I Watched the Watchmen

While Rican was having his regular dose of estrogen with chick flicks, I joined the horde of nerds around the country and saw the I-can't-believe-it's-already-out Watchmen. Now, I have done nerdy things before, like waiting outside an Apple Store in London for the unveiling of Tiger a few years back, or actually queuing up outside the Odeon Leicester Square to watch and subsequently weep at the abomination that was The Phantom Menace. However, I hadn't practiced that most beloved and essential nerd-action called reading comic books. I think I had a similar discussion with Bheeler before. When it comes to comic books, I am an utter philistine. My knowledge comes from the movies ... and pretty much ends there.

As you do, I got caught in the whole Watchmen shebang after seeing the first publicity photos on the Empire magazine. The existence of Watchmen had eluded me all these years. Later, it started to pop out in random conversations with random people - obviously the rumor mill had already started to turn by this point. Eventually, or perhaps inevitably, I caved in. I bought a copy of the comic ... and read it four times in a row. I agreed with everything that was said about the book - deconstructing the myth of superheroes, and all that shite. But, I was also totally mesmerized by the characters, the abundant yet subtle symbolism of the graphics, the sexual undertones, and the in-yer-face violence ... My only concern was the incongruous ending - I just couldn't buy it.

I got ready for this weekend by going through all the available trailers online - including that one with the Smashing Pumpkins song. Then last night, I decided to go one step further and bought a ticket for a midnight showing here in Portland. Needless to say, the nerd count at the theater was off the charts. And after nearly two hours and forty-five minutes, I was a satisfied filmgoer. I don't want to jump to a quick conclusion here, but ... who cares ... it is the best comic-movie adaptation I have ever seen.

That might not sound like a great epithet, because the competition does not really include many gems. Last year's The Dark Knight excepted, I'm not a fan of the genre. And don't even get me started on Spider-Man 2. So, I don't think it's in any fair to claim that Watchmen and the Dark Knight are the best comic-book adaptations ever. They are great films of any genre.

I wanted to write a review here, but I know Bheeler will do a better job at it. Also, I can't really be objective about it and my perspective might change after watching it again this weekend on IMAX. Now, I wonder if Dr. Manhattan's schlong will be distracting this time ... Probably not, because there will always be Silk Spectre II. Saucy.

Peace.