Phenomenal Films to Leave You Flabbergasted #5

I don’t read comics, and I don’t read “graphic novels”, which to me are simply comics held together with a bind instead of a couple of staples. It’s not that I dislike them, I just hold no interest in them. If I want to see images with my story, I’ll watch a film or television program. If I want to read, I’ll pick up a book. What do I need a medium to bridge the two for? So when I saw ads for this film all over the places, and saw pictures of characters who looked 3x more badass than Darth Vader, naturally I was interested. So, sitting in an IMAX theatre with no prior knowledge to anything about the story (except that there’s some glowing blue guy), I enjoyed the marvel that is…

#5 Watchmen (2009)

This movie didn’t get the greatest reviews in the world by the end of its run, and I noticed by this that the majority of negative reviews seemed to focus on one thing: the differences from the ‘graphic novel’. Why this should detract from the movie at all is beyond me, so I’ll start off with this: I don’t care if the comic is better. This is coming from someone who has no experience with it: this movie, as a movie, is phenomenal, regardless of the differences from what it was inspired by. It’s just damned good, and underrated because of the change of medium. Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy was a lackluster movie as a movie, for instance. This, is not.

The first 10 minutes of this movie give you a perfect introduction to what will otherwise be a very well-paced 3 hours. It opens with a character whom you don’t know, in a comfortable setting. Without the character’s words, the environment, the conversations he comes across as he channel surfs and whatnot give you a glimpse into the world that this film takes place in: the cold war. The date isn’t specifically stated yet, but it’s clearly at the height of their fear. After a rather over-the-top fight scene meant to demonstrate the skill of this unnamed character vs. the skill of his assailant, he has little to say as he falls to his death, out of the high rise. From there, a stunning visual style of slow-motion pictures, accompanied by Bob Dylan takes the stage. The various images paint a picture of major events for the viewer – the alternate history of the 45 years prior to the fight.

From there, we’re introduced to the most over-dramatic character I’ve ever seen and you wonder if the whole film is going to narrated with this old, stereotyped talk. What makes Rorschach so likable however is that everyone in the film sees him as an over-dramatic character who can’t get over himself. Now, I can’t say much for the writing, as I hear this is mostly frame-by-frame from the book. The writers are credited with creating a screenplay out of something that already existed, Jackie, Earle Haley however, had to look at the words of this voiceless character, the movements frozen in time, and decide exactly how he was going to move. How he was going to speak. Unfortunately, as none of these characters are big name actors, I have little to compare their performances in this film to, but each seemed to take to their character with a great deal of strength and heart.

Rorschach’s troubled nature comes through in much more than what he says, but most importantly – how he says it. He’s a sociopath, but he still cares very much about what goes on in society. Much like Btaman, Rorschach believes in justice, in upholding it. The law isn’t justice: what’s morally right is justice. This sense of justice coupled with his sociopathic tenancies make for a very unique character to play, to say the least – and a wonderfully entertaining one to watch clash with the other characters.

The Comedian, our victim from the first segment of the film, is only shown to us through flashbacks, yet somehow he makes as much of an impact on the storyline as anyone else. He grows, he changes, he learns, all in flashbacks that have to do with something else altogether and the Comedian’s ‘comedic’ demeanor is shown to be rather thin, as he grins through every kill he gets. A horrible, horrible human being in every sense of the term, and somehow he’s a good guy. Even more miraculous, but by the time the Comedian’s fate is realized, you almost feel bad for him, all due to his impact.

It’s hard to separate the actors from the rest of the storyline. Not that they don’t have personalities of their own, but what they think, what they feel, is more important to the plot than the fate of the rest of the world. The film doesn’t focus on the fate of the world being important – it focuses on the fate of the Watchmen’s faith in the world, and how it’s one of the only things carrying it. They’re only heroes because they’re the only ones who believe that they can save it, and their belief shines through in every moment they’re speaking. Even Rorschach’s contempt for society is belittled by his desire for stopping its downfall.

When I came out of the theatre after this film I was amazed by something in specific. For the first time, a completely CGI character in a live-action film was more believable than actors in the majority of blockbuster movies that come out today. Dr. Manhattan, possibly the least human character in the film, came through as one of the most deeply human personality issues of the main characters – detaching from one’s self, and the rest of the world around you. Antisocial behavior at its worst (or best?). Much like our beloved Spock from Star Trek, “of all the souls I’ve encountered in my travels, his was the most… human”. The actor was motion captured throughout the film in such a beautiful way, that when his emotions come through, they rip across the fabric of space along with the character himself. Normally he’ll seem so indifferent to everything, showing no strong feelings… until at last you see him feel anger, amidst all of his confusion. An anger that truly boils down to just a few words but fills the mind with understanding. As he tells his story, relives it in his mind, his complete lack of interest in what he’s saying as he seems to forget what feeling is like, makes his emotions really shine when they come through.

Now I’m talking about the novelty characters here, there are others who played their parts damned well, and one who showed us breasts (damned well), but one this is for sure. While this may have been a phenomenal comic, for anyone who isn’t going to compare its faults directly to that and instead judge this as a movie with its own way of telling a story – this is damned good. There isn’t a single thing about this entire film that I dislike, and it’s even more beautiful in high quality. If you’ve got a PS3, get it on Blu-ray, it’s worth it by FAR.

–Jeff “DanyLektro”