Meter

Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Arts & Culture

Watchmen
Grade: B+

From the imagination of two prolific and talented writers comes the story of the Watchmen and now the release of the film of the same name.

The film does its best to recreate and recapture the intricate story and dark moody tones set by the original work and succeeds on most, if not all levels.

The story takes place in the 1980s during the height of the Cold War but adds an interesting twist to the real-world timeline, Richard Nixon is still president and the world is full of costumed heroes that used to be in the service of the United States.

As outlandish as that sounds, the story works surprisingly well due to layered storytelling and solid character development.

Watchmen opens with a series of flashbacks from the 1940s and 1950s when the viewers are allowed to see the costumed heroes at the height of their popularity.

They are viewed by the US government as valuabletools in the winning of the Vietnam War and as homeland heroes.

With the aid of Dr. Manhattan, the only super-powered hero among them and The Comedian, a weapons expert, they succeed in ending the war in a mere two weeks.

As a result of the heroes's quick decisive victory, Nixon is herald as an American Champion and kept as the President of the United States indefinitely.

For the next few decades the heroes eventually age and retire from the lives of being masked adventurers, as others rise up and take their places. It is then that the first of many disasters strike.

After several heroes go missing and others end up dead, the disaster comes in the form of the very government that once found them so vital deciding to outlaw costumed heroes and labels them as vigilantes.

One by one and in different ways most of the heroes comply and fade from the public eye.

The system that outlawed the heroes appears to have worked until one of the former heroes is killed in his very own apartment.

The story then introduces the viewer to a group of people that once serves as heroes for a world that needed them.

The aforementioned heroes are: the sexy brawler, Silk Spectre; the masked and brutal detective, Rorschach; the gadget wielding crime fighter, Nite Owl; the super-smart warrior, Ozymandias; the heartless anti-hero, the Comedian and the superhuman scientist, Dr. Manhattan.

Though all of the heroes have strengths in many different areas, the law inevitably forced them all into different ways of life.

While Rorschach refuses to give up crime fighting and becomes an underground worker, Dr. Manhattan and his lover Silk Spectre begin working for the government as scientists.

Ozymandias reveals his secret identity to the world and becomes a billionaire and Nite Owl renounces his life as a hero and lives as an average joe.

They are all content with their lives until one of them is killed.

The film that follows takes the characters and viewers on a visually stimulating ride all over the world and beyond as they try to stop the impending Doomsday that will come from nuclear war.

It is amazing that this film was ever made considering it was originally deemed inadaptable due to its immensely convoluted plot and extensive character development.

For fans of the original work this is great. For non-fans this could be a burden. The film is a little more than two hours and 40 minutes long.

While the film's cinematography is awesome and the story is unlike anything ever shown on the silver screen, one must wonder if there is any reason for an unaffiliated viewer to sit through this film.

There is a yes to that question but this film also requires that attention is paid throughout and that is where they may lose the viewer.

Though the film is filled with solid performances, especially from Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach and Billy Crudup as Dr Manhattan, they might not be noticed due to everything that is going on.

Surprisingly, the film is true to the source material but deviates for sheer believability and cinematic flare.

There are even a few shots that are taken directly from the graphic novel.

Overall, the film gives a great story but actually takes the time and effort to tell almost every piece of the story. That strength is also a limitation.

Bottom Line: Watchmen is worth a look, even if it is designed almost totally for the fanboys.•

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