Watchmen (movie)

I have mixed feelings about Watchmen.

On the one hand it looked fantastic, sounded awesome and, despite a 155-minute duration, flew by. This was no Inland Empire-esque endurance test.

On the other, there was a lot that I didn't follow, right from the start. I think the opening credits were meant to introduce us to the characters, their world, and their history. I'm afraid that I sat there trying to work out if the film was about a world full of superheroes, five individual super heroes, a super-group, or one of the above but after they had had their time. In retrospect, I think that all of those may have been true.

What makes the film special though is the uncompromising conviction of the creative forces behind it. Comicbook adaptations rarely stick to the original, but this one is so faithful that it recreates the original panels in live-action form.

Going further against the norm, it's also still set in 1985 (as opposed to having been updated to the present day), stars no big-names, and is an 18 certificate, all of which will have significantly limited its merchandise potential, along with the rest of its gross income.

In short, it's an absolute breath of originality.

So many films get driven by the same overiding motivation - money - that they tend to all end up feeling quite similar to each other.

Watchmen has a attitude all of its own, giving the impression that there is just one unique voice telling the story.

For me, seeing what an artist has created out of their own free imagination is the reason why I like fiction.

I sincerely don't know what will happen next.

With thanks to Herschel.