Movie Reviews

WATCHMEN REVIEW

Let me start by saying that after seeing Watchmen, I understand why the reviews were so polarizing.  I understand how someone could watch it and hate it.  I also understand why someone could love it.  I myself fall into the latter category.  I freaking loved it!  It was one of the best (if not the best) cinematic experiences of my life.  Words and star ratings can’t truly describe what a masterpiece this film is, but I’m going to try.  Using the traditional four star rating system, I give Watchmen five stars.  Yes my friends… it is that good.

Visually the film is astonishing.  There is not one frame of the movie that fails to draw the eye.  The special effects were spectacular.  Every angle that director, Zack Snyder (my new god) employs is both breath taking and original, from the spectacularly staged fight at the beginning of the movie to the very last shot of the film.  Truly amazing stuff.  It is visual poetry in motion.  The opening credit sequence sets up the story with photos that can only be described as living and breathing.  Each photo slowly comes to life in slow motion and it is truly breath taking.  I felt as though I was truly watching a comic book brought to life.  Forget Sin City… Watchmen is the comic adaption that truly breaks all the rules.  There is not one moment in this film that feels clichéd or borrowed.  Back to Zack Snyder for a moment.  As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of his last film, 300.  Visually 300 was a wonderful achievement, but in terms of story and plot, I felt it was sorely lacking.  After the first 40 minutes, 300 becomes one gigantic battle sequence.  I didn’t care about the characters and after awhile the violence was mind numbing, regardless of how cool it looked.  This made me think of Zack Snyder as a visual wizard with no real storytelling ability.  Kind of like the new Tim Burton.  Watchmen changed my opinion of Snyder completely.  The film is so rich in story that it takes a master filmmaker to tell it so well.  The way Snyder weaves it all together and leaves no plot point unturned is magnificent.  Watchmen in almost anyone else’s hands probably would’ve been a disaster.  The highest praise I can throw at Snyder is that he is the new Steven Spielberg.  He is the guy who is transforming cinema as we know it.

If you were to take X-Men, Pulp Fiction and Memento and throw them in a blender, you might get Watchmen.  Each character is fully fleshed out with clever back stories told in flashbacks ala Pulp, but the flashbacks are not linear.  They are almost sideways.  In fact Memento is pretty paint by the numbers in comparison.  I include X-Men as one of the ingredients only because I can’t think of another comic book film that focuses on a team that isn’t cheesy like Fantastic Four for example.  In fact, Watchmen actually tarnishes my opinion of the X-Men films.  Watchmen manages to truly bring the heroes to life and humanize them, whereas most of the characters in the X-Men movies are under developed, with the exception of Wolverine. 

The acting in the film is superb with each performer lending weight and gravity to their characters.  Special shout outs to Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, both of whom deliver Oscar caliber performances.  There is too much to say about how great this film truly is and it is nearly impossible to say it, without giving plot points away, so I’ll stop here.  Suffice it to say, if it sounds like I’m gushing, it’s because I am.  It was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen and I wish I was watching it again right now as I’m sitting here writing this.  Those of you who have been debating what the best comic book film of all time is need look no further.  Watchmen stands tall, towering  above them all.

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Bill Bonfanti is FilmGo.net’s movie critic and Box office analyst. Every week you will find new reviews and box office predictions for the current crop of films in the theater.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.