I've seen it a few times now and I'm still unsure of how I feel about it. I love the concept of an alternate history, how a god amongst men would affect historic events, but I'm not exactly wild about the entire story and how its delivered. I love some of the actors but I'm not wild about how some of the characters just fall flat. I love the way it looks but I'm not wild about the pacing. The movie itself just kind sits there. It doesn't leave a feeling of epicness or wonder, its just there. It gives some what if scenarios but indulges them a little bit too much.
For me, Zak Synder is a wildcard. He makes visually stunning movies and sometimes his stories deliver perfectly. (300 and Man of Steel) He's had his own messes he's made (Sucker Punch) and then there's those movies you're just not sure about. For me, its Watchmen.
Based off a best selling comic book of the same name, Watchmen follows the story of a group of masked vigilantes in an alternate 1970's where Nixon is president for a third term, the Vietnam war was won by a giant blue man, and the cold war is getting dangerously close to an all out nuclear war. One of the members of the now disbanded group is murdered and the events unravel from there eventually leading to a utopian future made out of lies.
It was one of the first stories to build off of the idea of unity through despair and ultimately lies. That idea isn't really a problem in my book. I liked the plot enough I just wasn't a huge fan of how it was delivered. The characters are so morally gray that there's no one I could really say was my favorite character. I guess the intent was for Patrick Wilson's character to be the "good guy" but first off, its Patrick Wilson. If I keep doing movie reviews, you will find I can't stand Patrick Wilson. But I could overlook that if he wasn't just a pussy in this entire movie. He didn't have a backbone at all even though he's the one who's compass points morally north. When he sees things he knows is wrong committed by his partners, he just stands there and watches it. Meanwhile he's bragging how his father isn't proud of him because he went into crime fighting, basically saying he wanted to help people instead of going into banking. Maybe I'm just hoping for a character the author of the comic didn't want to create on purpose but I didn't like Nite Owl, or Silk Spectre. Rorschach was the closest thing to a character I liked the most and he was the cruelest of them all, though the most consistant. Dr. Manhattan is an interesting character and his 15 minute backstory in the middle of the film could be a mini film by itself. However Dr. Manhattan's character is so robotic that I lost interest and stopped rooting for him.
Overall, the acting from these actors was very good, it just wasn't memorable. They worked for the story, they just were so morally gray it was hard to root for them. Aside from that, they look silly. Their designs are so unique and I know they're not run of the mill DC or Marvel comic book heroes but there's nothing charming or epic about their design... they're just... there.
The movie is close to three hours long and there are times that it drags. Its a very smart movie, just not one I am overly fond of. Finishing the movie I don't feel incredibly fulfilled, I just feel... eh. I want to like this movie because I see the elements that make it a smart movie. But again, after finishing it I just kind of forget about it.
I wish I could write a lengthy post on this movie but as I finish it I just shrug and can only say this movie wanted to push a point. Either it did it too hard and numbs you, or it didn't push it hard enough and you just don't care.
If I were to give this a rating, it'd be a 6/10. I feel thats generous for a movie like this. I think its an underrated comic book film but definitely not better than a 6. I love Zack Synder but this movie just didn't leave an impression.
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