Well, here it is, the first real look at the new Watchmen movie. It looks promising, but I have my doubts.
The visual design is very much "cool superhero movie." It looks good, don't get me wrong, but part of the costume and visual design of the piece was that the superhero paraphernalia looks a bit out of place next to the "real" world. Nite Owl, Rorschach, and Ozymandias' costumes look a bit too "bad-ass" in the movie. Ozy is supposed to gleam, Nite Owl should be a bit silly, and Rorschach, so far, doesn't look dirty and gross enough. I'm semi-happy with Silk Spectre's costume, though, because it implies sexiness without just showing off a bunch of skin. I don't know if the kinkster angle was really a good choice, but we'll see how it plays out. If she's reduced to "the woman," I'll be miffed. The Comedian and Manhattan look right, but more on that in a moment.
My real fear is that Ozy will be rendered "villain" while Dan, Laurie, and Rorschach will be "heroes." The thing is, there are no "heroes" in this story. There are just a lot of fucked up people, some of whom have too much power for their (and our) own good. If they make the characters look and act too "bad-ass" then it'll be just another superhero movie, and the point of Watchmen is that it questions the fundamental ideology of superheroics, of the arrogance it takes to think that you, personally, have the responsibility to "save" the world. Rorschach is a misogynist pscyho, Dan is a lovable nerd (with a pot-belly, god damnit!), and Laurie, who does get short-changed as a character even in the original, is an aimless former child-star.
It looks like they've made a very interesting choice with Manhattan, though. The transformation looked perfect. I'd imagine they were working directly with Gibbons' panels for that shot because his dematerialisation is bang on. But they've also got him not just blue, but luminescent and physically perfect. That's a great choice. It clearly sets him apart from all the mere mortals. By the same token, Ozymandias' little action sequence, with the metal pole, makes him look like he's from a Yeun Wo Ping movie, which is also perfect. He's supposed to be the smartest man in the world and the best athlete/fighter who ever lived. He should stand head-and-shoulders above everyone else in those respects.
Which is why it's worrying to see Nite Owl doing the Batman thing with this cape, or executing a big, crazy kung-fu kick. I want him and Laurie to be skilled and effective, but not cinematically slick. I think I'm most worried about Rorschach, though. His voice was entirely too bad-ass, and in that trailer, he's been given pride-of-place, standing above the crowd, commenting on them. I hope that's a reflection of how he sees himself, rather than how the movie portrays him. I mean, yes, he's a central character, but if they make him "the hero," then they've seriously misunderstood this story. Like I said, he's a psychotic, brutal, misogynist killer. He might appeal to a certain blood-lust, but he should ultimately scare the shit out of you, not inspire you to punch the air.
The trailer looks very good. My expectations have leapt up a lot, but I'm still very concerned. Please, please, please, Hollywood, do not fuck up one of the best comics every drawn.
Posted by orion at July 17, 2008 1:40 PM