I've written about this before, and I truly love the graphic novel (thankyourick). Apparently, the cast is also this week's Entertainment Weekly cover stars (thanksjason)! It has something to do with Comic-Con, because the movie isn't out until next year.
If you can't wait for your viewing of the Dark Knight (um, who isn't seeing this movie?) you MUST check out the trailer HERE. (I can't embed it!) I can't wait to see it tonight on the big screen.
And, the EW article is pretty interesting as well. Here are some choice quotes from Jeff Jensen's article and my thoughts -
- "The movie is no kid-safe funny-book flick. It's an R-rated, $100 million adaptation of the smartest, most subversive superhero story ever created."
There's no way this film could be anything but R-rated. Also, if you haven't read it, it's almost an anti-superhero book. "Many in Hollywood have tried to get Watchmen on the screen and failed, including directors Terry Gilliam (Brazil), Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain), and, most recently, Bourne Supremacy director Paul Greengrass. In 2005, Greengrass was deep into preproduction on a present-day, war-on-terror-themed adaptation by David Hayter (X-Men), when a regime change at Paramount Pictures led to its demise."
I am so utterly glad that Greengrass/Hayter's version never panned out. Present day?! War-on-Terror?! The novel is amazing because it takes a time and place (Cold War/1980s/America), places "superheroes" in it, and it becomes a commentary. This same commentary should not be applied to today. Stick to the script: it's what made it so great. Also, I find it really pretentious when director's "update" older political texts as if they're revealing something to the world we didn't know. Yeah, Bush sucks, I don't need another allegory from a completely unrelated comic book story to tell me that (see: V for Vendetta)."Over many months, and many meetings, Snyder persuaded Warner Bros. to abandon the Greengrass/Hayter script and hew as faithfully as possible to the comic. The key battles: retaining the '80s milieu, keeping Richard Nixon (Moore did consider using an era-appropriate Ronald Reagan, but worried it would alienate American readers), and preserving the villain-doesn't-pay-for-his-crimes climax."
Thank you, Snyder!"Provocative bits, like a timely subplot about alternative fuels, have been added."
Oh well, can't win it all.
Yeah, this cover is also supes awkward, but whatevs. I'll stop ranting now. Also, I have a feeling this post will only hold interest for Rick, Jason, Adam, Sean, and James. Hey dudes. We're getting our tickets for March 6, 2009 soon, right?
This looks cool, never heard of it before, but I love comic book movies (most of them anyway.) BTW, EW's Jeff Jensen also does Lost recaps that blow. my. mind. Must read, if you aren't already.
ReplyDeletewhile im still sketipical....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/watchmen_trailer_to_comic_c omparison/
You're welcome.
My issue with the movie is that the comic basically STARTED the whole "superhero has real life problems, is still human" thing that has become SO often used in our modern media, that the movie might come off as...well, tried and unoriginal.
Hopefully not.
perhaps we should pre-order our MArch 6th, 2009 tickets now?
ReplyDeleteemily - i love lost recaps! i'll def check them out...
ReplyDeletesean - i've seen those comparisons, amazing!
I think the latest batman installments have set a more "realistic" tone for comic book movies, because it centers around the one superhero without actual powers. But I think Watchmen goes beyond just "regular" people as superheroes: these people aren't necessarily all that good or well-intentioned. Batman's parents were murdered, Spiderman has girl troubles, Superman is alienated from everyone - sure, they're real like us!
But some of Watchmen's characters, the ones you're to care about, kill, accused rapists, use women, are mentally unstable, pedantic, etc. etc.: they're not relatable (except to maybe our most base human judgements) like other superhero characters/movies. So, I would say this is the antithesis of these films that ask us to relate, that superheroes are real people with real problems. Then again, perhaps it's the only story that can get it right: that if superheroes were real people, they would be much more like the characters in Watchmen, that are far more flawed. In Watchmen, it's hard to even know who's essentially "good" and who's "bad." That, I believe, is far more real than the other films.
And uh yeah, let's get our tickets now.
sdjaflsdkjks!!! I geeked out hardcore and watched the trailer like 5x. Soooo excited. I think Zach is really going to make this movie as good as it can be. The only thing I'm apprehensive about is that he's been teasing the ending has been tweaked a bit. Hopefully not too much. Ugh, so wishing this would do an IMAX run too.
ReplyDeleteOh man, time for me to geek out: for 8 months last year I worked at one of the visual effects houses that was working on Watchman. They're still shooting the FX sequences in LA and have been working really hard on it since October, the shots that I saw were all bits and pieces but everything looked beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe movie is definitely going to be a treat!! Glad I have someone to co-geek about it with! lol
quick go see Dark Knight so we can talk about it!!!
ReplyDeleteive just finished reading the book yesterday... the exact day the trailer hit. i couldnt be more stoked for this!! i am there with you on opening night.
ReplyDeleteweird.. I totally didn't see this trailer?
ReplyDeletemichelle - yay! another watchmen fan!! i really hope that it does an IMAX run, too. seeing the preview on the big screen on friday night was EPIC. i love the smashing pumpkins song in it - such a weird choice, but one that works really well.
ReplyDeletekyla bea - YAY! that's so awesome! i can't believe you worked on the set!! it looks epic, and i'm so so so excited for it!
kristen - SAW IT!
katie brown - i have another geek amongst my friends?! and, finally, a lady! hahaha, yesssss. i love the ensuing geekfest on march 6th...and how it's already planned + epic.
sandy - then i hope you watched it here! though, that's weird, it's supposed to run with every show! it was the very first trailer.