Not for Everyone

You could probably stop me from writing a Watchmen joke, but you are 35 minutes late.

I will start by saying that this is not a review. This post is merely my thoughts and feelings about the movie Watchmen. Although I would love to actually review a movie, It’s too soon for me to do that. So please keep this in mind when you are reading the rest of the post.

Watchmen isn’t a movie for everyone. I could find tons of reasons not to watch it. However, if you are one of those people to whom these reasons don’t apply, you are in for a great ride.

I have read the Watchmen graphic novel, and I loved it. I only first read it about two years ago, so I’m not your typical ‘hardcore’ fan. However, I do believe I was able to appreciate the book for what it is. That said, with the story set in an alternative ‘present’ (1985) with the cold war and the fear of nuclear war being the main threat to society, I probably couldn’t get into the atmosphere as far as I would if it was actually 1985. However, that did not stop me from enjoying the book and the powerful messages of the story, which hold up even today as very innovative and deep.

I loved the 80’s version of the apocalypse

Watchmen is a story about people. You might think that it is a ‘superhero’ story, but it really is just a story about the fact that there is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. There were others who tried to convey that idea, but Watchmen did it spectacularly, with style and a lot of blood. Watchmen did not take any prisoners when dealing with violence and sex, so when I first heard about the movie coming out, I was afraid that it would be another Hollywood pg-13 adaption gone horribly, horribly wrong…

Hollywood’s version of otherwise great stories…

My fears dissipated quickly though, for the movie has no restrictions when it comes to violence. That isn’t to say that this is a mindless gore film. The violence is tasteful and helps to convey the powerful messages of the story. The movie does, however, manage to stay as faithful to the book as possible, which makes it the one and only movie that I can whole-heartedly recommend on viewing without the need to actually read the book. It’s that faithful to the book. I know that this is a very bold thing to say about a movie. It is obvious that even a three-hours film cannot really contain an entire book with all of the little details and nuances, even if the book is a graphic novel which has less text than a typical book. Nevertheless, after watching this film, I cannot think of a better way of telling the story. The characters are as round as they are in the book, and the background stories fit perfectly into the timeframe. If anything, the movie may even surpass the book because of a breathtaking soundtrack. Never before did I encounter such a rich and fitting soundtrack in a movie, such that it enhanced my experience as deeply as the Watchmen soundtrack.

This is one of the good guys!

All in all, Watchmen is an amazing movie. However, if you are sensitive to graphic violence, this movie is probably not for you. It contains graphic violence which, in my opinion, is tasteful and powerful, but may not be for everyone. This isn’t a superhero movie, and it is definitely not for kids.

If you loved the book, you would probably love the movie, as it is very faithful to the book. For the same reason, if you read the book and didn’t like it, you needn’t bother with the movie. If you love rich and detailed stories and are not sensitive to graphic violence, then I recommend it.