Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Hello. 195th post today, ladies and gentlemen. The topic for this happy day is:
Although the posters have been saying "In Cinemas 6th March 2009", all the hardcore fans know that the movie is actually opening island wide tomorrow. No one knows why the movie is being released a day earlier, but no one is complaining either.
Of course, if you are a complete fan of the graphic novel, you are probably getting multiple orgasms right now caused by the mix of anticipation and excitement. Which explains why I'm having a hard time typing at the moment.
However, if you have never touched the Watchmen comics before, chances are you probably don't really bother about the film. You have never read the series before, so you have no idea what everything is about, and the movies isn't that much of a big deal to you.
You have no idea what you are missing out on. Here are 5 reasons why you absolutely must watch the movie.
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1) THE STORY
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When I first noticed the hype surrounding the Watchmen back in 2007, I started reading about it on the Internet. Last year, I started reading through the graphic novel. After my first read through, I agreed that the story was interesting, but I failed to see what was so amazing about it.
The second time that I read it was a whole different story.
This time, I really started to understand the complexity of the story, and I was able to appreciate the cleverness of the writing. In almost every page, there were several lines that had double meaning, or they indicated something more than what they were meant to.
The story starts off fairly easy to understand, and as it progresses, it gradually unfolds into a intricate web of mystery, action and romance, told with ruthless psychological realism. It is so compelling that now, even though I'm reading it for the fourth time, the story just forces me to continue reading.
And once you are nearing the end, when there are still so many unsolved mysteries and questions lingering in your mind, the story just falls into place. It is indescribable how amazing it is to see something like that happen. You have to read it yourself to experience the genius of the Watchmen story.
Now, more than 20 years after the series was published, the story still remains one of the best of all times. Not only does it make all other comic books dull in comparison, it also outshines many novels of today. I seriously don't see the fun in reading modern comics any longer, and I would rather use Watchmen as a source inspiration when writing than use any other novel.
This is quite an achievement, considering the fact that novels have hundreds of pages of words to describe themselves, while a comic book is restricted to the few speech bubbles on every page. In fact, Watchmen is the only comic book in Time magazine's "All time 100 best English novels from 1923-present".
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2) THE CHARACTERS
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Think Batman and Spider-Man are great characters? Then you will be blown away by the ones Watchmen has to offer.
Sure, Batman and Spider-Man are good, well developed characters that have gone through many physical and psychological dilemmas, but they simply cannot stand up to the depth and complexity of any of the Watchmen characters.
Firstly, the characters in Watchmen cannot be described by the term "hero". Heroes are upholders of justice, and not many Watchmen characters actually do this. But they can be classified as vigilantes, since they do help keep crime at bay.
Each character in the series is so well developed that any of them could easy be the only character in a movie, and the movie would still be good. The story slowly explores the mental trauma faced by each of these middle aged vigilantes after years of fighting crime.
Rorschach is a vigilante who turned from a soft, justice driven hero to a mentally unstable, ruthless psychopath feared by all. He lost faith in humanity after a girl he had befriended got kidnapped and murdered. Ever since, he has been punishing anyone he views as evil, and he has even gotten on the wrong side of the law for several murders.
Nite Owl II has become flabby due to many years of inactivity. He lives alone, and he feels that he has not achieved anything in life. After the Comedian's murder, he meet Rorschach again, and he suddenly realizes that he misses being in costume. He later gets together with Silk Spectre II, and she gives him a new reason to live.
The Comedian is a violent and sadistic man who has seen the true face of humanity, and he decides to make a joke out of it. The story starts after he gets murdered, but he is constantly seen in flashbacks. A week before his death, he meets one of his old enemies and has a breakdown, asking his enemy, "What's so funny about life, anyway?".
Dr. Manhattan is the only character in the series who actually has super powers. He is practically invincible. However, being a much more advanced being than normal humans, Dr. Manhattan eventually finds himself drifting away from humanity. While he can perform millions of scientific calculations in a split second, simple human concepts like emotions are alien to him.
