Watchmen

Film-adapting a piece of critically acclaimed literature is never an easy feat.

Watchmen, however, goes far beyond the tier of being greatly justified through a cinematic medium. But with director Zack Snyder behind the ambitious attempt, everything seems to fall into place.

After several efforts by past directors to turn the multi-layered graphic novel into a movie, Watchmen finally made its long-awaited debut to the public March 6.

The plot, as many would know, revolves around the unity of retired costumed heroes after masked vigilante, Rorschach, investigates the death of fellow crime-fighter and government-sanctioned hero, The Comedian. Over the course of the film, the team discover a far greater conspiracy beyond what they had expected. Meanwhile, the United States and the Soviet Union are on the brink of a nuclear war, as depicted by the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic clock face set five minutes to midnight.

Hardcore fans of the comic series would say that the best part about Watchmen is its unconventionality.

Breaking all the rules of a quintessential superhero flick, the film portrayed writer and creator Alan Moore’s attempt of revamping the general idea of life as a costumed vigilante. If you waltz into the cinema hoping to catch another superhero movie, you would either be highly disappointed or very much impressed. If you’re hoping to cross ‘bloody, violent fights’ and ‘thought-provoking plotline’ off your list, you’d be able to do both, which says a lot.

The film brings to life everything the comic could not – a feat unimaginably challenging, what with Watchmen holding the gem-like reputation of being the best comic series ever written. Viewers with no knowledge of the novel would find the film’s method of embedding the numerous background stories within the plot itself seamless yet effective, a narrative structure originally adopted in the book itself.

The movie plays itself well as a product of an alternate universe in 1985, with increasing tension between the US and the Russians.

Herein lies the issue of humanity, and the varied ideals with regards to it in the characters of Watchmen. Case in point, Rorchach’s one-tracked notion of morals and lack of compromise is depicted well in the film. Dr. Manhattan – the only character with a superhuman ability - and his stoic refusal to save mankind from impending anarchy further stimulates the question: What if you had the power to save the world - and wouldn’t?

The film’s ending was just as ambiguous as its comic counterpart. Coupled with a punk-vibe, ‘80s soundtrack, Watchmen is a massive must-catch if you’re looking for something to reconstruct the mainstream idea of a comic book movie. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Quote: This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save Us!"...and I'll look down, and whisper, "No."




Picture credit: http://www.screenrant.com/