The Independent’s former editor, John LaConte, was the first person to expose me to the wonderment that is Watchmen. From the fifth chapter of the graphic novel, John showed me pages 14 and 15 that consisted of seven panels with no dialogue depicting an attempted assassination. The fluid movement, the sheer understanding of it all…it was love at first sight. From that moment I was hooked. I read the graphic novel and began religiously following the production of the film.
When Watchmen was first published in 1986 as a 12 chapter series by DC Comics, it blew away the comic book world. It changed the face of comics bringing a serious tone to the stereotypically campy scene. It was written by the reclusive genius, Alan Moore. He has written many of the most influential graphic novels of our generation. From V for Vendetta to From Hell and his various super hero comics (including works with Batman, Superman and the Swamp Thing), it is an understatement to say that Alan Moore is a mastermind.
The novel covers a great deal; political disputes, war, death, love, family matters, even some risqué topics such as rape. Each chapter is filled to the brim with information, twists and turns and intense character development that all culminates a huge smack in the face by the eleventh chapter. There are so many subplots that in reading it the first time around I found myself rereading different parts to make sure I fully understood everything. Even having read it again for a second and third time, I found things I didn’t catch before. It’s intense, mind blowing, profoundly intricate and absolutely addictive. Watchmen is the Citizen Kane of graphic novels.
Dave Gibbons, who drew Watchmen, used amazing methods in bringing the raw and gritty tale into illustration. He used a variety of methods different then typical comic illustrations. Rather than using primary colors, Gibbons opted for secondary colors bringing a sort of film noir edge to the book, fitting for the overall feeling of the story.
Watchmen, as a film, has been in the works for over twenty years. Moore was originally asked to pen the first script but declined so the studios drafted Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns). The script hardly followed the graphic novel and presented over the top, typical 80’s action sequences. In 1991 the rights to the film were sold to a different studio and former Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam was set to direct the film. Gilliam was displeased with Hamm’s diluted script and teamed up with Charles McKeown to write something that was truer to the real story. After disputes over the budget Gilliam dropped out and over the next decade the rights changed hands and the studios experienced creative differences with a handful of writers and directors.
Finally in 2006 Warner Brothers announced that Zack Snyder (300) was set to direct the once dubbed, “unfilmable graphic novel,” using Alex Tse and David Hayter’s script. Snyder explained in an interview that he wanted to remain as faithful as he could to the graphic novel, meaning he would stick to the plot’s alternative universe that takes place during the Cold War in 1985 where Richard Nixon has been elected to a fifth term as president.
There are many amazing things about the story of Watchmen. The characters are masked adventurers or superheroes but they defy how we typically view superheroes. When we think of superheroes we think of noble men and women like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. However, in Watchmen these heroes are a far cry from the stereotype. The characters are everyday people with problems, flaws and some with sociopathic tendencies. They are all deeply complex in each their own ways: The Comedian, with his amoral and ironic look on life and the human condition, Rorschach’s idea of justice and his black and white perspective of good and evil, and Dr. Manhattan, the only character with super powers, and his progression from empathy to apathy of the human race.
The actors chosen for these roles could not have been cast any better. Especially Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, the mere thought of his performance still gives me chills. He absolutely captured the essence of Rorschach/Walter Kovacs, he had it all, the facial expressions, the tone of voice and the look. It was as if the illustrated Rorschach had jumped out of the pages of the graphic novel and onto the silver screen. The same goes for Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian/Edward Blake. Morgan looked like The Comedian and spoke with the same inflections in his voice as I had imagined while reading the novel. He embodied the pure American bad-ass attitude that The Comedian carries throughout the entire novel. The same goes for everyone else. They completely personified their characters to a T.
Not only did the characters transfer onto the big screen with amazing grace but the imagery from the graphic novel was there as well. Snyder, as promised, remained faithful to bringing the novel alive. Much like he did in 300, Snyder translated the novel to the screen panel for panel and word for word, and he did so with precision and accuracy. Dave Gibbon’s 1985 New York had come to life. Everything was a perfect replica of images from the novel, like Dr. Manhattan’s glass, clockwork palace on Mars, the attempted assassination of Adrian Veidt, The Comedian being thrown through his high rise apartment window and Rorschach’s ever changing inkblot mask. It could not have been done better by anyone other than Zack Snyder, a true fan boy who knew how to do justice to something as special as Watchmen.
Some elements of the film were changed (the ending for example) but even as a die hard fan I was not disappointed with the alteration. It fit and still kept the idea and feeling of the master plan that was initiated to bring an end to the Cold War and bring forth a world united in peace.
The movie was breathtaking, visually stunning and all that I could dream it to be. I believe that true justice was done to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s magnum opus. I DO NOT suggest missing this amazing adaptation. I DO suggest picking up the graphic novel and devouring it as I have.