Watchmen 2009. Liked it?

[TissueBox]

Snyder's foray into the major leagues comic book universe blended the usual Snyder conventions with one of the most seminal artistic exercises of the graphic novel of its time to create an attempt at adapting what previously had been deemed impossible. And, really, was probably still proven to be. :-P

Nevertheless, after all this time, it's always been an enigma to look back on. Coming on the heels of stuff like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, a lot of folk were warily interested in seeing whether Watchmen would be able to live up to the hype, to competently make some decent celluloid out of a comic book that relied so heavily on its medium to convey its noirish, existential deconstruction. What do you think of it today, purple place? ^^'

 

[Spanglo]

NO. Loved it.

 

[Sabretooth]

Thank you for the fourth option 😅 I picked that, even though I thought the movie was okay.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I wish I was Dr. Manhattan

 

[Deleted member 83599]

Film was mostly okay until the altered ending - which made it bad.

 

[Arkestry]

It's the result of someone slavishly recreating every panel of the comic book without even having a basic understanding of the comic itself or what it's trying to say.

 

[DIE BART DIE]

It misunderstands certain themes and ideas of the novel but it is nevertheless exciting to see the visual iconography translated to the screen so well.

The TV show is much better.

 

[Skade]

I liked it very much, never read the original material so i have no way to say if the ending is better or worse. But i liked it very much.

Not sure i'd want to watch it a third time, but it's a good movie.

 

[Adder7806]

Meh, not for me. Ending was better than the graphic novel, though.

 

[Mesoian]

It was fine. The changes it made were unnecessary and it sort of loses the point of the original story but, it's not bad.

The show is WAY better.

 

[Sarcastico]

I loved it!

 

[Ryuelli]

No, I didn't like it.

I loved it.

 

[Yes]

Didn't finish it.

 

[Katten]

It misunderstands certain themes and ideas of the novel but it is nevertheless exciting to see the visual iconography translated to the screen so well.

The TV show is much better.

Click to shrink...

Basically this.

 

[bye]

Show was way better and seemed to have a better understanding of the source material. I did enjoy the movie for what it was.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Liked it? No. I absolutely LOVE it. One of the greatest films ever made and my second favorite superhero movie ever made behind TDK.

I rewatch it pretty often

 

[rusty chrome]

An extremely entertaining film and obviously Snyder's best. Great soundtrack, great visuals, great casting, beautifully told story, and perfect ending.

The HBO show was even better, but different as it focused on different things that take place later on.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

It's a 10/10 comic book movie

 

[-Tetsuo-]

Big fan. Has one of my favorite shots from Zack.

 

[Doggg]

I liked it well enough. Easily the best Snyder film for me.

 

[Beren]

It's the result of someone slavishly recreating every panel of the comic book without even having a basic understanding of the comic itself or what it's trying to say.

Click to shrink...

This. Snyder does not understand concepts outside of what he likes, which happens to be the opposite of what the book had to say.

 

[345]

It's the result of someone slavishly recreating every panel of the comic book without even having a basic understanding of the comic itself or what it's trying to say.

Click to shrink...

exactly this. it's well-made and creatively bankrupt

 

[CountAntonio]

Loved it even though I don't like the changed ending and really didn't like some of the reworked dialogue.

Also probably the best movie trailer ever made.

Watchmen - Official Trailer [HD]

Watchmen (2009)

youtu.be

 

[Tappin Brews]

Loved it actually, aside from some of the slow mo action scenes (the prison break) and some other cringe (the love scene aboard the Archimedes).

 

[Shadow2222]

Speaking of, knowing that the original ending is recognized in the show rather than the movie's altered one, can I mostly watch the show as a sequel to this and have the continuity make sense?

 

[collige]

It managed the impressive feat of being extremely faithful to the comic while also missing the point entirely. I did not like the new ending. Meh overall.

 

[Altazor]

I liked it a lot until it shat the bed with the ending, misunderstanding a lot of stuff along the way. And no, I'm not talking about the lack of psychic squid from outta nowhere, I'm still pissed they left off Doc Manhattan's conversation with Veidt *after* he won.

It's basically one of the main statements of the entire work and it was nowhere to be seen, which means Snyder didn't think it was important (meaning he didn't really get "it").

I'm still pissed off by that change, despite the years. I was really looking forward to that moment but... nope.

Beautiful opening montage, though. Best thing in the movie by far.

 

[Nairume]

I like it less the further away we get, but it is certainly well made and acted even if the adaptation is atrocious.

 

[bastardly]

it was never going to live up the graphic novel, and there are a ton of issues with it but I still enjoyed it. it's one of the best looking CBM for sure at least

also one of the GOAT trailers

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7qj1VGlu5s

 

[Bishop89]

Wait what's the alternative ending?

Ive only see one ending and I don't like it

 

[deimosmasque]

They took out the squid and made Rorschach look like he was right.

It does miss the point that the comic was saying. But it did most things well. I'm honestly not a huge fan of the message of the comic itself anyways.

The movie does stumble, but it hits the important points.

And the opening was entirely on point. Showing a world of superheroes since the 40s.

I also like Night Owl actually caring about Rorschach's death.

You definitely need to watch it with the Ultimate Edition with the shipwreck comic put back in, because that informs on the plot a lot and makes the pacing work better.

Basically it's a flawed adaption, but not a horrible one.

Great Soundtrack though!

 

[Deleted member 83599]

Speaking of, knowing that the original ending is recognized in the show rather than the movie's altered one, can I mostly watch the show as a sequel to this and have the continuity make sense?

Click to shrink...

If you're familiar with how the comic ends, sure. But if you're not, then no.

The show is very dependent on the comic's ending.

