I’m pretty excited about the new Watchmen movie, but deep down, I know it is going to be terrible. Nonetheless, I am going to try to watch it with as open a mind as possible to get the most enjoyment from it. So, why will it suck? Well, first of all, without revealing too much, I know the ending has changed from the original story. To me, it was one of the defining moments of the book, if not the most important part. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I suggest you run down to Chapel Hill Comics and pick up a copy ASAP. If you don’t live in the Triangle, then I guess go to whatever nowhere-near-as-good comics shop is close by.)
Also, I’m not sure about the directorial capabilities of Zack Snyder. I saw 300, which, while visually stunning, sucked big fat gopher nuts as a complete film. From the previews for Watchmen, I can see that Snyder has clearly done his homework, in that the shots look true to Dave Gibbons’s art— so no qualms there. In all likelyhood, though, a huge chunk of the good stuff is going to get cut out, as the Watchmen graphic novel is a trancendant piece of literature, and the film is, well, a film. there’s no way he’ll be able to capture the emotion and anguish of every character, and don’t even get me started on the whole issue of the “Black Freighter” issue.
For all you “superhero” fans out there, I am sure the previews have your mouths-a-droolin’— and make no mistake— mine is, too. But I don’t know that I can really be slaked by whatever Snyder vomits up on that screen. I really don’t blame Snyder, though, but I do blame the terrorists. More over, I blame American fear.
I don’t have a huge boner for Spiderman and Batman and certainly not that asshole Superman, but I do like comics, and Watchmen was one of the things that made me realize what comics are capable of. Let’s hope that the film doesn’t completely dissapoint me.
