I think all we can do is hope that whatever Snyder does makes sense. The plot details don't necessarily matter - it's an adaptation, after all. What does matter is that he gets the spirit and the point of the comic book down. Now, I'm not saying this is a good sign, but it still could be good.
This trailer gives me even more hope that this movie will be awesome than the previous one. I got the feeling that they will stick to the theme of the graphic novel pretty well, and cut out a lot of the fat, plus deliver plenty of awesome visual stuff that you can only get with video.
Part of me wants to read Watchmen again before watching this movie to refresh myself, but another part of me wants to let it be for a while, so that I am not comparing this movie with the comic while I am watching it. Decisions, decisions...
I also think Rorschach's and Dr. Manhatten's voices are completely wrong.
Dr. Manhatten's voice sounded too "human" to me. I always imagined his disassociation with humanity to carry over to a kind of non-human quality to his voice.
I always imagined Rorschach sounding more frantic, disjointed, and insane, not like he had a piece of cracker stuck in his throat.
Hopefully I can get used to Rorschach's voice faster than I could get used to Batman's in the Dark Knight. I could handle not taking Batman seriously in that movie, but Rorschach is a different story.
Why did they turn Ozy’s costume all black? It removes his entire theme. Also, he looks more like a villain now. I liked how Ozymandias stood out from the rest of the heroes as a shining perfect man that even appeared more radiant then the others (with the exception of Jon of course). He didn’t hide in the shadows; he was a public figure and he looked the part. Now he appears dark and brooding like a normal hero. Out of all the characters I think this role was the most important to visually get correct. This deeply disappoints me.
This doesn't bug me as much as the fact that it looks like they cast him way too young. He's supposed to be in his 40s. So why does it look in the trailer like he's a twenty-something? Maybe it won't be as bad if I see longer shots of him. But between the age and the costume, I was confused for a second as to who he was even supposed to be when I first saw the trailer.
When I was standing next to a Watchmen standee at the theatre, I asked someone there who hadn't read Watchmen what he thought of when he looked at Ozymandias. He looked and then replied, "Robin. Like from Batman and Robin, the movie." So at least not all the uninformed masses will think Ozy looks like a villain straight off the bat. The downside is that instead they'll think he reminds them of one of the shittiest movies of all time.
I will always wonder at people that get too caught up in their love of original material to see a new version of it as a separate entity. I had mostly learned that lesson a couple years ago, but for some reason I was a really snobby purist when it came to Wiked, the musical based on the novel Wicked. You will have a lot more fun in life if you see them as to separate entities and appreciate them for what they are, not diss them for what they aren't.
I will always wonder at people that get too caught up in their love of original material to see a new version of it as a separate entity. I had mostly learned that lesson a couple years ago, but for some reason I was a really snobby purist when it came toWiked, the musical based on the novelWicked. You will have a lot more fun in life if you see them as to separate entities and appreciate them for what they are, not diss them for what they aren't.
I'm far from a snobby purist, and I am able to differentiate between movies, books, and graphic novels. They are different mediums that have different aesthetic rules. I've even been known to like movies better than books occasionally (Interview With the Vampire, for example). But when a choice is made for apparently no reason, like casting a young actor to play a guy who's supposed to be in his 40s and giving him a different costume. It's all the more glaring because the other characters seem to be well cast (from the pictures, anyways).
I'll see the movie before I judge it as a whole. But I can see casting issues in either the the promotional pictures or in the trailers. All I have to say at this point is that Matthew Goode had better do an awesome job playing Ozymandias to make up for what he seems to have going against him.
Edit:
Hey, at least it's not theONLYsacred thing Hollywood's about to piss all over.
No. Just give me a spork to gouge my eyes out with now please.
I probably will be picking this up. The main character in the pirate story is voiced by Gerard Butler. There is also going to be the story of Hollis Mason in there as well.
Funny how he writes "I'll avoid spoilers." Isn't this based on some really well known source material? I've never read the comic, I must admit, but it seems to me much like saying to a group of Tolkien fans "I don't want to spoil the movie..." when talking about the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Funny how he writes "I'll avoid spoilers." Isn't this based on some really well known source material? I've never read the comic, I must admit, but it seems to me much like saying to a group of Tolkien fans "I don't want to spoil the movie..." when talking about the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
It is well known by people that actually purchase comics, I think the movie is going for a far wider audience than that.
Funny how he writes "I'll avoid spoilers." Isn't this based on some really well known source material? I've never read the comic, I must admit, but it seems to me much like saying to a group of Tolkien fans "I don't want to spoil the movie..." when talking about the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
It is well known by people that actually purchase comics, I think the movie is going for a far wider audience than that.
But this is Wil Wheaton writing on Wil Wheaton's blog. My point wasn't that a lot of people haven't read the comic, my point was that most people who read such a blog probably have.
It is well known by people that actually purchase comics, I think the movie is going for a far wider audience than that.
It's more well known than you think. I see someone reading it on the subway just about every day. Also, the trade paperback has been consistently the #1 seller for a very long time. The sales figures on it are orders of magnitude greater than just about any other comic in book in the US. It even beats out Naruto and such. A lot more people know Watchmen than you think. And thanks to the movie, more people are reading it than probably ever before. After the movie comes out, it could even grow yet again.
If you haven't read it, you're really doing yourself a disservice. There's a new international edition, so you should be able to get it just about anywhere they have books.
I saw it in a bookshop today, but only a German version. If I find it in an English bookshop I'm visiting tonight I'll pick up a copy.
Yeah, the original language is English, and I can imagine that you could lose a lot in translation if you read a translated edition. There are lots of double and triple meanings of words that are incredibly important. I mean, even the title Watchmen has a dual meaning, people who look at things and also people who make and/or fix timepieces. So unless "watch" also has a dual meaning in the target language, one of the primary things of the book is immediately lost.
Comments
Part of me wants to read Watchmen again before watching this movie to refresh myself, but another part of me wants to let it be for a while, so that I am not comparing this movie with the comic while I am watching it. Decisions, decisions...
I also think Rorschach's and Dr. Manhatten's voices are completely wrong.
I always imagined Rorschach sounding more frantic, disjointed, and insane, not like he had a piece of cracker stuck in his throat.
Don't screw this up, Fox. Just go for a settlement and let Warner keep the release date. Hell hath no fury like a fandom scorned.
You will have a lot more fun in life if you see them as to separate entities and appreciate them for what they are, not diss them for what they aren't.
I'll see the movie before I judge it as a whole. But I can see casting issues in either the the promotional pictures or in the trailers. All I have to say at this point is that Matthew Goode had better do an awesome job playing Ozymandias to make up for what he seems to have going against him.
Edit: No. Just give me a spork to gouge my eyes out with now please.
I probably will be picking this up. The main character in the pirate story is voiced by Gerard Butler. There is also going to be the story of Hollis Mason in there as well.
If you haven't read it, you're really doing yourself a disservice. There's a new international edition, so you should be able to get it just about anywhere they have books.