fans wanted to see be done right. Zak Snyder was the right choice i must say for one of comics hardest and one creator owned title series that was hard to adapt properly. Comics overall are a proven medium that got dozens of variations, so tell the missus it wasn't going to stay all tights & cape's fare with black & white stories forever, lol. In came the complexed stuff, and we've been hooked ever since.

Originally Posted by Centurion Draco

Anyone know if a 'Watchmen 2' is a possibility?

Know you've answered this already but,...... Nope won't be done.

As it stands The Watchmen film was a close enough interpretation of the graphic novel. And the extended cut along with 'The Black Freighter' animated story woven in, is near perfect enough all of the original material from Moore and Gibbon's comic work to satisfy the majority of WM fans period.

No sequel is really needed in that respect. If the comic had on soon after than it would've been thought up as the next step. But seeing how a TDK sequel when with Frank Miller's go at that. One Watchmen film is good enough at the end of the day.

KJ

[KJ]

The Watchmen Review: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...views-Watchmen



KJ

[monolith21]

KJ nailed it. The film is a near perfect adaptation of the comic with very few liberties taken. There is one plot point removed near the end and a few little details changed around with the story of Rorschach in prison but the end results are always the same as the book.

Moore is a pretty moody guy apparently and he's viciously protective over his creations. I think he'd sue the rug out from underneath anyone who even thought about doing a sequel.

On a Battlestar related note, David Hayter wrote the screen adaptation and he has a history of working with Bryan Singer on most of his films. I'm hoping that he gets the screenwriting duties for Singers's Galactica. If anyone can give the story some punch and make it relevant while staying true to the original it is Hayter.

If you're worried that he'll turn it into Watchmen, don't. Remember, he wrote X-Men 2 which is arguably the best of the X-Men films and by far the most emotionally driving. The guy has got the chops to get the job done right.

[KJ]

Agreed! That and he is a former actor himself (he was in 'Guyver Dark Hero') and is quite experienced in knowing how to make a story work and hearing how dialogue sounds, he was more or less the key in making the lines spoken in both X2 and Watchmen sound very convincing if not realistic when spoken by an actor (who along with the director work to make it right further still etc) .

Yep i'm all for having David Hayter brought along into the BG movie development phases.

That and he's the voice of famed video game character Solid Snake, and who exactly gonna argue with Solid Snake, lol.



KJ

[Athene]

I've never read the comic book. I did enjoy the movie. There's a store where I live that sells movie posters and comic books that are often hard to find. I also managed to find a site online that had descriptions of the Watchmen comic books and the comic book characters.
I have a fondness for movies based on comic book characters, especially superheroes.
My favourites are Superman and Batman.

[KJ]

Well you should get it, its pretty sopfisticated and doesn't disappoint. Quite complexed interwoven tales told within it including a story within a story such as The Black Freighter!


Tales of the Black Freighter Official Trailer (HD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zUgBK0-qbo


Watchmen - Tales of the Black Freighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcEo-...eature=related

Enjoy!

KJ

[Athene]

Thanks for posting those links. I'm going watch those trailers when I get the chance.
I really enjoyed the WATCHMEN The Movie and would also like to see more.