The Technician

This weekend’s top film was, The Watchmen.  The film is an adaptation of a graphic novel which was originally released in 1986.  When the comic originally ran, it was heralded as “ahead of its time,” and some even went so far as to say that it redefined the genre of the superhero comic.  All of this can be said of the film released now in 2009.

The film does a fantastic job of following the trail of the graphic novel, and of holding true to the intentions and vision of the writer and illustrator.  The imagery in this new movie is nothing short of breath-taking, and the attention to detail was absolutely astounding.  With any film adaptation there is generally, in my experience, a lot that is left to be desired.  The Watchmen, however, does a phenomenal job of “covering its bases”.  There are few, if any, major details from the original graphic novel that have been left out of this film, which runs nearly 3 hours in length.

The Watchmen focuses its tale around a band of ex-superheroes in cold-war 1985.  In this alternate reality, Nixon is president and America and Russia are on the brink of war.  The Watchmen are a group of crime fighters that for many years fought to protect America, and its interests across the world, until the people of the United States banned their form of vigilantism in a quest to return to “normalcy”.

All of the heroes have moved forward with their lives and are, more or less, getting by, except the film’s narrator and protagonist Rorschach who is having trouble dealing with a normal life.

Rorschach’s narrations are a key point in the film and help to move the story along in a seamless and simple way for the audience.  His journal entries throughout the film (which are directly quoted from the original graphic novel) help the audience to follow the thoughts of the characters without breaking the fourth wall.  This character, as well as the love triangle between Miss Jupiter, Dan Dreiberg, and Dr. Manhattan, three former Watchmen, give the film a sense of humanity which most superhero films lack.  The characters, even Dr. Manhattan (who is nearly god-like) have a flawed and human quality that can only be described as literary magic.  It is rare that any novel create characters that can be so loved and hated by an audience at once, and even more odd in the comic book world, but this graphic novel (and the film as an extension) accomplish that.

I highly recommend that everyone with a few spare hours this weekend spend them in a movie theater watching this film.  The Watchmen is not only a great adaptation of an even greater classic work of Americana, it is also a visually stunning masterpiece of cinematography.  This film has something for just about every audience.  For those of you who are true comic book fans, it will be one of the best film adaptations of any graphic novel you have ever seen.  For the rest of you who are just looking for a good movie to pass some time it has plenty to offer as well… the film is action packed with a gripping and sensational plotline.

Overall, this film is by far the best so far this year, and has a set a new tone for the superhero movie.  I recommend that everyone see this film whether you are an enthusiast or merely a bored college student looking for a way to spend an evening.

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