Watchmen (2009) Review

Watchmen is directed by Zack Snyder, and is an adaptation of the Watchmen comics (often considered one of the greatest comics off all time.) In an alternate 1985, where America won Vietnam, Nixon is still president superheroes have been outlawed, and members of the masked community begin showing up dead. Whilst lone vigilante Rorschach tracks down old teammates, in an attempt to find the killer before more masks are killed, the threat of nuclear war looms closer and closer, and both must be stopped. 

The first time I watched Watchmen, I hadn't read the comic- and honestly, I got confused. The film's main storyline takes place in 1985, but through many extended flashbacks we gradually learn the backstories and the past experiences of the heroes. Its very much like the structure of the comic, but far more convoluted when it's crammed into 3 hours and 45 minutes. It's disjointed, it's all over the place, it's not easy viewing.

The second time I watched Watchmen, I had read the comic- and I understood the storyline (success!), but sadly I could also see a multitude of problems that I hadn't  seen before. This film is just missing something- it trades in the heart and the wit of the comic for 2 dimensional characters and hyper-stylised, unnecessary Snyder action scenes, that were nowhere to be seen in the comic. The characters are weak impersonations of their comic book counterparts, lacking any depth and complexity, with many of the actors giving halfhearted performances. This lack of character building creates a whole host of problems for the film's story. 1) It takes away all the stakes, because you really don't care who lives and dies, 2) it takes away all the enjoyment of seeing the personality clashes and dynamics amongst the characters (mainly because they have no personalities), and 3) it makes the whole story seem anti climactic, as the surprise reveal of the villain really doesn't provide any shock. Also, there's no satisfaction in the film's happy ending: two of the characters living happily ever after (no spoilers), when you really don't care about the characters in question.

 In typical Snyder style, the cinematography is muted with splashes of colour here and there. While I'm not usually a fan of Snyder's cinematography, the comic book style does work quite well here, despite not quite matching the vibrant aesthetic of the comic.

There is one bright light in this bleak, and Snyder-ish world; and that is Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rorschach. Hayley's Rorschach is spot on. Everything about his performance is amazing- he perfectly embodies the funny, yet terrifying character from the comics, and he's the only actor in the film who really captures the spirit of the comics and doesn't feel like he's just going through the motions, as he roams the streets like a deranged Batman, narrating in fractured grammar and a gravelly voice. Oh and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's great as the comedian- but Jeffrey Dean Morgan is always great.

In an ideal world, the perfect Watchmen adaptation would be a TV series. It's the only way to fit in the slow build of the comic storyline with all the characters fully developed and any kind of depth and emotion. Or if not a tv series, perhaps a shorter film that captures the essence of Watchmen without following it page for page. Sadly the film we currently have is a disjointed halfway between the two, trying to cover as much plot as possible and ghosting over events and characters as a result, leaving them as empty, emotionless shells of their comic book counterparts. It's not enough to recreate a comic book frame for frame and line for line, if it loses all its heart.

5.5/10