I think my biggest objection to the Watchmen film isn’t that I hold the comic sacrosanct. It’s that I question why everybody thinks the film should be made in the first place. I have yet to hear a good answer and I doubt one exists. It’s not as though the adaptive process stands a chance of doing anything but a disservice to the source material, and it’s not as if the experience of investing your imagination in bringing the book to life can be replicated by the passive experience of a big-budget effects movie.
I suppose my second-biggest objection is that I’m sick and fucking tired of bad movies being people’s ambassadors into the comics medium–particularly bad films that misrepresent source material that is excellent and makes a legitimate effort to raise the standards of the medium.
I read the comic recently and I thought it was good. For some reason I was expecting mo(o)re but I think it’s because I only read/watch the good stuff out nowadays. I make a big effort to get a bunch of people’s opinions before I watch/read something. However, I do understand the book was amazing for its time. I’d still recommend the book because of its multi-everything and unconventional take on super heroes.
As for the movie, I’m torn between both sides rigth now. On one hand, if the movie isn’t made it’ll be cool for Moore and true fans will never have to suffer any grief from the movie. on the other hand, if the movie gets people to read the SOLID/PERFECT book, than great.
I don’t include either recognition or monetary success as good reasons to want an adaptive motion picture made.
Who wants to roll the dice that the number of people who pick up books because of movies outnumbers, matches, or even comes significantly close to the number of people who don’t?
what sort of answer do you want in regards to the movie being made?
I mean its like asking a guy why he likes sex. To me, to even expect some great and noble answer is just dumb.
Put it to you this way, somehow some way someone thought enough to put Zack Snyder in charge of making this movie because they knew he could do this movie in the vision of what the comic is and hopefully bring in money like 300 did.
Now i know you and other people are pretty optimistic so to speak about Snyder being the director and thats understandable but you gotta realize that at some point in time even if this movie wasn’t made now, someone is gonna want to see this movie in live action whether fans like it or not. Its the nature of the times and comic book movies is the big thing now.
There’s no such thing as a direct translation between comics and film, but in the case of Watchmen, it’s especially problematic because it makes particular use of the features of comics that can’t be filmed. There will necessarily be changes made, and (again) Watchmen is especially problematic, because the book is fine the way it is and any changes will be to its detriment.
Something I really love is when masterful art uses its medium in ways that would be impossible with any other medium. It’s as though the medium itself, its potential properly harnessed, ceases to be a limitation, and instead becomes a deep source of the art’s power. This is when the medium truly acquires its individuality, its unique properties that set it apart from any other medium.
If you’re reading this and don’t yet get what I’m getting at, Watchmen did wonderful and amazing things that were only possible in a comic book. The movie very well may turn out to be a genuinely enjoyable film, but calling it an “adaptation” feels at best like a self-defeating contradiction, and at worst like a misnomer.
Although the stills look awesome, I kinda don’t want to watch it. There is so much that is NOT gonna be able to fit in this that it is gonna disappoint me so much.