So, as many of you may know, one of the greatest comic book ever inked upon a page is coming to the big screen. That's right, Alan Moore's "The Watchmen."
And guess who is about to pee her pants in excitement?
ME!
At first, I was a bit leery about this masterpiece being transferred onto film. What with some of the more recent comic book fiascoes (see: Ang Lee's "Hulk" and Brett Ratner's third X-Men installment) I was a worried that some other asshat might come along and screw it up. But miracle of miracles, the people at Warner Bros decided to entrust this little nugget of awesomeness to the equally awesome Zack Snyder. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the ever-unstable and confusing terrain of Hollywoodland, Zack Snyder is the brilliant mind behind 300. Yes, I know. Take a moment to squeal in excitement.
Done? Okay, moving on...
I have immense faith in Snyder considering the ground-breaking work he did in 300. (And for those of you who disagree, you can go wallow in the drivel of Brett Ratner you great pillock.) From the footage I have seen of Watchmen it seems that he might just blow us away again in 2009.
The footage and trailers that have been released look very true to the style of the comics. The artist Dave Gibbons used a lot of secondary colors (purples, greens, oranges) to give the whole comic a different look-- Snyder is keeping true to this when it comes to costumes and set designs. Even the large-scale sets of New York City seems like something out of an Acid House dream.
Casting also stays true to the comic as well. Remember how in Sin City all the actors looked pretty much exactly like their characters? Watchmen is no different. Every actor seems like they were born to play their character from the most minute-- like the news stand guy-- to the biggest characters such as The Comedian.
Really the only way they can possibly screw this up is if the actors are bad. And I mean really bad. But I doubt that Snyder would lack the foresight to cast crappy actors. Anyway, just like in 300, I doubt that non-comic book fans will be paying much attention to dialogue or acting: the special effects alone look like a visual treat that will distract people from any discrepancies.
"But Taylor, why is this considered one of the greatest comic books of all time?" You ask.
Well person, I'll tell you why. In a list!
1. Alan Moore. Author of V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, Swamp Thing, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, this list could go on and on...
2. Superheroes with no actual superpowers. "Preposterous!" you say?! Well I slap you heartily upon the head with fine sheep mutton and say nay! The cool thing about these "superheroes" is that they are actually vigilantes-- just regular old Joes and Janes who just choose to kick ass and take names. Like Chuck Norris, but mortal.
3. Dave Gibbons. This ground-breaking artist has drawn for every publisher out there: Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, Vertigo, you name it. His unique use of paneling and smooth panel transitions make you feel like you are a part of the story. His prominent use of secondary colors is also quite intriguing.
4. Plot twists galore! If you like plot twists, then this is the comic for you. Oh hoo hoo hoo, will this comic make you go "What the crap?" every issue. But in the good way.
This list could go on for a while, but I'll just leave it at that.
All in all, this movie seems like the ultimate geekgasm. During the first showing of its trailer, I sat, mouth agape, staring at the huge screen that housed my favorite story. After the trailer was over with, I couldn't help but cheer loudly and go "Hot damn! Can't wait!" It has become my new Dark Knight. Ever since DK went out of theatres, I now have Watchmen to look forward to! Oh, anticipation, why do you torture me so?
So my friends, lets all take a moment and thank who or whatever it is that you worship for Zack Snyder, who (along with the help of a fantastic man named Christopher Nolan) helped restore our faith in the comic-book-turned-major-motion-picture genre. Thank you Zack. Thank you Saint Christopher Nolan. We love you. So much.
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