Watchmen (2009) - Zack Snyder

Watchmen (2009)
Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: David Hayter (Screenplay), Alex Tse (Screenplay), Dave Gibbons (Graphic Novel Illustrator), Alan Moore - Uncredited (Graphic Novel)
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie

It is no secret to anyone that knows me that I am not a fan of Zack Snyder's work. I did not really care for 300 (read my review here) or his take on Dawn of the Dead (read my review here). When I heard that he was going to be directing Watchmen (2009) I was not happy. Before seeing the film I was very much expecting to write a very scathing review about how Snyder had butchered the graphic novel and should be banished from making movies and possibly even earth itself. Well... I am man enough to admit when I am wrong.

In the past I have said that in some instances the best thing a director can do is just step back and let your actors tell the story. In this case I think the best thing Zack Snyder could do is step back and let Alan Moore's work tell the story. For the most part Zack Snyder does this. He manages to follow Moore's work enough that the story speaks for itself and actually turns into a pretty good movie. He also managed to do a pretty good job of figuring out what to take out and what to leave in. There were a few missteps here and there throughout the film but not enough to completely ruin it.

In my opinion the fights scenes were a little to slick and flashy to exist in the world of Watchmen. I was hoping for something a little less choreographed and a little more gritty. When I first saw how smooth and perfect the fight scenes were I thought the film was in danger of becoming the very thing that Moore was trying to satirize with his work. Fortunately I really only had this problem with the fight scenes in the film and not the rest of the film itself.

I honestly think my biggest complaint about the film was the soundtrack. That isn't to say that the Snyder chose songs that didn't fit the movie, he just didn't incorporate them into the film well. A good soundtrack should compliment what is going on in the film. The soundtrack of Watchmen seemed to overpower the film though. When a song started in the film it seemed less like a song accompanying a movie and more like a music video. Overall I think the soundtrack just should have been a little more subdued. For the most part the song choices were fine, just let them work in the background and don't use them to completely overshadow everything else. They got kind of distracting and in my opinion took a bit away from the film.

In my opinion the original Watchmen graphic novel is a story that rests on the back of the characters. One of the things that worried me was that in Snyder's previous work he really didn't seem to do a good job creating interesting characters. If the characters in this movie weren't interesting enough to carry the story then the movie would fail but because Snyder actually took a step back and let the work speak for itself the characters actually managed to come through and help the story move along. The characters for the most part were very fleshed out and three dimensional and I actually was able to sympathize with them.

A lot of the credit to how well fleshed out the characters were probably needs to go to the actors though. For the most part the actors in the film were really good. Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal of Rorshach was probably the highlight though even if his voice was just tiny bit to gravelly, it worked though. Everyone else for the most part was really good as well. I think the only real misstep in the acting was Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II. I don't think she was as bad as some people have said but she wasn't as good as some of the other actors in the film.

Now onto the part of the film that seems to be the most polarizing for fans of the graphic novel. Did the choice to exclude the giant squid work in the film? If you don't know what I mean by that then go ahead and read the graphic novel because I am not going to spoil it for you. I am on the side that says that the exclusion of the giant squid didn't bother me one bit and I think it actually worked pretty well in the film. What it comes down to is this; some things work better on the page then they do on the screen and this is one of those things. The giant squid worked very well in the graphic novel but would have come across as very silly in the film. In my opinion a good adaptation of a book is not necesarily one that tells the story word for word but one that sticks to the ideas and the tone presented in the book. I think the replacement of the squid story line stuck to the original intent of the graphic novel even though it was not exactly what happened in the graphic novel.

Overall I actually enjoyed the film a lot more then I expected to. It was well paced and managed to tell the story of the Watchmen very faithfully. The graphic novel and the movie are definitely different beasts and the movie does leave a lot of the story out but it manages to still be a good movie. The film managed to keep my interest throughout even with a two hour and forty minute run time. While there were a few missteps I have no major problems with the film. I still can't say that I am a fan of Snyder's work but he did manage to do a good job telling this story. It is not something that I feel the need to rush out and see again but I may check it out again eventually when it is out on DVD.

Rating: 7/10