Watchmen (2009)
Adrian Veidt: I'm not a comic book villain. Do you seriously think I would explain my master stroke to you if there were even the slightest possibility you could affect the outcome? I triggered it 35 minutes ago.
This movie is in my top 5 favorite movies as well as the comic it was created from is my favorite comic. I remember when it was announced that it was actually being made (this is one of those movies that took 10 years and like 6 directors before anything was shot) I prayed the studio would back out. After seeing V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I wanted this to fail. Sure, comic book movies have come a long way. And each entry seems to progressively better, and Sin City did make me feel like i was reading the book, but no one had done any of Alan Moore's work justice. Both League and V left me asking if the writers had read the actual comics or just the summary.
Enter Zach Synder, David Hayter and Alex Tse. These guys stuck to there guns and produced one of the most under-rated comic book films. My amazement started when Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin" started playing over the opening credits. Then it jump up when Rorshach started narrating his journal just like he did in the comic. Now, I am not saying that this is a faithful, cell by cell production like Sin City tried to be. They changed and edited a lot. That version would be a 6 hour bore-fest for all but the most die-hard fans. This had everything that was needed, even the end of the movie which was changed greatly, still had the heart and soul of the ending from the comic. You really can't ask for more than that.
The actors are great, most of them it took me a bit to place where I had seen them before. Standing out to me is Patrick Wislon as Nite Owl (he took me almost half the movie to realize it was Patrick) and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorshach. Rorshach was honestly the character I thought they would butcher, and he was the best part of the movie. Haley heard they were doing a casting call, bought the comic and video taped him reading Rorshach's Journals in his hotel bathroom. A dedication that shows on-screen.
The visual style fits the mood, the sound backs it up. All the music fits and works great for an added level. My favorite example of this would be "The Sound of Silence" during the funeral scene. Now, the nit picker in me could discuss the timing on "All Along the Watch Towers" at the end, but I would have changed 5 seconds. With a movie that got sooo much right, I give it to them.
For the fans and nerds, the original Nite Owl's book, "Under the Hood" is a DVD special. The comic "Tales of the Black Freighter" was an animated DVD release that for the Ultimate Edition was spliced into the movie where it should be
In the end, this is a great movie. It has a layered message that is just as important now as it was in the 80's. Stretching from the importance of one person to the point of life. They even sneaked in a message on oil that didn't feel out of place. Everyone in this gave a stellar performance that I feel went unnoticed by the awards crowd. Really, this should be on everyone's Must Watch list. Also, the trailer is awesome.