 

[Rhaknar]

Film was mostly okay until the altered ending - which made it bad.

Click to shrink...

there's an altered ending? like with the squid?

 

[Davidion]

It misunderstands certain themes and ideas of the novel but it is nevertheless exciting to see the visual iconography translated to the screen so well.

The TV show is much better.

Click to shrink...

I liked it a lot until it shat the bed with the ending, misunderstanding a lot of stuff along the way. And no, I'm not talking about the lack of psychic squid from outta nowhere, I'm still pissed they left off Doc Manhattan's conversation with Veidt *after* he won.

It's basically one of the main statements of the entire work and it was nowhere to be seen, which means Snyder didn't think it was important (meaning he didn't really get "it").

I'm still pissed off by that change, despite the years. I was really looking forward to that moment but... nope.

Beautiful opening montage, though. Best thing in the movie by far.

Click to shrink...

Yup.

The movie was a visually well-produced spectacle, but missed the point of absolutely everything.

The TV show was imo much more of a revelation. I had quite a couple of "oh they're going THERE" moments.

 

[Platy]

Okay movie that is ABSOLUTELY SHIT adaptation

The sequel series is a much better adaptation.

 

[Calamari41]

I loved it. I was even fine with the change to the ending.

My only problem is that they telegraphed HARD that Ozymandias was shady. Came as a surprise in the book of course, but in the movie they make him so ominous.

there's an altered ending? like with the squid?

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

Ozymandias nukes a bunch of major cities with "Dr Manhattan energy" or whatever, framing him and giving the world an enemy to unite against. Manhattan agrees that this is a good idea.

 

[Cipherr]

It's got some great moments. As a whole movie? Ehh..

It's the pinnacle of a movie that I won't likely watch completely ever again, but I will probably rewatch specific scenes from it on YT for years.

I don't know what to call that honestly.

 

[napkins]

totally captured the essence of the comic book. glorification of violence and BADASS action. rorschach rules!

/s

i do legitimately like the birth of doctor manhattan, though. good sequence

 

[Deleted member 83599]

there's an altered ending? like with the squid?

Click to shrink...

No squid in the Snyder film. It's replaced by a scheme in which Veidt destroys several major cities around the world and frames Dr. Manhattan.

 

[J_Viper]

Snyder's best and one of the greatest comic flicks of our time

 

[BassForever]

I liked it, but I couldn't love it because as others have said, Snyder clearly did not "get" the ending or why it was so great in the graphic novel.

 

[Forsaken82]

Speaking of, knowing that the original ending is recognized in the show rather than the movie's altered one, can I mostly watch the show as a sequel to this and have the continuity make sense?

Click to shrink...

Honestly, I hate the big creature ending from the comics, I think the movie's concept worked better (at least for the film)

There are some batshit crazy concepts in the TV show that the comics true ending just fits better than the films more grounded approach. But I think you could argue, either ending would have worked in the show as well, but it just created a more visually arresting moment in the TV show that you don't get in the film.

Spoiler

Lube man still confuses the shit out of me

Talk about a scene that literally would never have worked in the movie.

 

[deimosmasque]

It misunderstands certain themes and ideas of the novel but it is nevertheless exciting to see the visual iconography translated to the screen so well.

The TV show is much better.

Click to shrink...

This also true.

 

[345]

Basically it's a flawed adaption, but not a horrible one.

Click to shrink...

the reason that for decades everyone said watchmen would've been impossible to adapt into a movie was because the most obvious possible adaptation imaginable (ending aside) would've turned out exactly like snyder's and it would've missed the point entirely. and somehow he managed to make it worse than that with the ending!

the best i can say about it is that the casting was generally great and the visual design was about as good as could've been expected. purely as an adaptation, though, it felt like the screenplay was written by a 16 year old who didn't understand what he just read.

it's just a completely pointless movie. i don't know how anyone could get anything out of it without having read the book, and i don't know how anyone who read the book could get anything out of it beyond "huh, this looks cool as a movie"

 

[imbarkus]

It succeeds despite the miscasting of Ozymandias and the plot change to the end muddying up whether the world would truly unite in the face of a threat still so terrestrial and from one of our own nations. And I think the big blue dong was kind of distracting, and weirdly more of a factor than it was in the comics.

Other than those gripes, I loved it.

 

[Gaucho Power]

Great comic book movie. And I did like it, but I'm one to say that the comic book did many things better.At the same time the movie is visually great looking and really stands out from the rest of comic book movies.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

It's alright. The opening is the best part of the movie, while the rest of it leans a little too heavily into Snyder's style and level of misanthropic cynicism. Which is saying something for a movie based on an Alan Moore story.

 

[EntelechyFuff]

It's the result of someone slavishly recreating every panel of the comic book without even having a basic understanding of the comic itself or what it's trying to say.

Click to shrink...

Right.

It was like…shot for shot almost identical to the graphic novel, but somehow completely missed all of the substance. It's like a bizarro masterwork.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

The firsr trailer is one of the best superhero trailers of all time.

 

[Nappuccino]

It was fine. The changes it made were unnecessary and it sort of loses the point of the original story but, it's not bad.

The show is WAY better.

Click to shrink...

My two biggest marks against the movie is that the characters who are supposed to be explicitly human are out here jumping 20 feet in the air and snapping bones like twigs. Snyder couldn't help but make them super, which undercuts Veidt catching the bullet at the end.

He also really screws up the message of the ending--both in Nite Owl's dramatic reaction to Roarshasch's death and leaving the "it's never over" conversation to . . . people who aren't Dr. Manhattan and Veidt. Leaving him to doubt his whole plan--even if it seems successful in the moment, is what makes Watchman so great.