Watchmen
Based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Gibbons, the film Watchmen, is another attempt to describe superhero, this time through complex cosmic world at quantum levels; but way beyond time and space. The film is centered on the plot where America, with its President Richard Nixon in the White House is another parallel universe, in the year of the reference to the nuclear standoff between Soviet Union and United States in reality.
The fight is on the nuclear arsenal and cold warriors preferred death to red.
Watchmen focuses on the life of superhero, considered as human and fated to help mankind. The film juxtaposes a comic book of superhero where he can handle only one situation at a time. But, the world is faced with countless perilous situations it becomes necessary that the superhero should be omnipresent.
The crux of the film is murder of a vigilante comedian played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and his murder mystery is also associated with a plot to ruin the world. It is here that birth of Watchmen takes place with complex sound, images and graphics just to find out who might be the next one to lose life.
Dr. Manhattan (played by Billy Crudup) exists in outer space, beyond the time horizon. There is the world’s smartest man, Ozymandias, played by Matthew Goode and The Nite Owl (by Patrick Wilson) is a character that breathes beyond life as outcast by his own technological mastery. The man who finds significance in patterns that exist in his mind only is Rorshach while Silk Spectre II lives up only to her parents, the original Silk Spectre and loves Dr. Manhattan.
All these characters are best attired with gloves, boots, belts and masks as seen and read in comic books. One will be intrigued and amazed to see Rorshach’s cloth mask that seems constantly in motion. The character of Dr. Manhattan, on the other hand is an outcome of some experiments that has wildly gone wrong.
Dr.Manhattan is seen as a muscular, towering figure with naked blue body, possibly existing at some quantum level. However, Billy Crudup did justice to the role of Dr. Manhattan with his scintillating performance, perfect body language and voice making the audience feels his presence. The movie however is vague on precise reality of Dr. Manhattan.
However, even with their special gifts, Watchmen find themselves helpless in complex situations. It might be improbable to take Dr. Manhattan’s naked blue body seriously, but then the film is all about contradictions to the comic superhero. Watchmen, did bring out a strong conviction in the characters.
The most spectacular shot in the movie is when Dr. Manhattan is shown as exiled to Mars and he reinventing or reimaging himself as a human in though utter isolation. It is there that he discovers a pulsating city built of not brick and mortar but of mathemetical concepts and cosmic rays.
The film has lots of nuances and portrays several implications from different angles. It cannot be compared to Batman as because the hero in Batman is not supernormal, but he appeals to audience with his humanity despite his skills and it is also not as entertaining as The Dark Knight, but then worth watching for its awesome power and vibrating plot and also not to mention the special and graphical effects.
Rating: 4/5
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie
Run time: 163 minutes
Movie Stills
Posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 6:11 pm