Who Watches the Watchmen? (New Movie Thread)

[Mr. Hamrick]

I actually expected a lot more fan boy complaints.   

[Jakew]

Although I thought the bad (some bad acting, OTT fight scenes, pointless gore) outweighed the good in this film, I'm actually looking forward to the super-duper delux version with the extra hour of material (extended scenes, Black Freighter comic), and the Under The Hood "documentary".

My biggest gripe was cutting out character development and Moore's dialogue to concentrate on extended action scenes (which I'm 99% sure was a concession to the studio in order to get the film made), and I think the bells-and-whistles edition will mostly eliminate that gripe.

It's weird that people are saying this film has drawn disappointing box-office results. I mean, how many people did they expect to go and see a nearly three-hour long film featuring superheroes most people have never heard of, featuring a relatively unknown cast?

[Figure Fan]

Although I thought the bad (some bad acting, OTT fight scenes, pointless gore) outweighed the good in this film, I'm actually looking forward to the super-duper delux version with the extra hour of material (extended scenes, Black Freighter comic), and the Under The Hood "documentary".

My biggest gripe was cutting out character development and Moore's dialogue to concentrate on extended action scenes (which I'm 99% sure was a concession to the studio in order to get the film made), and I think the bells-and-whistles edition will mostly eliminate that gripe.

It's weird that people are saying this film has drawn disappointing box-office results. I mean, how many people did they expect to go and see a nearly three-hour long film featuring superheroes most people have never heard of, featuring a relatively unknown cast?

Yeah, and it still made like 60 million in spite of those reasons, and in March of all months. I was pretty surprised.

I, like you, am excited for the DC which I think comes out in July. There are scenes in it with Laurie discussing Jon's disappearance, more Rorschach, and more Manhattan on Mars, among other things. I'm excited.

[detourne_me]

It's weird that people are saying this film has drawn disappointing box-office results. I mean, how many people did they expect to go and see a nearly three-hour long film featuring superheroes most people have never heard of, featuring a relatively unknown cast?

not to mention being rated R.  With much controversy too.

[cripp12]

and that whole recession thing.

[JeyNyce]

A friend/ co-worker saw it and he said it was good, but every other scene they show Doc Manhattan.....ALL OF Doc Manhattan.

[stumpy]

A friend/ co-worker saw it and he said it was good, but every other scene they show Doc Manhattan.....ALL OF Doc Manhattan.

Uh huh. At some point in the movie, I realized that Doc Manhattan has probably met Nixon on several occasions and I wondered if he suited up those times. I had to laugh because there's an episode of Futurama ("War Is The H Word") where Nixon runs into Zapp Brannigan standing around al fresco after a shower. He cringes and says, "Brannigan! My God, cover yourself! I didn't live a thousand years and travel a quadrillion miles to look at another man's gizmo!" 

[Gremlin]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

[Jakew]

Although I thought the bad (some bad acting, OTT fight scenes, pointless gore) outweighed the good in this film, I'm actually looking forward to the super-duper delux version with the extra hour of material (extended scenes, Black Freighter comic), and the Under The Hood "documentary".

My biggest gripe was cutting out character development and Moore's dialogue to concentrate on extended action scenes (which I'm 99% sure was a concession to the studio in order to get the film made), and I think the bells-and-whistles edition will mostly eliminate that gripe.

It's weird that people are saying this film has drawn disappointing box-office results. I mean, how many people did they expect to go and see a nearly three-hour long film featuring superheroes most people have never heard of, featuring a relatively unknown cast?

Yeah, and it still made like 60 million in spite of those reasons, and in March of all months. I was pretty surprised.

I, like you, am excited for the DC which I think comes out in July. There are scenes in it with Laurie discussing Jon's disappearance, more Rorschach, and more Manhattan on Mars, among other things. I'm excited.

There's also the whole

Spoiler

death of Hollis Mason scene and Dan finding out in the bar and beating the Knot Top.

and presumably an explanation for Bubastis (the flashback scene of Dr Manhattan and Laurie visiting Veidt, possibly?) I actually hope there are more scenes of Veidt being "nice".

[cripp12]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

I don't need to see that.

