I know I'm a little late on the blogosphere on this one, but I really wanted to put my two cents in. Zakk Snyder's take on Watchmen is truly a fucking triumph. Now, this is coming from a fan. Watchmen is in my top five greatest comics of all time, and it's my favorite limited run series. Ever. If you didn't like the film you probably fall into one of two categories. Either it was over your head and you don't want to admit it, so you're calling it pretentious. Or you're a hardcore fan who wanted every last frame to be recreated. Whichever category you fall into I feel really fucking bad for you, because you are missing out on a spectacular piece of cinema.
For the hard-line insane fans, there was no way in hell you were going to fit every last goddamned detail into any film adaptation of Watchmen. Alan Moore's work is just too layered for that to happen with overlapping themes and story arcs that occur with minor characters. Did we need to know about the lesbian couple's relationship problems in the film? No. Did we need the dialogue between the two Bernards? No. (Though we do get a quick glimpse of them just before they die... a wonderful touch for fans of the book.) Hell, do we need to see Rorschach's psychiatrist's relationship with his wife crumble due to his working of the case? No. I'm sure it was tough enough to cover all six main characters in two hours and forty-five minutes. And I don't want to hear shit about The Black Freighter not being in the film as it is coming out March 24th as an animated DVD.
But this happens all the time when a piece of literature is adapted for cinema. That's why it's called an adaptation. Why would Watchmen be any different? Hell, have any of you read Jurassic Park? It's remarkably different from the film but both are still brilliant pieces of fiction in their own way.
But seriously, there is no way in hell we could have gotten a better adaptation of Watchmen. If you honestly think I'm wrong, then you are sadly mistaken. Zakk Snyder showed true love for the series and fought the good fight for you people. This was extremely apparent from everything from casting relatively unknown actors, to the song choices for the soundtrack, to the tiny bits of detail in each scene meticulously recreated in the film. So, give it a second go and if you still don't like it, well, then I feel bad for you.
"There don't seem to be that many laughs around these days."
"Well, what do you expect? The Comedian is dead."