Silk Spectre II is the only main female character in the movie. She was reluctant to be a vigilante, and she only put on her costume because her mother, the original Silk Spectre, wanted her to continue the legacy. She is more than happy to be retired. However, after leaving Dr. Manhattan for Nite Owl, she dons her costume once again.
Ozymandius is a retired vigilante who is considered a specimen of a human being at peak physical condition. His identity has been made public and he is now running a huge company. He is a key figure in the story, but his role is not explored until towards the end of the story. At that point of time, all his intentions are fully explained.
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3) THIS REVIEW
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Do yourself a favour and watch this entire video review of the movie. It will change you.
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4) THE DIRECTOR AND CAST
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If you don't already know, Zack Snyder is the one directing this movie. Yes, the same Zack Snyder who directed 2007's box office hit 300. He did an excellent job with 300, and according to many people who have actually watched the movie, Watchmen is directed with the same amount of care and creativity.
The cast is pretty respectable as well, with its mixed of big names and award winners.
Jackie Earle Haley acts as Rorschach. He almost went nuts trying to understand Rorschach's complex character. Jackie is a black belt in Kenpo, so he performed his own stunts. However, he described Rorschach's attack pattern to be sloppier due to the character's background in boxing.
Patrick Wilson acts as Nite Owl II. He had to put on 25lbs to play Nite Owl II, since he is obese in the comics. Patrick described Nite Owl II as a soldier who returned from war, but is no longer able to fit in with society.
Malin Akerman acts as Silk Spectre II. She had to undergo intense training to be able to perform her own stunts. Her costume, which was made out of latex, offered little protection, and she often got bruised while doing stunts. She pronounces Silk Spectre II's surname, Juspeczyk as "Juice-peck-it".
Billy Crudup acts as Dr. Manhattan. He is the only actor who didn't require to put on a costume, since Dr. Manhattan is a purely CG character. Instead, he wore a mo cap suit with hundreds of tiny blue LED lights. These lights create the blue glow that is constantly surrounding Dr. Manhatta.
Matthew Goode acts as Ozymandius. This role was originally meant for big names like Tom Cruise and Jude Law, but it eventually went to Matthew because director Zack Synder wanted some one with a genuine German accent.
Jeffery Dean Morgan acts as the Comedian. He is the only one in the entire cast who actually hates his character, since he claims that the Comedian is too much of a bastard. He originally didn't want the role, after realising that his character dies two pages into the comic, but he later accepted it when he read on and realised that the Comedian was an important character.
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THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER GOOD MOVIES NOW
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Exactly what the title says. Sure, Push isn't too bad, but you know that you want to watch Watchmen more.
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Watchmen opens tomorrow in all theatres in Singapore. It is rated M18 and it is 2hr 40mins long. If you are planning to watch the movie, one piece of advice: Don't watch it until you have read the comics, or you will not know what the hell is going on in the movie. I can't wait to watch it myself, it is going to be so awesome.
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Ok, I don't know what happened to me today, but I think I got food poisoning or something. My stomach was hurting for the entire day and I had to constantly go to the toilet. Like I said, either food poison, or my stomach is on strike. Rebellious bitch.
I was kinda pissed in the morning because I'm always pissed when stuff like this happened, but also because I couldn't go out. And that means I cannot meet anyone. And I also couldn't play any games because I hate having to pause games to go to the toilet.
Eventually, my day was brightened :D I was shown true care today alright? No one every did such a thing for me before, seriously. I am so thankful and happy!! KOAS. Gonna fully cover your expenses tomorrow :D
I realised that there are actually quite a few people reading my blog. When I say quite a few, I mean much more than I originally thought. Anyways, feel free to tag people, I won't bite you or anything.
Ok, I'm done for today. Thanks for reading. [KOAS KW!!] Ending off, see you tomorrow.
posted @ 11:06 PM
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