[TheMarvell]

After a few days of thinking about the movie, what I liked and what I didn't, I've come to the conclusion that this could possibly be a film that gets better with multiple viewings. I left the theater feeling really disappointed, but I've still thought about it, which not a lot of movies tend to do unless there was something about it that intrigued me. It could, however, be solely based on the fact that I JUST read the book, and therefore still have the likes of the characters still fondly placed in my mind, but I'm looking forward to the DVD to hopefully see a much better, more fully realized film. I know they said they were incorporating the Black Freighter stuff in there, but I honestly hope the DC gives us multiple options, as I'd rather not have the movie interrupted by bits of a cartoon.

That being said:

Spoiler

My girlfriend and the friends I went with all predicted Ozy was a bad guy. My gf said to me after roughly the second scene he was in, "that guy is really creepy...". I don't think Goode was a bad choice, but they should have made him more likable and less of a creep.

Now, I know saying "most of the theater seemed to dislike the movie" really doesn't factor in whether or not the movie was a success, but I do think it's a valid point to make that a fairly good chunk of the audience left after the 2 hour mark, some even complaining on the way out that the movie sucked. (I can only assume they never read or heard of the novel). Personally, I go to a lot of movies, and this hardly ever happens, so when it does, it's pretty surprising to me. And my theater was packed.

I have to ask though, did anyone else absolutely HATE Richard Nixon in this? More people laughed at him than they did the Doctor's lower Manhattan. I thought his makeup was distractingly awful, and I really would have liked it better if they just had no makeup at all and just a guy that somewhat looks like him (like in Frost/Nixon) or an entirely different president all together.

[lgmss]

http://dvd.ign.com/articles/961/961607p1.html

Not only is it about the Tales of the Black Freighter, it also has Hollis Mason autobiography.

With a preview of the Green Lantern movie.

[BWPS]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

[BentonGrey]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Yeah, I'm really on the fence about whether or not to bring my wife to see this.  I don't really think that she'll enjoy the story itself since it is so dark, but I feel like it is such an important story that she really should see it.  However...I don't particularly want to drag her to a movie that is not only dark, but also somewhat lewd.  I feel like I might be abusing her good will.  She may never allow me to pick another movie again.  I had actually hoped that the transition to the screen would soften a few of these rougher edges.  I don't ever need to see electric blue male nudity.

[Figure Fan]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

Yeah, it must be a maturity thing. I did not see anything worth laughing about.

[TheMarvell]

an interesting "open-letter" from screen writer David Hayter, aka Solid Snake:

http://www.hardcorenerdity.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2239098%3ABlogPost%3A40658

[BWPS]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

Yeah, it must be a maturity thing. I did not see anything worth laughing about.

Ok, I can't argue with that. But you guys are missing out on some of the finer things in life. Like there was a blue penis in a movie and it was funny. You can keep your maturity if it means you can't laugh at as much stuff.

[Gremlin]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

Yeah, it must be a maturity thing. I did not see anything worth laughing about.

Ok, I can't argue with that. But you guys are missing out on some of the finer things in life. Like there was a blue penis in a movie and it was funny. You can keep your maturity if it means you can't laugh at as much stuff.

If you're laughing at that you're letting one element of a scene dominate your focus, and thus missing the point. =P

[thanoson]

Seriously, wasn't there much more blue penis in the book? Are we really saying that the presence of said penis is going to ruin the movie? Who's focus is where now?

[MJB]

I'm not one for quoting articles but this part by Hayter really spoke to me about the so called haters of this flick...

You say you don't like it. You say you've got issues. I get it.

And yet... You'll be thinking about this film, down the road. It'll nag at you. How it was rough and beautiful. How it went where it wanted to go, and you just hung on. How it was thoughtful and hateful and bleak and hilarious. And for Jackie Earle Haley.

Trust me. You'll come back, eventually. Just like Sally.

Might as well make it count for something.

-MJB

[Volsung]

(Excuse my english. it's not easy for me to fully formulate)

Some friends, my girlfriend and I watched it yesterday, and we loved it.
Sure, I already knew the comics and I read that thread carefully so "I've been warned".
But i' chocked my fanboy side and franckly enjoyed the show.
The bads were meaningless in comparison of the overall good and we really enjoyed the 80's soundtrack.
Due to the movie length ,our jobs, and the public transport we were forced to watch it in a small theater scattered with antique pop corns^^.
But it was ideal. No spectators left the place, no chattering, no prudish agitation ,no absurd laugh and even some comfort
I'll return and I'll wait the dvd and extra scenes excitedly.

Gosh! One of my friend is Dan's clone^^

[Sevenforce]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

Yeah, it must be a maturity thing. I did not see anything worth laughing about.

