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Watchmen
2 Disc Special Edition
The Watchmen has been dubbed as the greatest
graphic novel of all time and although I've read the original comicbook
series, I was quite impressed by Alan Moore's dark vision of the
superhero world. Joined by Dave Gibbons who drew the limited comicbook
series, the Watchmen revolved around a former group of
superheroes who have turned their back on society as society turned its
back on them.
Although the story was quite revolutionary for its day,
many believed that it could not be turned into a live action movie and
thankfully, they were wrong. The story begins with the murder of the
Comedian who is violently attacked by an unknown assailant which
eventually leads him to be hurled out a high rise building with the
majestic song of Nat King Cole's Unforgettable playing in the
background.
From there, the viewer is treated to the Golden Age of
the Superheroes with the Minutemen of the 1940's that helps set the
theme and plotlines for the central piece of the story. Set in 1985, the
Watchmen revolves around the "hero" Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) who
believes that the Comedian was murdered and the murder is targeting
other masked heroes.
The twist to the Watchmen is that it is set in an
alternate universe where Nixon is still in power, thanks to Dr.
Manhattan, one of the world's most powerful superheroes who has long
since lost his ties with humanity. Needless to say, the world of the
Watchmen is quite a twisted and grim reality, however a handful of
heroes still fight the good fight.
As the story progresses, the psychopathic hero
Rorschach attempts to draw in his former comrades that include
Daniel Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) who is now a husk of the
hero he once was, Laurie Juspeczyk, aka "Silk Spectre" (Malin Ackerman)
who was forced into super heroics by her mother and is in a loveless
relationship with Jonathan Osterman, aka Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup).
Finally, Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), the smartest man
in the world who has managed to market himself to the world and is now
one of the world's most richest men.
The story goes into great detail of what makes these
heroes tick, although the star in the movie is Rorschach who
brings together his former comrades in order to "save" the world that
threatens to annihilate everything. The Director's Cut of the
Watchmen features an additional 24 minutes of footage which actually
makes the story even better as Zack Snyder goes out of his way to create
a truly spectacular and at times confusing movie that is almost a
narrative of social issues.
Add in a disc exclusively for special features and this
gives the viewer a true backstage pass into the creation of the movie
and how this graphic novel changed the world of comics. With brilliant
video and audio quality, this may be the perfect comic book movie that
flawlessly melds the world of superheroes with social issues and what is
acceptable by society. Very deep and highly Recommended!
Special Features:
Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World
The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics
Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes
Video Journals (Webisodes)
Viral Video: NBS Nightly News
Music Video - My Chemical Romance "Desolation Row"
Easter Egg Viral Video: The Keene Act & You |
