“Watchmen” DVD Review
For such a great movie, I was disappointed to see it take such a big hit at the box office. Visually stunning and complex, Watchmen was definitely a movie that was very faithful to its four-color roots, but was also a movie that the mainstream may not have been ready for. Despite being draped in the vivid colors and high-octane trappings of your typical mainstream blockbuster, Watchmen hid a very dark and dramatic center, full of grey areas and characters who morally challenged the viewer, much akin to the original graphic novel. However, staying too close to the original graphic novel may just be the reason why Watchmen failed to catch on as it should of. Despite that, this is definitely a movie that deserves a second chance, or be experienced for the first time, on home video.
Synopsis:
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. Based on the classic Watchmen graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, when one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the Watchmen?
Before I go any further, I need to admit my bias. I’m a fan of the original Watchmen graphic novel and, after my initial doubts about it being film-able, thoroughly enjoyed Synder’s attempt at bringing this amazing story to the big screen. I can’t speak from the perspective of the casual viewer, but I can speak, albeit poorly, as one who knows the original material, and respect its transition to the big screen. I completely understand that things need to be altered when adapting from one medium to the next, and Watchmen is no different.
Director Zack Synder really deserves the credit here, being able to take something considered completely untouchable in Hollywood and making a faithful, coherent, and entertaining film. It’s stunning to see Watchmen, which has circled so many Hollywood drains in its long production history, finally brought to life after so many years, and done so in a completely lavish and faithful manner. Remember, while this movie is an adaptation of the classic comic, it’s also very obvious this is Snyder’s interpretation of the movie. He hasn’t simply adapted the story, but added his own flourishes and touches to it, and the result is spectacular. There are a couple side-steps, but Snyder has faithfully adapted to the story. He’s captured the core of what makes this a fascinating and addictive story and breathes new life into it, making it enjoyable to die-hard fans and (hopefully) accessible to the casual viewer, too. Much like the source material, Watchmen is by no means an easy movie to sit through, but it is worthwhile.
It still amazes me this movie got made, especially since Watchmen isn’t your typical blockbuster. While it may have looked like one, and was heavily hyped as one, it’s something completely different. It’s dark, bleak, and doesn’t hold your hand, and forces you to get involved in the movie. Maybe that’s why it didn’t hit it as big as it should have on the big screen earlier this year (but then again, I’d consider The Dark Knight in the same category in terms of its tone and content and it was one of the biggest all-time hits), since it was something we could just sit there and watch. Then again, I imagine if one is not up to the task of watching such a dense movie like this, the flaws in Watchmen become all the more readily apparently. The first third of the film is an absolutely complicated set-up, unloading so much information while also making sure that the film can breathe and allow for the audience to become invested. Given the layers upon layers required for the movie to set itself up, I can see where those expecting just another brainless blockbuster would scoff and walkout. But it’s a movie that rewards its audience, especially those in it for the entire duration. I was immensely satisfied with the movie, feeling completely pleased as the end credits hit the screen. All in all, Snyder is able to streamline a fairly complicated story quite effectively.
And not only does the Snyder’s take on the story work so well here, but his visuals are just stunning. The sets, costumes, lighting, the flawless special effects, all of it seems perfect and just about flawless. The talented crew on this movie obviously paid attention to Gibbon’s work in the book and perfectly brought it to life. Characters look nearly identical from the book, with only a handful of changes made. You have to give them credit for how they brilliantly came up with Rorschach’s mask, as that really helps make the predictable design choices for Nite Owl II forgivable. And all the designs, etc., just come together so well on screen, especially with the pitch-perfect directing and cinematography. And I really like how Snyder doesn’t make the movie all about these visuals. They’re great, yes, but they serve the story instead of surpassing it. That being said, they’re still absolutely beautiful. There’s nary a shot that isn’t artfully composed or easy to get lost in. The highlight of the film’s artistry, to me, has to be Dr. Manhattan’s origin story. It’s such a brilliant ten-minute piece, covering the character’s evolution from the typical “scientist caught in accident” beginnings to a near demigod growing ever more distant from this blue little planet. I can’t think of a better composition of images and words coming together in Watchmen than this scene right here. There’s other great moments, but this is the moment in the movie where Snyder just cracks it out of the park.
You can really feel that Snyder is trying to do something different here, different from the other comic book movies and different from his previous works. While we’ve seen countless movies described as “all flash and no substance,” Watchmen can probably be described as “flash driven by substance.” And you can see Snyder trying to step out of any pre-conceived notions that people may have of his work by trying something more story-driven. Now, The movie is violent and flashy, don’t get me wrong, and it features a heaping helping of nudity and sex, but Watchmen definitely doesn’t feel like any of Snyder’s previous work, such as the Dawn of the Dead remake or 300, nor does it feel like any previous comic book movie. We do get a few brief moments of Snyder’s signature speed ramping, but it happens a handful of times (if that) and is driven more by emotions and story than pointless fisticuffs, so it doesn’t even register as superfluous.