Ok, I can't argue with that. But you guys are missing out on some of the finer things in life. Like there was a blue penis in a movie and it was funny. You can keep your maturity if it means you can't laugh at as much stuff.

Agreed! Funny is funny ^^

However, I find it funnier that the blue dong, which was, imo, very tastefully (and professionally) done, gets more comments than an equally 'lewd' film, Sirens, did when it was released.

Is this a commentary on sexual preconceptions/acceptance? Is a female being nude more 'acceptable' than a male being nude? Or am I just reading too much into things?

[The Enigma]

Am I the only one who thought the nudity wasn't comical? We see so much female nudity in films today, all the titilation is gone and it's practically boring and expected. But one guy is incredibly comfortable walking around nude and everybody makes a huge deal about it. It frustrates me.

Blue penis. He had a blue penis. It was blue... and a penis. Come on, Gremlin... come on.

Yeah, it must be a maturity thing. I did not see anything worth laughing about.

Ok, I can't argue with that. But you guys are missing out on some of the finer things in life. Like there was a blue penis in a movie and it was funny. You can keep your maturity if it means you can't laugh at as much stuff.

Agreed! Funny is funny ^^

However, I find it funnier that the blue dong, which was, imo, very tastefully (and professionally) done, gets more comments than an equally 'lewd' film, Sirens, did when it was released.

Is this a commentary on sexual preconceptions/acceptance? Is a female being nude more 'acceptable' than a male being nude? Or am I just reading too much into things?

I just saw the penis and ignored it after that. It was no more interesting to me than the dark circles around Jon's eyes or the shiny eyes themselves. If, throughout, everyone in the film had been staring at it if, god forbid, they'd made a joke about it, it would have annoyed me. It's important because it reflects Jon's detachment from humanity and, as time goes on, he wears less. The only times he dons clothes are for scenes of emotional attachment (the funeral and the interview - both  of which reflect how connected to certain people he still is). Just accept that it's part of the larger text of the film and has absolutely nothing to do with anatomy. Besides, it's not like he's cold or can feel pain or whatever and when you're isolating gluinos, you've got better things to be doing than making sure your tie matches your socks. Anyone who can't get beyond the fact that there's a naked man needs to grow up already.
As for acceptance of female vs. male nudity, I think that very much depends on the era. Renaissance sculptors had no problems with admiring the male form - just as they admired the female form. It's because of today's weird attitudes to sexuality that some people can't accept naked men like they can accept naked women - because straight men control so much of what's permissible in society. Do you honestly think it's worth getting upset over a naked man any more than a naked woman or a naked child or a naked dog? It's not done for titillation, it's done for what it is. Just as the (not great) sex scene was not about titillation, but was a comment on how Dan (and arguably Laurie) tie superheroics and sex in their heads.
Throughout the film (and even more so in the graphic novel), Hayter/Moore explores the links between the two things and I think there's a great deal more room to explore there. As for it being funny, well, I found it no funnier than my own penis...

[BentonGrey]

I don't think there is any great mystery.  Most people who visit these forums and watch these kinds of movies are men.  Men generally enjoy seeing nude females, at least on some level, and generally are at most indifferent to male nudity.  It seems pretty straight forward to me.

[The_Baroness]

I liked it, true some things could have been done better but as Volsung said, the good outweights the bad... really good adaptation... also.. concerning the nudity and sex scenes... they all are there to tell part of the story....

[BentonGrey]

I understand that, but stories can be told with just as much impact while still exercising a certain amount of subtlety.  That's something I've never cared for in Moore's work.  He knows how to BE subtle, but he sees no reason to do so when it comes to...more graphic content.

[JKCarrier]

That's something I've never cared for in Moore's work.  He knows how to BE subtle, but he sees no reason to do so when it comes to...more graphic content.

In most cases, the movie is more explicit than the comic.

Spoiler

In the comic you just see Dan & Laurie getting undressed and embracing, then it cuts away to them cuddling afterward; the movie shows them actually "doing the deed". Or Jon distintegrating one of Moloch's henchmen: in the comic, you just see a cloud where the guy's head used to be, but in the movie they have blood and guts splattering all over.

[BentonGrey]

Well, that figures.

[Talavar]

So there's some nudity in a film - big deal.  It's R rated, and it's hardly the first time.

[TheMarvell]

I'm pretty sure most people found it funny because it was blue, but I could be wrong.