Reflections on Watchmen

There really is not a lot to say about Watchmen that hasn't already been said in a million other articles, both online and in print. The consensus seems to be that Snyder made a very faithful film adaptation of the graphic novel, but maybe to a fault. Fanboys and those who have read the novel seem to enjoy the novel at least on some level, leaving those who aren't familiar with the graphic novel out of the loop.

Personally, I loved the film. The fact that Snyder was able to condense a 12 chapter graphic novel into a 2 hr 45 min film without losing most of the controlling ideas and denseness of the original work is incredible. The attention to detail while still having Snyder's flavor and style is an incredible line to walk, but this film does it with flying colors. Zack Snyder has made Watchmen jump off the page without losing what is essential. And in a society where we usually tear apart a film that digresses to far from the original work, I really don't understand how you can be 'too faithful', but I digress myself.

The point of this post is not to discuss why I loved the film. Despite whether you loved or hated or were indifferent about Watchmen, I think it's important to notice that Zack Snyder's film is a massive achievement in film on multiple levels.

The most obvious success of the film lies in its visual effects. For a film that is obviously shot almost 100% in studios in front of green screens, it looks polished and clean. The only even questioning element of the visuals is Dr. Manhattan. However, even Manhattan looks incredible once you get passed his first few scenes. The title sequence at the beginning is also another high point of the film's visuals.

If the visuals weren't the most obvious success, than it's the financial earnings that stand out. Whether good or bad critically, the film was a huge financial success. In its opening weekend, it grossed $55 mill., which is pretty substantial for a r-rated pulp film. Despite 55 mill not being nearly what analysts thought it would gross [most estimated around 70 mill], this is still a substantial earning. The film will make plenty in the box office, not to mention the money that the film will make from dvd sales and other merchandising. Hopefully Watchmen will help studios realize that a dense, graphic, r-rated film can make money. Along with The Dark Knight, these two films will hopefully be examples for future work of how to make a darker, grittier, pulpy comic film. Nothing 'grinds my gears' more than when a film gets watered down to a pg-13 just to assure profibility.

One of the aspects that I love about Watchmen is that exact fact: the almost complete faithfulness to the graphic novel, not just in content but in maturity level. No violence or sexuality has been tamed down. But even more important than this is the ending of the story, something that many critics have not addressed. [SPOILERS AHEAD] The ending of the film remaining faithful to the source material is an incredible achievement. Being very unconventional, it's truely astonishing that it was not changed to please Warner Bros/producers. or even to please audiences. The fact that Adrian Veidt gets away with his master plan leaves the viewer completely devastated, with the only hope for the future being Rorschach's journal. And all this squabbling about leaving 'the squid' from the novel out of the film is just superfluous. The differences from the novel that Snyder made were for obvious reasons; some elements of the graphic novel were just not suitable for film. Yet, this does not make the graphic novel 'unfilmable', just minorly tweaked. Admitting that a graphic novel is different from a film does not make one untranslatable to the other. Again, hopefully this will influence future films to be more daring with their stories. [END OF SPOILERS]

Years from now when audiences look back at the experience that was Watchmen the film, I think it will be seen as a modern classic. It takes time for a film that is as philosophical and dense as Watchmen to sink in. While it may be somewhat of a niche-sleeper with critics and audiences today, it will find its place in film history. Even so, more important than critical acclaim, Watchmen is a success. All who are a part of making this film happen are to be commended.

Gran Torino review

I forgot to write a review for Gran Torino. Dammit. How could I forget that? Anyway, here's a quick something for you since it's been about a week since I saw it.

The Ford Gran Torino is a beauty of a car, a gem not seen too often amongst the new Mustangs and such of today. Clint Eastwood's movie is the same way. It uniquely blends cultural barriers, family, life and death and dealing with age themes together. It's a coming of age story in more ways than one.

I'm an Eastwood fan, although I'm used to seeing him as a younger tough guy. Nonetheless, he is superb in Gran Torino. The dialog is over-the-top hilarious, not because it's racist, but because it's a crotchety old white guy. His delivery is never off. The story is very well done. [MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS] The symbolism of the car is very good: how it's old like Walt, but in practically new condition and handing it off to Thao. It kind of combines the essence of both characters into one symbol. [END POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

I liked Bee Vang for most of the movie. There were a few spots of acting that bothered me near the end, but other than that I thought he did a nice job with his character. Ahney Her also did a nice job, but seemed a little flat sometimes. Christopher Carley as the Father was great, although his tone changed very little throughout the course of the movie which kind of bugged me. The minor characters like the barber shop guy and the construction guy were great additions. Obviously, Eastwood is the star of the film.

Gran Torino is an excellent film and is on my top 10 list for the year.

M

Destiny - Slumdog Millionaire

The end of this year seems to be filled with 'art house' films that I am just dieing to see. Unfortunately, Kansas City/Lawrence doesn't get the first run of these films. The likes of Doubt, The Wrestler, and Let the Right One In are just a few that have recently reached a larger audience. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is another film that falls in that very same category.

I had heard the incredible buzz around Slumdog awhile ago, and to be honest I really doubted that it could live up to the hype. A lot of littler Oscar-contending movies get so much hype that they won't live up to your exceeding expectations when you actually come around to seeing them. I have to be 100% honest when I say that Slumdog Millionaire is everything that everyone says about it. And now since it has swept the Golden Globes [best film, director, screenplay and score] it will hopefully get the attention of mainstream audiences that it rightfully deserves.

Slumdog encompasses everything that makes a great all around film: great storytelling, intriguing characters, beautiful cinematography, honest acting, an incredible score... I could go on but there's no need, upon viewing it speaks for itself. Danny Boyle has honed in on every little aspect of Indian life and culture. He has given us an incredible love story that takes us through the slums of Mumbai to the harsh lights of television fame. Our 'slumdog' Jamal has found himself being accused of cheating on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". Through flashbacks during Jamal's interrogation, we get the story of Jamal's life and his pursuit of the love of his life, Latika. At its heart, Slumdog is not only a love story, but a fairy tale. While the love story of Jamal and Latika is the heart of the film, it is really the story of 'the three musketeers' of Jamal, Latika, and Jamal's brother Salim. Through the highest highs and the lowest of lows, these three give the audience a breathtaking and truely heartfelt story. It succeeds at telling a truthful love story more than the recent The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is in its own right a solid movie, but it still doesn't come close to Slumdog.

To tell anymore of the story would be robbing a new viewer of the wonderful discovery and surprises of Slumdog Millionaire. Despite what Danny Boyle may say, he has an incredible style and a very uniqure way to tell a fresh, new tale. Plus, any film that ends with a Bollywood-style dance sequence is just fantastical.

Maybe this isn't so much a review, but a plea for everyone to see this film if they can. It's something new, it's something fresh, it's something the likes you will never see again. My favorite film of 2008 [thus far, I still have just a few to check off the list...].

4 out of 4

[EDIT]

On a side note, why is this film rated R? It has a few torture scenes and a few 'fucks', but seriously? I didn't have much hope/respect for the MPAA to begin with, but I'm really losing everything now...