To briefly touch the film’s cast for a moment, overall I feel Snyder did a fine job with casting the movie, with nearly every actor disappearing into their respective roles with ease. Going with a relatively unknown cast really helps with the film, with Billy Crudup, as Dr. Manhattan, being arguably the biggest name on the docket. Now, film enthusiasts will likely recognize a good chunk of the cast, but I imagine the mainstream public is largely unaware of the majority of cast featured here. In terms of stand-out performances, Jackie Earle Haley was born to play the role of Rorschach, with his work on the character an absolute breakout. That’s no big surprise given he gets some of the film’s best moments, including his staggering showdown with Dr. Manhattan during the film’s finale. Haley just perfectly captures the tormented character. Patrick Wilson is also perfectly cast as schlubby Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II, a retired hero who realizes his best days are behind him, and finds himself lingering in the lifestyle of a civilian. Dreigberg encompasses the heart of the movie, and Wilson really allows us into the movie through his character. Dreigberg just brings us to that level we need to be at in order to let the world of the Watchmen completely drape us. The previously mentioned Crudup and Jeffrey Dean Morgan deserve recognition for their respective roles as Dr. Manhattan and the Comedian, as well.
As I briefly mentioned earlier in the review, there are a few little flaws here and there in the movie, but nothing that cripples it by any means. I found some of the make-up effects, mostly used to either age and de-age some characters and transform actors into political figures, to be pretty weak and unconvincing, notably in the movie’s attempt to make actor Robert Wisden resemble President Nixon. Similarly, some of the song choices in Watchmen tend to raise an eyebrow and can be considered distracting. I can also easily say there a couple beats from the book that should have been included in the movie, but that could be said about any “book to movie” adaptation. Sure, it would have been nice to include everything from the book in the movie, but, as I said above, there will be changes when moving a story from one medium to the next. Besides, when you look at the finished product, it’s quite evident that Snyder has done a masterful job adapting a story deemed “unfilmable” to the big screen. Even with all the little nitpicks and complaints from Watchmen that could be endlessly dissected, Snyder deserves props for making this gutsy blockbuster
There’s so much more that can be said about this movie, but I’m sure my lack of writing talent, as evident by this rambling diatribe, is testing the patience of many, so I’ll just wrap this up. It goes without saying that Watchmen is a solid adaptation, and will likely become a film that gains more and more respect as it ages. It’s a huge super-hero blockbuster that delivers on an intellectual level, awashes us in lavish visuals and features a host of great characters. It’s just a great movie that, even with a few niggling nitpicks here and there, is a mind-blowing piece of art. I guarantee you that this film will not be what you expect, and you should be happy for that. It’s rare to see a movie of this caliber, one that goes against the grain of what a big-budget Hollywood movie is supposed to be, and it’s absolutely refreshing. When you boil it down, Snyder did right by Moore and Gibbons and the original Watchmen graphic novel, so you should do Snyder right and experience this great piece of work. A stunning piece of work, Watchmen comes Highly Recommended.
The DVD:
As with its theatrical release, Watchmen is arriving on home video amidst a sea of massive publicity. Commercial, ads, you name it, there seem to be an ad for Watchmen somewhere on it. So, is it worth the hype? Well, let’s take a glance at the single-disc release for Watchmen.
Those worrying about another repeat of the audio and video quality of Warner Home Video’s last major release, The Dark Knight, can rest a little easier this time around. Watchmen has been given a surprisingly handsome video transfer which looks really excellent for a standard definition release. Any defects are barely noticeable, with only a hint of compression appearing from time to time at best. And while the audio isn’t reference quality, it’s still up there. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 transfer sounds nice and even throughout, able to handle moving from the quiet scenes to more intense ones without any real problems. There may be the occasional loud sting as some big sequences kick in, but very little fiddling with the volume controls are required.
Given that this is a single-disc release from Warner Home Video, there are no extras to be found outside of a few pre-menu trailers. Not even a cardboard slipcase or inserts. There’s not a single thing to be found here. And it’s worth noting that this single-disc edition is the only release of Watchmen to contain the original theatrical cut, as the Two-Disc Special Edition and Blu-ray release both contain the superior Watchmen: Director’s Cut edition. There’s not a single thing on this disc outside the movie and some pre-menu trailers and, for some reason, if this is all you want, then that is what you get.
There’s really no reason to pick up the single-disc release of Watchmen, especially with the superior Watchmen: Director’s Cut – Two-Disc Special Edition DVD release and Watchmen: Director’s Cut Blu-ray release readily available. At least with those you get the longer, superior cut of the movie and some actual bonus features. If you’re one of the likely rare few who want the theatrical cut and don’t care for release, then this is the release for you. It’s as barebones as you can get. If you’re looking for a little more, then go pick up the Watchmen: Director’s Cut – Two-Disc Special Edition DVD release or Watchmen: Director’s Cut Blu-ray release. Both do justice to this magnificent film.
Watchmen is now available on single and two-disc DVD and Blu-ray disc.