Today I went to a matinee showing of the new movie 'Watchmen' with my friend Chris. We decided to see it at the Uptown where they have a really big screen and we opted to try our luck with the 12:15 showing, figuring it would be less crowded. We were right on that score. The theater was only about two-thirds full and we were able to snag prime seats in the balcony. As we left we noticed that there were already people in line for the next showing, even though it was still more than an hour away.
'Watchmen' has gotten some bad reviews, but Chris and I both liked it. I read the graphic novel back when I was in high school and I had forgotten most of it. Basically all I could remember was who the bad guy actually was, and that Dr. Manhattan was kind of an ass. I think they did a good job of adapting it for the big screen. They devoted a fair amount of time to developing the story and the characters and it wasn't just stunts and fights, although it was a fairly brutal movie in parts.
Visually speaking it was very well done and it avoided looking fakey. The performances were mixed. The actor portraying Nite Owl did the best job with his role, and he's really the only completely likeable character. The other characters you can like, but with some reservations. The rest of the cast was so-so. The actor playing Rohrschach was quite good, but his character is pretty one-dimensional. Homicidal sociopaths tend to be like that.
All things considered it was a pretty good movie. It does a good job of taking a look at the dark side of being a superhero and the costs that lifestyle carries with it. The movie is rather hard on women, though. There are only two female characters and they flip between being vixens or victims, plus there is a vicious attempted rape scene that was tough to watch. Also, I could do quite nicely with a little less screen time for Dr. Manhattan's swinging and swaying blue male member. Would it have killed him to wear pants a bit more often?
(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)
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