There May Be Such a Thing as Too Much Giant Blue Penis
Ahh, the allegedly unfilmable fanboy's wet dream has finally arrived. Caught it last night, and I have to say, if you have read the Graphic Novel the Watchmen, and are a fanboy/fangirl, there's absolutely no reason to complain. Frankly, it's remarkably faithful in its adaptation. Yes, there's a conceptual change at the end that I won't ruin--but frankly it makes a heck of a lot of sense and it has no impact on the themes put forth by Moore and Gibbons originally. I may go so far as to say this is the most faithful cinematic adaptation of a written work that I've ever seen...I'd have to think about it a bit, but it's pretty damn close...
If I have any complaints, it's maybe too faithful. Yes, Dr. Manhattan is nude quite often in the graphic novel--but every time his blue penis showed up on screen the teenagers behind me in the audience started giggling and commenting (thus taking me out of the experience of the film). Most of the time, it wouldn't have hurt to throw that speedo back on the dude. I suppose this experience will be lessened by watching on video.
Also, Malin Ackerman is a little wooden at times-- (she's not "the worst actress in Hollywood as Mr. Philips claimed in the Trib)--but her line readings can be a little stiff. She MORE than makes up for it in the candy, eye department.
The only true disappointment I maybe have is that in the very first scene, there's an obvious early reveal that doesn't happen in the source material, and it kinda makes the later "ahh ahhh" moment less dramatic. Perhaps Snyder and Co. thought most of the audience would know this anyway, but judging by what I was hearing behind me in the theater, I think that's a misjudgment.
I'm with Roger Ebert on this one. There's a lot going on here and it's probably worth two viewings before making an overall judgment. Still, if you like comics, if you are fan of the original source material, it's mostly all on screen here for you. Don't Bitch.
Peace.
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