Holy cow. I don't think I can say enough good about the movie right now. I just returned from my second IMAX viewing, and it blew me completely away. I mean, it was good the first time, but that second viewing was essential for capturing the subtleties that I might have missed before.
The soundtrack was superb. That's one thing I usually don't pick up on in movies. It was eccentric, to be sure, but the songs fit beautifully with what was going on on-screen. One of my favorite parts, effect-wise (and I'm talking not just about special effects, but the entire atmosphere of the scene) was Dr. Manhattan's back story sequence. I don't even particularly like Dr. Manhattan, but his character was made so incredibly vivid I couldn't help but enjoy watching it.
And as far as book renditions go (I say "book" rather than "comic," because Watchmen resembles a novel more than it does a comic book, and is actually a graphic novel anyway), it was easily the best I've seen in a long time, possibly ever. While picking up on the subtle (and overt) changes, the feel of the story and thematic elements were amazingly well preserved. Perhaps this is due to the abundance of pictures alongside words that allowed it to be captured in motion so well, but even other graphic-novel-based films weren't nearly as spectacular (i.e. 300, V for Vendetta, and Sin City). I think this can also partly be attributed to the excellence of Watchmen's superb story.
The acting was great, and in my opinion the casting was spot on. The costumes were cool, updated versions of their original counterparts, while staying true to the essences of the originals. The cinematography was also excellent. One part that I picked up on in particular was a shot framing the auto repair sign outside of Hollis Mason's house. Even the ending--slightly altered from the book--served to deliver the same effect while maintaining plausibility.
I don't think I have anything bad to say about it at this point. I defy a better movie to come out in 2009. And I'll tell you right now, the Academy and their prejudice against comics and super heroes can suck an ol' buck. This thing was a spectacle. There is no way any artsy movie can possibly match up.
In fact, I think I can summarize the entire moviegoing experience in this simple sentence: I want to be a masked adventurer.
The soundtrack was superb. That's one thing I usually don't pick up on in movies. It was eccentric, to be sure, but the songs fit beautifully with what was going on on-screen. One of my favorite parts, effect-wise (and I'm talking not just about special effects, but the entire atmosphere of the scene) was Dr. Manhattan's back story sequence. I don't even particularly like Dr. Manhattan, but his character was made so incredibly vivid I couldn't help but enjoy watching it.
And as far as book renditions go (I say "book" rather than "comic," because Watchmen resembles a novel more than it does a comic book, and is actually a graphic novel anyway), it was easily the best I've seen in a long time, possibly ever. While picking up on the subtle (and overt) changes, the feel of the story and thematic elements were amazingly well preserved. Perhaps this is due to the abundance of pictures alongside words that allowed it to be captured in motion so well, but even other graphic-novel-based films weren't nearly as spectacular (i.e. 300, V for Vendetta, and Sin City). I think this can also partly be attributed to the excellence of Watchmen's superb story.
The acting was great, and in my opinion the casting was spot on. The costumes were cool, updated versions of their original counterparts, while staying true to the essences of the originals. The cinematography was also excellent. One part that I picked up on in particular was a shot framing the auto repair sign outside of Hollis Mason's house. Even the ending--slightly altered from the book--served to deliver the same effect while maintaining plausibility.
I don't think I have anything bad to say about it at this point. I defy a better movie to come out in 2009. And I'll tell you right now, the Academy and their prejudice against comics and super heroes can suck an ol' buck. This thing was a spectacle. There is no way any artsy movie can possibly match up.
In fact, I think I can summarize the entire moviegoing experience in this simple sentence: I want to be a masked adventurer.
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